Gwinnett Daily Post
Georgia Gwinnett College welcomes first Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence
From staff reports
Georgia Gwinnett College has been selected to host its first Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence. Dr. Jane Frances Banseka from the University of Bamenda, Cameroon, will teach environmental science during the 2023-2024 academic year. Banseka was selected for the Fulbright award by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Middle Georgia CEO
Staff Report
Clearwave Fiber, a leading telecommunications company renowned for its 100% Fiber network spanning four states, recently concluded its Summer Internship Program. Held at both the company headquarters in Savannah and the regional Midwest office in Kansas, the program included a diverse group of young talent from various universities who gained invaluable experience while making a positive impact on the company and the community. At the Savannah headquarters, six interns joined various departments, including Finance, Accounting, Business Intelligence and People Operations. Meanwhile, five students participated in the internship program at the Kansas office, working with the Marketing department. …This year’s Clearwave Fiber interns included: …Nick Landers, a senior at Georgia Southern University; …Alexis Martinez, a senior at Valdosta State University; Nick Milcarek, a senior at Georgia Southern University;
Statesboro Herald
Georgia Council on Literacy meets Monday in Statesboro
From staff reports
The Georgia Council on Literacy, which state Sen. Billy Hickman, R-Statesboro, helped create, will hold its first in-person meeting and a roundtable discussion Monday, Aug. 7, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the Nessmith-Lane Conference Center ballroom at Georgia Southern University, Statesboro. After conducting its meeting from 10 a.m. until noon, the council will host a “community table” event from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., hosted by First District RESA and Executive Director Richard Smith on “Igniting Interest in Improving Literacy in Your Region.”
WGAU Radio
UGA Leadership program accepting nominations
By Charlie Bauder, UGA Today
The University of Georgia continues to accept nominations for rising 10th and 11th graders to participate in the inaugural Youth LEAD Georgia class in January 2024. This past January, UGA received a $1.5 million pledge from Chick-fil-A Inc. to support the development of Youth LEAD Georgia, a new UGA-led statewide youth leadership program, as well as an annual youth leadership summit at UGA. “Communities of all sizes continue to nominate outstanding youth to participate in the program,” said Matt Bishop, director of the UGA J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, which is creating and implementing both Youth LEAD Georgia and the annual summit. “We are excited about the interest in Youth LEAD Georgia and look forward to assembling an inaugural class that represents all corners of the state.”
Cobb County Courier
Kennesaw State Alum Appointed To Head Georgia Public Broadcasting
Bert Wesley Huffman, who received his Master of Public Administration degree from Kennesaw State University, has been appointed CEO of Georgia Public Broadcasting by the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission effective this Monday, August 7, 2023. “I want to congratulate Bert as he steps into this role and continues his service at GPB,” said Georgia Governor Brian Kemp in the press release announcing the appointment. “I know he will help ensure the agency remains a valued part of the lives of Georgians through informative content.” Huffman has been with GPB since 2014, when he became the organization’s first Vice President for Development and Marketing. …GPB is operated by the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission, a body created under state law and attached to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.
Athens Banner-Herald
Don’t fear the sweat: UGA grad builds business on sweatproof makeup
Mary Renfroe Contributor
Specializing in sweatproof makeup, SWAKE cosmetics has now reached sales in four continents and 48 states within its first year of business. The brand, founded by University of Georgia alum Vanessa Sachs, is also an official partner of the Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders for this fall and will be seen on field all season long. When the business launched in 2022, Sachs had no previous corporate experience and was still studying for her masters degree in consumer analytics at UGA. However, armed with an idea she believed in, Sachs was determined to get this product to consumers. …Sachs went on to win four pitch competitions, including the 2022 SEC Pitch Competition, where she competed against 12 other SEC schools.
11Alive
ChatGPT and College | Educators raise concerns over AI usage, researcher says to embrace it
This technological advancement has led to growing concerns among educators and academics about its impact on traditional education methods.
Author: Makayla Richards, Chesley McNeil
The start of advanced AI technology has undeniably brought about big changes in various industries, and higher education is no exception, but for educators, this tool comes with a double edge sword. …Since its launch on November 30 of last year, ChatGPT has rapidly gained popularity, with estimates suggesting that it boasts over 100 million active users within its first two months alone. However, this technological advancement has led to growing concerns among educators and academics about its impact on traditional education methods. One researcher at Georgia Teach believes that rather than attempting to defend ChatGPT’s use in student work, it’s time to embrace it as part of the learning process.
