Athens CEO
Ox Sox Takes Home UGA Idea Accelerator Top Prize
Merritt Melancon
When management information systems student Matt Tesvich played high school baseball, his mom had a standing rule: shoes and socks stay outside. Hours of baseball practice produced a daily constant — Tesvich’s feet became sweaty and stinky. But by creating an antimicrobial line of socks that neutralizes foot odor, Tesvich has a solution that covers all the bases. Tesvich’s innovation, Ox Sox, earned him first prize at the Oct. 10 UGA Entrepreneurship Idea Accelerator Demo Day. …The UGA Idea Accelerator is a four-week, intensive business workshop pairing UGA student startups with entrepreneurs who coach them in customer discovery, financial literacy and investor readiness. The UGA Entrepreneurship Program works with two cohorts of entrepreneurs each semester. The program has awarded more than $80,000 in startup funding and helped more than 671 budding entrepreneurs refine their business ideas. The mission of the UGA Entrepreneurship Program is to help develop the mindset of future entrepreneurs and prepare students for business leadership roles.
Morning AgClips
Research team receives $15.8M to modify poplar to create bioproducts
Cutting-edge technologies will enable researchers to reengineer poplar trees to produce alternatives to petroleum-based products
A multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Georgia and two partner institutions have been awarded a $15.8 million grant over five years from the U.S. Department of Energy to reengineer poplar trees (Populus sp. and hybrids) to be used as a sustainable energy source. … The grant is part of a larger $178 million DOE initiative to advance bioenergy technology. … “Currently, there is a growing need for sustainable sources of not only biofuels but also bioproducts and plant-based materials. Poplars are among the fastest growing trees in the United States and are important for both carbon sequestration and global carbon cycling,” said Robin Buell, principal investigator on the grant and the GRA Eminent Scholar Chair in Crop Genomics at the Center for Applied Genetic Technologies in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Valdosta CEO
VSU’s Fanhao Nie Named a Public Religion Research Institute Fellow
Staff Report
Dr. Fanhao Nie’s ongoing work in the areas of anti-Asian racism and Asian American mental health recently earned him a fellowship with the nonprofit, nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). Through the PRRI’s Religion and Renewing Democracy initiative, which seeks to increase understanding of the role of religion in public life at a time when America is facing immense challenges, Nie will join scholars from Washington College, Portland Seminary, and Allegheny College in educating and empowering people in the area of religious, racial, and ethnic pluralism. This includes expanding research he began nearly two years ago. …Nie said the PRRI fellowship will allow him the opportunity to conduct follow-up surveys and promote public and political awareness of the mental health tolls on Asian Americans during the pandemic.
WGAU Radio
UGA releases this year’s President’s Report
By Tim Bryant
The University of Georgia has released this year’s President’s Report, a review of what UGA president Jere Morehead says are the accomplishments and successes of the 2021-22 fiscal year. The report can be accessed via the University website.
From UGA…
Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students:
I am pleased to share with you the 2022 President’s Annual Report. Covering the 2021–22 fiscal year, the report highlights our University’s extraordinary achievements as well as some of the outstanding individuals who helped propel our community to new heights of excellence. I hope you will enjoy reading about UGA’s tremendous impact on the stakeholders we serve. Whether leading the way in instruction or making lifesaving discoveries, succeeding on the biggest stages of college athletics or strengthening communities large and small, this past year was one of the best in our institution’s history.
Albany Herald
Glassblowing added to AMA ChalkFest
From staff reports
Glassblowing will be the hot new thing at the Albany Museum of Art’s ChalkFest on Nov 19 in downtown Albany. Art students from Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus will demonstrate their glassblowing skills as they form glass art objects by inflating molten glass into a bubble with the aid of a blowpipe. The glassblowing demonstration area is the latest art addition to the 5th annual festival.
WGAU Radio
Gainesville Theatre Alliance gets new director
By Denise Ray, UNG
Zechariah Pierce is the new artistic director of the Gainesville Theatre Alliance. Pierce is also the associate director of theatre in the University of North Georgia’s School of Communication, Film & Theatre. …GTA is a one-of-a-kind, nationally recognized departmental collaboration between the University of North Georgia and Brenau University. Emphasizing ensemble and collaboration between programs, GTA’s cross-campus union supports an extraordinary production program rivaling the largest theatre schools in the country.
News Plus
Asumda joins MCG, CHOG as clinical geneticist – Jagwire
Faizal Asumda, MD, who recently completed a residency in clinical genetics and genomics at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, has joined the faculty of the Medical College of Georgia and the Children’s Hospital of Georgia. Geneticists, as the name implies, specialize in diagnosing and treating genetic disorders. According to the US Government Accountability Office, they are in high demand in 2019, with only about 1,240 medical geneticists in the United States.
