University System News:
Athens CEO
Former U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson has officially launched the Isakson Initiative, a not-for-profit organization, to raise awareness and funding for neurocognitive diseases, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and related dementia. Isakson announced his definitive diagnosis with Parkinson’s in April of 2015 and regrettably had to make the tough decision to retire midway through his third term as a U.S. senator in December 2019. …The Isakson Initiative is the continuation of Isakson’s lifelong commitment to public service and his dedication to remaining a champion for advancements in biomedical research and development. As the CEO of Northside Realty, in the Georgia Legislature, and in the U.S. Congress, Senator Isakson was a leading advocate for public/private research initiatives at the University of Georgia, Emory University, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Georgia Research Alliance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and countless other institutions and organizations around the globe.
Valdosta Daily Times
South GeorgiaLEADS names graduates
South Georgia recognized 32 committed leaders who are dedicated to the economic success and welfare of the region last week with the graduation of the most recent class of South GeorgiaLEADS. …Launched in 2016, South GeorgiaLEADS is an eight-month leadership experience that links regional site visits and issue awareness to relevant leadership development content within the framework of the South GeorgiaLEADS priorities. Since that time, the program has partnered with Valdosta State University’s Center for South Georgia Regional Impact as the administrative home to SGL, serving both organizations’ objectives of furthering growth and progress across the region. Facilitated by the faculty from the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development at the University of Georgia, SGL emphasizes regional priorities throughout the program, each session directly linking leadership skills training to issues of critical importance to South Georgia—regional identity and influence, workforce and economic development, and collective visioning and planning.
Spaces 4 Learning
Georgia Southern University Sees Completion of New Engineering Building
By Matt Jones
Georgia Southern University announced this week that JE Dunn Construction has completed construction on the university’s new Engineering and Research Building. The $60 million project was funded by the state of Georgia and serves as the new home for the College of Engineering and Computing. According to a press release, the new facility will help facilitate academic and institutional partnerships, as well as foster creative engineering for students.
WGAU Radio
UGA ranks high on new list of best public schools
Michigan ranks No. 1
The University of Georgia ranked 11th on the list of Top Public Universities in the U.S. by rankings platform Niche. The Niche rankings compare over 500 public colleges and state universities in the U.S., and are based on an analysis of academic, admissions, financial and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with millions of reviews from students and alumni. UGA, the birthplace of public higher education in America, has consistently ranked as a top value university and is the largest institution to place experiential learning as a core part of its undergraduate curriculum.
WALB
VSU hosts family vaccine clinic for Blazer community
By Jennifer Morejon
Valdosta State University (VSU) hosted a family and friends COVID-19 vaccine clinic on Wednesday. Students and staff were welcome to bring family members to get their first shot, some as young as 14 participating.
Tifton CEO
Spinks Selected for Roy R. Jackson Award at ABAC
Kim Spinks has been selected as the 2021 recipient of the Roy R. Jackson Award for Staff Excellence, presented each year to the top staff member at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Presented in memory of Roy R. Jackson, Sr., award recipients must have completed at least 10 years of continuous full-time service to ABAC. Award criteria states that the staff member must be dependable, loyal, reliable, and one who contributes to the growth and development of the college beyond the normal call of duty. Now serving as the Office Coordinator for the Office of Academic Support, Spinks has been an ABAC staff member for 22 years.
Athens CEO
Matt Colvin on UGA’s Resources for Businesses and Communities (Video)
Executive Director of Economic Development for the University System of Georgia Matt Colvin talks about the many resources that UGA offers for businesses and communities in economic development across the state.
Thomasville Times-Enterprise
Childs putting her advanced degree to work in the community
By Patti Dozier
Ashleigh Childs is eager to put her master’s degree to work in the community. Childs, the Thomas County University of Georgia extension service family and consumer science agent, recently earned a masters of science in community nutrition from UGA. “I plan to apply the knowledge gained through my coursework to continue to support the education of Thomas County community members on chronic disease and obesity prevention through improved nutrition and physical activity practice,” she said. This summer, she will teach Thomas County School System cafeteria personnel how to take care of their health through a healthy diet.
Hilton Head Monthly
Anthony Garzilli | Ph: Lloyd Wainscott
INDUSTRY LEADER GREG PARKER MOTIVATED TO CONTINUE TO MAKE AN IMPACT
…His company has 1,250 employees. Parker was recently named to the Convenience Store News Hall of Fame, and Parker’s was honored as the Convenience Store Decisions Chain of the Year for 2020. This year, he is celebrating the 45th anniversary of the first Parker’s store. At 67, Greg Parker, founder and CEO of a flourishing company, could be content. He’s not. Instead, Parker is fueled by giving back. Earlier this year, the Parker’s Community Fund pledged $20 million to support communities in Georgia and South Carolina. The new fund, which will help support education, health care, first responders, members of the military, veterans and address hunger, is just a start, Parker said. …Giving has always been a priority, he said. Parker’s endowed the Parker’s Emergency and Trauma Center at Memorial Hospital in Savannah and made a $5 million donation to name the Parker College of Business at Georgia Southern University.