Fox5 Atlanta
FDA approves groundbreaking blood test for early preeclampsia detection in pregnant women
By Eric Mock
The FDA has approved a new blood test that can detect whether a mother will potentially get preeclampsia within 30 minutes. Preeclampsia is a dangerous complication that can occur in pregnant women, characterized by high blood pressure. The test could save lives in a state where women are twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as in other states. According to the CDC, from 2018 to 2021, Georgia had the seventh-highest rate of maternal deaths in the nation. Additionally, Black women are also 3-5 times more likely to get preeclampsia than white women. Dr. Padmashree “Champa” Chaudhury Woodham, the President of the Georgia OBGYN Society and Professor of Maternal-fetal medicine at Augusta University- Medical College of Georgia, said, “Unfortunately, one of the leading causes is hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, among which is pre-eclampsia.”
AP News
Does being in a good mood make you more generous? Researchers say yes and charities should take note
By Thalia Beaty
Those ads showing caged dogs and desperate looking cats while Canadian singer Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel” played in the background have been not just effective at making viewers sad, but also remarkably successful at raising money for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals since 2007. However, a new study shows other strategies may also be effective at motivating people to give, apart from all that “ sadvertising.” Maybe try “Hakuna Matata.” The study from Nathan Chan, assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Casey Wichman, assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, found that people in good moods are more likely to donate to a charitable cause.
MM+M
Editor’s Desk
Medical marketing’s word jumble
On euphemisms, good intentions and the need to ask patient communities about their preferred verbiage.
Larry Dobrow
Of all the print editions MM+M publishes on an annual basis, the Diversity Issue is the one from which I learn the most. It’s one thing to attempt to move through the world as an open-minded and -hearted person; it’s another to hear from others, especially the thoughtful and eloquent individuals from non-white populations who comprise a majority of the sources in this issue, about the ways in which even the best-intentioned of us fall short. One such blind spot was revealed as we debated the issue’s cover headline. It was initially penciled in as “Enabling the Differently Abled,” a phrasing that, in our minds, was respectful to individuals with disabilities. Only when I read commentary in the feature from the amazing and inspiring Jill King — a legally blind 22-year-old with axial spondyloarthritis who does advocacy work with Health Union and founded the Students with Disabilities Advocacy Group at Georgia Southern University — did I understand the obliviousness inherent in attempting to soften our verbiage. “A lot of us prefer the word ‘disabled’ over ‘differently abled’ — the disabled community generally isn’t a fan of those euphemisms,” King told MM+M feature scribe Barbara Peck. “Because disability and the identity with it isn’t a bad thing.”
Albany Herald
Seeking agricultural resilience in a changing climate
By Emily Cabrera UGA/CAES
Even seemingly minor temperature variations have a significant impact on the precise mechanics of plants, animals and insects. As average temperatures have warmed by 3 degrees over the past century, the question remains — how will we adapt our agricultural practices to ensure that all people continue to have access to food, fiber and fuel now and in the future? This is where the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences comes in. After a record-breaking year in 2022 with more than $112.8 million spent on research and development, CAES scientists continue to galvanize the college as a global leader in agricultural and environmental research.
CNN
Meet — but don’t touch — the toxic invasive worm that experts say has been hiding in plain sight
Story by Mindy Weisberger
They’re long and skinny. They’re boomerang-headed and coated in toxic mucus. And they’ve been hiding in plain sight in the US for a long time. Invasive hammerhead flatworms have distinctive curved heads, striped bodies ranging in color from light yellow to dark brown, and they can secrete tetrodotoxin — a neurotoxin found in puffer fish and blue-ringed octopuses. …Look, but don’t touch
Hammerhead worms are planarians, a type of flatworm. Five species of invasive hammerhead worms — four in the genus Bipalium and one in Diversibipalium — are established in North America, said Bruce Snyder, an associate professor of biology at Georgia College and State University. …Today, most hammerhead worms (also known as broadhead planarians) are concentrated in the Southeast, where they favor warm, damp habitats. “They’re in forests quite a bit, but they’re also associated with human development,” Snyder told CNN.
AllOnGeorgia
The Great Southeast Pollinator Census Helps Pinpoint Pollinator Population Information in Georgia
At least 75 percent, maybe more, of the flowering plants on earth receive pollination from insects or animals, with elements like wind assisting others. You can help researchers better understand the population status of pollinators by taking part in the Great Southeast Pollinator Census on Aug. 18-19, 2023. The Great Southeast Pollinator Census is a citizen science project created by the University of Georgia (UGA). It is designed so that everyone can participate and make a difference for pollinator conservation.
Feedstuffs
The potential for Japanese encephalitis virus transmission and spread in the United States is the focus of a new investigation led by Natalia Cernicchiaro, Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and John Drake, director of the Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases at the University of Georgia. With funding from and in collaboration with researchers from the USDA, National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility and the Foreign Arthropod-Borne Animal Diseases Research Unit, the team of researchers commenced the multi-year grant on Aug. 1. Researchers will model transmission dynamics in the case of a JEV incursion, integrating climatic and regional factors, under specific local conditions, considering vectored and vector-free transmission among swine and other animal hosts. Additionally, a JEV spatial interaction model will be built to estimate, predict and forecast how a JEV outbreak in the United States may spatiotemporally spread.
Albany Herald
‘Southern Series’ exhibit to open at ag museum gallery on Sept. 9
From staff reports
Visitors to the gallery of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture will experience a unique exhibition this fall, one that weaves writings of rural living with oil paintings of the South, both done by the same artist/author. GMA Curator Polly Huff will showcase this pairing of storytelling and artistry in the newest Gallery exhibit, “Brenda Sutton Rose: The Southern Series”.
Peach Belt Conference
57 PBC SOFTBALL PLAYERS NAMED NFCA ALL-AMERICA SCHOLAR ATHLETES
Fifty-seven PBC softball players were honored as Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athletes by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. …The rankings and honors recognize the academic prowess of softball teams across the Association’s membership categories.
Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athletes
Augusta University Sophie Baker; Augusta University Grace Bridges; Augusta University Lauren Evens; Augusta University Maggie McBrayer; Georgia College & State University Kaitlyn Anders; Georgia College & State University Divina Checo; Georgia College & State University Emily Hobbs; Georgia College & State University Katelyn Hobbs; Georgia College & State University Mackenzie Hoffman; Georgia College & State University Sydney Lancaster; Georgia College & State University Ashley Schell; Georgia College & State University Jana Shellhorse; Georgia Southwestern State University Savannah Bradford; Georgia Southwestern State University Hannah Holloway; Georgia Southwestern State University Henderson Hurdle; Georgia Southwestern State University Jacie Johns; Georgia Southwestern State University Kimmy Singer; Georgia Southwestern State University Chloe Sneed; University of North Georgia Sydney Blair; University of North Georgia Caroline Branch; University of North Georgia Marycille Brumby; University of North Georgia Tybee Denton; University of North Georgia Hannah Forehand; University of North Georgia Ellie Kean; University of North Georgia Jolie Lester; University of North Georgia Grace Mixson; University of North Georgia Olivia Sinquefield; University of North Georgia Katherine Ward…
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Georgia Bulldogs football games won’t have public alcohol sales in 2023
By Chris Fuhrmeister – Staff Reporter
Most Georgia Bulldogs football fans will remain thirsty at Sanford Stadium in 2023. The Dawgs’ Sanford Stadium won’t have public alcohol sales at games this season, a University of Georgia athletics department spokesperson told Atlanta Business Chronicle. The athletics department has had no internal discussions for public alcohol sales at football games in 2023, the spokesperson said.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
U.S. Panel Wants Higher Ed Accreditors to ‘Step Up’
Report says current rules set inconsistent and sometimes inadequate expectations regarding student achievement, but it stops short of suggesting “bright-line” standards for agencies.
By Katherine Knott
After years of discussions over whether college accreditors should have bright-line metrics to gauge college performance, a federal advisory committee declined to pick a side in a new report that makes several recommendations on how to clean up or improve accreditation rules. The members of the subcommittee of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) who wrote the report said the rules are a “mess,” allow accreditors to set flexible standards or none at all, and lead to inconsistent expectations in terms of student achievement. “Not only does this latitude risk accountability, it creates an unhealthy and dangerous variety and inconsistency of expectations regarding student achievement across institutions,” the report says.
Inside Higher Ed
Legal Compliance or ‘Interpretive Overreach’?
The Supreme Court ruling sent institutions scrambling to ensure compliance. Some say it’s also enabled politically motivated overreach.
By Liam Knox
Late last month, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s Board of Trustees gathered for its first in-person meeting since the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action. They were debating a resolution to ban the consideration of race not just in student admissions but also in hiring and contracting decisions, which many legal experts say goes beyond the scope of the ruling. Chapel Hill chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz had already said the university would comply with the court’s decision. But the board’s lawmaker-appointed members—who have butted heads with faculty and administrators in recent years over everything from a new Civic Life school to a recent tuition reduction proposal—pushed ahead to ensure their interpretation of the ruling was enforced.
Inside Higher Ed
Florida Appears to Reverse ‘Ban’ on AP Psychology
By Jessica Blake
Florida high school students may be able to take AP Psychology this coming fall after all. The state’s education commissioner, Manny Diaz Jr., released a statement Friday saying the Advanced Placement course can be taught “in its entirety in a manner that is age and developmentally appropriate,” reversing a prior decision by the Education Department that banned the course from including any lessons on gender identity and sexual orientation. Diaz’s statement came one day after the College Board announced it would no longer recognize the course in Florida, asserting that the state had “effectively banned” it by choosing to “censor college-level standards.”
Cybersecurity Dive
MoveIT breach exposes data of 612K Medicare beneficiaries, CMS says
The data was compromised as part of a breach at third-party provider Maximus. The government contractor said the data of as many as 11 million individuals was affected in the incident.
Rebecca Pifer, Senior Reporter
Dive Brief:
The sensitive personal and health information of approximately 612,000 Medicare beneficiaries was exposed as part of the MoveIT transfer service breaches, according to the CMS. A Medicare contractor, Maximus Federal Services, was hit by the sweeping breach, which compromised a security vulnerability in MoveIt, in May. The CMS said no HHS or CMS systems were impacted. Maximus, which contracts with federal and state governments on programs like Medicare and Medicaid, disclosed last week the personal and protected health information of as many as 11 million individuals could be compromised because of its breach.
Inside Higher Ed
Telehealth Programs for Children With Developmental Delay: Academic Minute
By Doug Lederman
Today on the Academic Minute, part of Florida International University Week: Daniel Bagner, professor of psychology and director of clinical training, explores the benefits of telehealth for those whose children need an extra hand.
Higher Ed Dive
OPINION
President Speaks: With DEI under siege, independent colleges must advance conversations on diversity
Private institutions must step up as politicians attempt to muzzle public colleges on issues of diversity and race, Saybrook University’s leader argues.
By Nathan Long (Dr. Nathan Long is the president of Saybrook University, a private graduate institution in Pasadena, California)
A college education in the 21st century must include clear, intentional, ongoing and challenging discussions on justice, diversity, equity and inclusion. Institutions that don’t fulfill this vision do their students a profound disservice. That’s because the next generation of American leaders, professionals and citizens must understand our country’s diverse and evolving landscape if they want to be effective professionals and engaged community members after graduation. Discussions of diversity are not “nice-to-haves.” They sit at the core of what it means to be an institution of higher learning. …Institutions of higher education should use their varied curriculums and communities, which are full of diverse experiences, as a major selling point to prospective students. Yet there is a troubling chasm between public universities and independent colleges on diversity and issues of race.
Cybersecurity Dive
C-suite, rank-and-file at odds over security’s role
Security is a priority when implementing a cloud strategy, 50% of executives said in a May survey. Most security workers beg to differ.
Roberto Torres, Editor
Dive Brief:
A disconnect is brewing between how C-suite executives and cybersecurity workers perceive security’s role, according to a Cloud Security Alliance report released Thursday. The study, sponsored by detection and response firm Expel, surveyed 1,000 IT and security professionals in May. While half of C-level executives surveyed said security is “prioritized and strictly enforced” during cloud implementations, just 31% of security workers agreed with the statement, signaling a rift between the importance placed on cloud security across enterprises. The data also shows a difference in perception when security enters the development process. Two in five C-suite leaders said security is a priority that is enforced during product development and continuously refined, compared to just over 1 in 4 security workers.