Statesboro Herald
Georgia Southern student, 21, dies from accident at Statesboro airport
Hit by propeller after plane landed safely
Al Hackle
A man who died as the result of an accident on the ground Sunday night at the Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport has been identified by the coroner as Sani Aliyu, a Georgia Southern University student who had an Atlanta home address and was originally from Nigeria. A small plane in which Aliyu, 21, was a passenger landed safely, but he was reportedly struck by the propeller after getting out of the plane. Bulloch County 911 dispatched emergency services to the airport shortly before 10:45 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16. Bulloch Coroner Jake Futch, who pronounced Aliyu dead at the scene, released his identity Monday afternoon.
ABC News
Amy Robach celebrates homecoming at University of Georgia
Robach is at her alma mater with the school’s mascot, spirit squad and marching band to celebrate its 100th homecoming and Amy Robach Day.
Albany Herald
PHOTOS: Albany State University Homecoming week continues with the Street Festival
Photos by Reginald Christian
On Wednesday, October 12, Albany State University hosted their Homecoming Street Festival.
Morning AgClips
Farm to School Month grows student understanding of agriculture
October is National Farm to School Month, and this year students will learn more about a leafy green that is packed with nutrition through the theme “Spinach to Win It.” Farm to School Month is coordinated by Georgia Organics in partnership with University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, as well as the state of Georgia’s Department of Education, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Public Health. Together, they focus on a specific crop to help students across the state learn more about agriculture and how food ends up on their plates. UGA Extension has developed materials for teachers, students and other participants about the nutritional value of spinach, how to plant and care for the crop, and recipes to incorporate it into meals.
Science
Women researchers are cited less than men. Here’s why—and what can be done about it
By Claudia Lopez Lloreda
Women’s scientific contributions are often undervalued and cited less often than those of their male counterparts, including in neuroscience, astronomy, medicine—and, according to two new studies, physics. This new body of work also points to a variety of factors that contribute to this citation bias, which could potentially help researchers and institutions address gender inequality in academia. According to the first new study, published in Nature Physics last week, overcitation of men researchers is primarily driven by other men researchers (which has also been seen in political sciences) and by researchers less familiar with that area of work. “When you’re in a place of uncertainty, you want to choose something that has all the status symbols associated with quality, for right or wrong,” says Cassidy Sugimoto, a professor at the School of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology who was not involved with the study. So, when determining authors to cite, “You are going to overselect men and underselect women who may have similar quality but not necessarily be associated with those status symbols.” (The researchers excluded self-citations to focus on how researchers cite one another, but previous work has found men cite themselves more than women do.)
Newsweek
Who Won Georgia Debate Between Stacey Abrams, Brian Kemp? Analyst Verdict
By Gerrard Kaonga
Republican Governor Brian Kemp and Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams showed their contrasting opinions in their debate on Monday night as the November 8 midterm elections quickly approach. Much of the conversation focused on the issues of crime, the 2020 pandemic, and the election, as well as touching upon education. …Speaking to Newsweek, Professor of political science Scott H. Ainsworth of the school of public international affairs, University of Georgia, said he did not feel the debate would likely change the mind of many Georgians. “Abrams and Kemp were the most seasoned debaters. Hazel had some strong exchanges, but they were less consistently strong, he said. “There were no big stumbles, so I don’t see the debate changing many people’s minds.” Professor Ainsworth also explained why Kemp may find it easier to keep his seat than Abrams to unseat him. “Abrams was certainly aiming some comments to core African American voters. Her support among African American males had slipped some, and I think the references to her brothers were important. Humanizing.
Newsweek
The 3 Key Takeaways from Georgia’s Senate Debate Between Warnock, Walker
By Kaitlin Lewis
Georgia’s Senatorial candidates, Herschel Walker and incumbent Raphael Warnock, faced off Friday night in what is likely to be the only debate between the two prior to the midterm elections. The one-hour debate started with a question on inflation and ended with the candidates discussing if they would support expanding the number of seats on the Supreme Court. Walker, who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, attacked Warnock for his history of supporting the Biden administration’s policies, while Warnock painted his opponent as an extremist on issues like abortion. …Nathan Price, a political science professor at the University of North Georgia, told Newsweek Friday that Walker’s strategy was “clearly” to associate the senator with Biden’s 38 percent approval rate in Georgia, and repeated Warnock’s commitment to the Democratic party throughout the night as “an attempt to appeal to independent voters who may still be undecided,” Price wrote. Price pointed out, however, that Warnock fought to counter this narrative by mentioning several instances he has worked across the aisle while in office, such as working with Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville on helping peanut farmers in Georgia, according to The Birmingham News.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Data’s Role in Student and Institutional Success: A Compilation
By Doug Lederman
“Data’s Role in Student and Institutional Success” is a new print-on-demand compilation of articles and essays from Inside Higher Ed.The cover of “Data’s Role in Student and Institutional Success” A copy of the free booklet, which explores some of the many ways colleges and universities are marshaling the vast data at their disposal to improve student performance and their own operations, can be downloaded here.
Higher Ed Dive
How do colleges decide when to schedule courses?
Rick Seltzer, Senior Editor
Dive Brief:
Two-thirds of colleges are thinking about the courses students will need to complete their degrees on time when they build their schedules, according to a survey released Tuesday by Ad Astra, a scheduling software and analytics provider. Meanwhile, 51% said they considered when they could offer courses to help students avoid conflicts in their schedules, and 30% looked at balancing in-person, online and hybrid courses. Almost two-thirds of respondents, 65%, said they use retention rates and enrollment ratios to gauge the effectiveness of a course schedule. Just 26% said they weighed the rate of students withdrawing or earning Ds or Fs, called the DFW rate. The DFW rate tends to be higher for online courses than it is for on-campus courses, and it’s higher among students taking fewer credit hours.
Inside Higher Ed
OPINION
Higher Education: Burning or Bright?
Yes, many Americans question higher ed’s value, but college presidents are answering their questions in innovative and important ways, Eileen L. Strempel and Stephen J. Handel write.
By Eileen L. Strempel and Stephen J. Handel
As colleges and universities welcome students back to campus this fall, the news about the future of higher education could not be more dismal. In a recent Inside Higher Ed op-ed titled “Higher Ed Must Change or Die,” Temple University president Jason Wingard equates our current higher education system to a burning oil derrick, concluding that “the value of the college degree … has reached its peak and is on the wane” (and offering new meaning to the phrase “inflammatory headline”). It’s hard not to embrace Wingard’s conclusion. Compared to before the pandemic started, there are now about 1.4 million fewer undergraduate students enrolled in U.S. higher education, according to the National Student Clearinghouse. In a recent study funded by the Gates Foundation, nearly half of surveyed high school graduates who had decided against college or dropped out of a two- or four-year institution endorsed the statement that “Getting a college degree is not worth the investment, because I cannot afford to go into debt when I am not guaranteed a future career path.” And more than 39 million Americans have earned college credit but no degree, a number that grew substantially over the past 30 months, perhaps reflecting a growing disillusionment with postsecondary education. What is going on here? Higher education’s fall from grace has been dramatic, with each succeeding education observer reaching for even greater metaphoric heights to signal a decline in a system that was the envy of the world not too long ago.
Higher Ed Dive
Most Americans oppose laws that restrict faculty speech, poll finds
Laura Spitalniak, Associate Editor
Dive Brief:
A majority of Americans, 54%, oppose legislation that regulates what college professors are able to discuss in class, according to a new survey from YouGov, a market research firm. When broken down by political party, 43% of Republicans objected to such regulations, compared to 59% of Democrats and 56% of independents. Older respondents were more likely to oppose laws restricting professors’ speech than younger ones, according to the survey. Among people 65 and older, 68% opposed the government regulating faculty speech, compared to 45% of Americans ages 30 to 44 and 42% of those ages 18 to 29. But roughly one in three Americans said professors have too much freedom to speak their minds in the classroom.
Inside Higher Ed
Safely Disposing of Needles on Campus
Needle-disposal boxes in bathrooms on college campuses provide a safe and private receptacle where students who take injectable medications can discard their used needles.
By Johanna Alonso
College students who use injectable medications while on campus often face a difficult conundrum: Do they toss their used needles in campus trash cans, posing a health risk to custodial staff, or carry them around campus until they can safely dispose of them, running the risk of accidently poking themselves or others in the process? Neither option is the correct way to dispose of needles and syringes; the Food and Drug Administration recommends storing used hypodermic needles in designated sharps containers—hard plastic boxes sold at pharmacies and medical supply stores. The impermeable containers, which must be taken to designated sites for collection, help prevent accidental contact with used needles. But personal sharps containers are unaffordable for some students, while others—especially those who recently started taking injectable medications—may not even be aware of proper needle-disposal protocols. That’s why some colleges have installed containers on campus, primarily in bathrooms, to allow students to dispose of their needles safely and conveniently.
Inside Higher Ed
Women Gain From Sports Deals, but Men Gain the Most
Scott Jaschik
While male athletes have gained the most from the new ability to sell their name, image and likeness, female athletes are gaining as well, according to an analysis published by CNBC. The analysis found that:
Since the NIL era started in July 2021, women’s college basketball players have ranked the third highest among compensated sports.