University System News:
Middle Georgia CEO
Daring Duos: Two Sets of Twins Chase Flying Dreams Together at MGA
Staff Report
When they were growing up in Brunswick, fraternal twins Breland and Sydni Wray loved to hear stories about their Uncle Chad and his experiences flying Black Hawk helicopters for the U.S. Army. Meanwhile, identical twins Brian and Chip Phillips of Dacula were traveling a lot with their parents and spending considerable time in airports, where both boys gained a fascination for jetliners and the pilots who fly them. Today, these two sets of twins are classmates at Middle Georgia State University’s School of Aviation in Eastman. The 20-year-old Wray sisters are enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Aviation Science and Management program, focusing on helicopter flight. The 21-year-old Phillips brothers are pursuing the same degree in the fixed-wing concentration.
Patch
Georgia Southern University: 2021 Averitt Award Winners Champion Research, Teaching Experiences
Four graduate students at Georgia Southern University earned the highest award in the Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies for their research or instruction in various disciplines during the 2020-21 academic year. Each year, the Averitt Award is bestowed upon a group of students within the College of Graduate Studies who stand apart in research or instruction. This year’s winners included Cesar Carapia, Excellence in Research; Erin Arneson, Excellence in Research; Bradly McGinnis, Excellence in Instruction; and Cydney Price, Excellence in Instruction.
yahoo!news
Covington student selected as president of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Ambassadors
The Albany Herald, Ga.
Ava Jane Teasley from Covington has been selected as the president of the ABAC Ambassadors for the 2021-22 academic year at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. “Students often choose ABAC because of its welcoming atmosphere,” Teasley said. “The Ambassadors play a huge role in making prospective students feel welcome. After my campus tour, I knew my home would be at ABAC as an Ambassador.” Director of Marketing and Communications Lindsey Roberts, one of the organization’s advisors, said the Ambassadors are a select group of students chosen for their enthusiasm, leadership ability, and communication skills who represent ABAC in Tifton and across the state of Georgia.
Savannah CEO
UGA Skidaway Institute joins Ocean Color Nanosatellite Project
Researchers at the University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography have partnered with the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) and others in an ambitious project to use a dedicated nanosatellite to study ocean color. The nanosatellite, the SeaHawk-1 CubeSat, is about the size of a loaf of bread and weighs less than 11 pounds. It was launched in 2018, and for the past two and a half years, it has undergone extensive testing and evaluation. It is now ready to move from its testing into its operational phase, a process called commissioning. Seahawk-1 CubeSat is owned and operated by UNCW. CubeSats are a revolutionary way to study the ocean because scientists get all the advantages of satellite technology, but at a significantly reduced cost and time to design, build and launch a satellite.
Patch
Officers in the Georgia Southern University Police Department (UPD) now have more options for improving police interactions with individuals impacted by communication disorders thanks to graduate students in the Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSDS) program in the Waters College of Health Professions. Nine students led 12 officers and one UPD support staff through training at the RiteCare Center for Communication Disorders on the Armstrong Campus in Savannah.
The Red & Black
Concrete Jungle aims to reduce food insecurity with weekly harvests
Sarah White
Rows of bushy green plants hide hundreds of pounds of zucchini squash at the University of Georgia horticulture farm. These plants serve a dual purpose: They are used for entomology and agro-ecology research by UGA graduate student Allison Stawara, and they provide fresh food for food-insecure families in Athens.
WTOC
GSU professor discusses national rising rate of inflation, local impacts
By Sean Evans
Traveling to see family over the past year has been limited due to COVID-19 restrictions. A jump in consumer prices around the county are up. Everything from gas prices to hotels, airfare, and car rentals. While experts say that inflation is a natural phenomenon taking place all around the country, one tourism economics official says that part of the reason for the rise in prices is the increase in wages. He says that the struggle to bring employees back to work is forcing employers to raise wages. But in comparison to before pre-pandemic prices, the numbers are still relatively low. The rising rate of inflation was really inevitable coming out of a pandemic economy according to the Georgia Southern University professor WTOC spoke with Wednesday.
Athens CEO
Small Cattle Farm Grows Up with Help from UGA SBDC
What Joseph Egloff began as a “little hobby” in 2011 is now a full-time cattle ranch with a meat packing plant that serves customers from Florida to North Carolina. “I had eight head of cattle and a day job to pay for my cow habit,” Egloff said of Rocking Chair Ranch Cattle in Forsyth, Georgia. “Then it exploded on us. What started out as a little hobby had become a real job and after about three years, we were up to about 58 head of cattle a year.” As the business continued to grow, Egloff turned to the University of Georgia’s Small Business Development Center for help. SBDC consultant Peter Williams developed financial projections and a work plan for Egloff’s first grant application, which was successful, and helped him with some marketing strategies.
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?
909,082 TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES
1,143,528 TOTAL INCLUDING PROBABLE CASES
Q: What is the latest on coronavirus deaths in Georgia?
18,591 TOTAL CONFIRMED DEATHS
21,527 TOTAL INCLUDING PROBABLE DEATHS
accessWDUN
US overdose deaths hit record 93,000 in pandemic last year
By The Associated Press
Overdose deaths soared to a record 93,000 last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government reported Wednesday. That estimate far eclipses the high of about 72,000 drug overdose deaths reached the previous year and amounts to a 29% increase.
Higher Education News:
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Dept. of Education Temporarily Changes Student Aid Verification Process
by Jessica Ruf
The U.S. Department of Education will temporarily change its federal student aid verification process for the 2021-22 award year by focusing on identity theft and fraud in an effort to help students hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. Verification is an administrative process that requires Pell-eligible student aid applicants to submit additional documentation, such as transcripts or tax returns, to verify their income and other relevant information. Because non-Pell-eligible applicants do not have to verify income, the process can disproportionately burden low-income and minority students.
Inside Higher Ed
Study Questions Bias Against Asians in Admissions
If only standardized test scores were used to admit students to the most selective colleges, Asian enrollments would increase by just two percentage points, researchers say.
By Scott Jaschik
The debate over affirmative action has been framed in part (by opponents of affirmative action) as a matter of protecting the rights of Asian Americans. These students are outperforming other groups on the SATs and ACT and would earn many more spots at top colleges if admissions focused on academics, the argument goes. After all, the enrollment of Asian American students has become stagnant at many of the leading colleges and universities (although it is far more than their share of the U.S. population). And the admit rate for Asian American students is lower than for other groups at these colleges. But what if bias doesn’t explain those realities? A report being released today by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce finds no “strong evidence” of discrimination against Asian American applicants in admissions to the 91 most selective colleges.