WFXG
New workforce development program aims to fill U.S. cybersecurity workforce shortage
By Jasmyn Cornell
The cybersecurity workforce shortage tops 500,000 nationwide, according to Cyberseek, and Augusta University is helping to fulfill the nation’s job shortage in this field and encouraging individuals to enter the National Cybersecurity Workforce Development Program. Augusta University’s School of Computer and Cyber Sciences is a part of the academic coalition in the National Cybersecurity Workforce Development Program, CyberSkills2Work. This national workforce development initiative aims to recruit, train and place transitioning military members and first responders to prepare them for the cybersecurity workforce, said university officials. “This program is a fantastic opportunity for someone who wants to enter the cyber workforce,” says Dr. Michael Nowatkowski, Augusta University’s cybersecurity workforce development program representative.
Medical Xpress
Opiate overdoses linked to poor mental health
by Michael Miller, University of Cincinnati
The opioid epidemic is taking a deadly toll on people in disproportionate clusters from Cape Cod to San Diego, according to a new study by the University of Cincinnati. …Now states are seeing more overdoses from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. The study also tracked the migration of overdoses between 2005 and 2017 from Southwest states to the Northeast. Many of the clusters UC identified in the Southwest and Northeast had comparatively higher levels of physical and mental distress. Co-author Neil MacKinnon, former dean of UC’s James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, said the analysis could help health policymakers and clinicians by identifying individual and community-level factors associated with an increased risk of death due to substance use disorder. He is provost now at Augusta University, Georgia.
Spectrum News
The link between thunderstorms and asthma attacks
By Ryan Finn | Nationwide
Under the right conditions, a thunderstorm can trigger an asthma attack. …An asthma attack isn’t something you would normally associate with a thunderstorm, but under the right conditions, it can happen. The combination of high pollen counts, multi-celled thunderstorms and being outside at the wrong time is the “perfect storm” for people that have allergies.
Here’s how it happens
Typically, allergy sufferers welcome rain in the spring to wash allergens away. So, it may seem a little weird that a thunderstorm producing a lot of rain could trigger an asthma attack. According to a study done by researchers at the University of Georgia, the primary reason this rare occurrence happens is a specific airflow pattern, in which humidity and lightning also aid.
TechStory
Soft Robotic Gripper Developed by Engineers
DURGA PRABHU
Science often derives its inspiration from nature and tries to imitate the natural qualities with the help of technology in an artificial setting. More than often we find robots inspired by the features and functions of animals or certain plants where they try and imitate their characteristics in order to blend in and carry out assigned tasks. In the past few decades the advancement in technology has been taking place at a rapid pace. It is now possible to create artificial replicas of most of the natural elements. A lot of scientists still derive ideas from nature when it comes to innovation. Recently, a group of researchers from the University Of Georgia College Of Engineering have developed a new soft robotic gripper. This soft robotic gripper is inspired by pole beans. The details about this study are published in the journal, Optics Express.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated May 26)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 17,986 | Deaths have been confirmed in every county. This figure does not include additional cases that the DPH reports as suspected COVID-19-related deaths. County is determined by the patient’s residence, when known, not by where they were treated.
CONFIRMED CASES: 894,445 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Should College ‘Value’ Be Defined by Economic Success? The Key Podcast
By Doug Lederman
This week’s episode of The Key, Inside Higher Ed’s news and analysis podcast, offers contrasting views about the wisdom of using economic outcomes as the primary determinant of whether a college, university or academic program has “value.” The episode digs more deeply into the recent report from the Postsecondary Value Commission, which proposes defining and measuring the value of a postsecondary education mostly by how much a college’s graduates earn and if they become economically mobile and develop long-term wealth.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Higher Ed Institutions Still Undecided About Mask and Social Distancing Requirements for the Fall
by Arrman Kyaw
As the nation’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues and colleges and universities prepare for in-person instruction in the fall, what remains unclear is how the CDC’s recent guidance for fully vaccinated people will apply. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention abruptly announced earlier this month that fully vaccinated people did not need to wear a mask or physically distance – except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws and rules. Several colleges and universities – in preparation for students to be back on campus in the fall – have announced varying degrees of COVID-19 vaccine requirements for students and/or faculty and staff.
Inside Higher Ed
A COVID Shot for a Scholarship
By Elizabeth Redden
New Yorkers age 12 to 17 who have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose are eligible for a chance to win one of 50 four-year, full scholarships to any New York State public college or university, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday.