The Brunswick News
Links, Inc., program introduces students to CCGA
By Lauren McDonald
The local chapter of the Links, Inc., continued its tradition of introducing students to career and college opportunities during its 10th annual LIFE forum held Wednesday at College of Coastal Georgia. For a decade, the Brunswick chapter of the Links has partnered with CCGA for its LIFE program, which includes classes that prepare students for college, travel abroad and careers in international and foreign affairs. The program also features a mentorship opportunity, an annual forum and a chance to participate in an all-expense paid trip with the Links’ Medical Mission team to travel to Ghana in West Africa. The forum at CCGA offered students an opportunity to hear directly from the college’s senior admissions counselor Shane Apps and president Michelle Johnston. The students also toured the residence halls, Student Life Center and nursing and business schools’ classrooms and labs. More than 100 students participated in the event.
Fox28 Savannah
GSU launches new merchandise line in honor of beloved Freedom
by Jordan Stevenson
Georgia Southern University is launching a new brand and merchandise line in support of its live eagle mascot. The 19-year-old eagle, named Freedom, has long served as an ambassador for the University and traditionally flies over Paulsen Stadium before every home game. In an effort to support Freedom, and the University’s Center for Wildlife Education where he lives, Georgia Southern and its retail partners are coming together to create new merchandise featuring Freedom.
Poultry Times
Massey classroom dedicated during UGA Poultry Science Building unveiling
By David B. Strickland Poultry Times editor
An incredibly special individual known to many, particularly in the poultry industry, was honored with a classroom dedicated to him in the new University of Georgia Poultry Science Building. That person is none other than Abit Massey, president emeritus of the Georgia Poultry Federation. At the recent building dedication and ribbon cutting, UGA President Jere W. Morehead made the surprise announcement of this special addition to those in attendance. “One of our guests in the audience today is an individual known by many people in Georgia as the ‘dean of the poultry industry,’ Mr. Abit Massey,” Morehead said. “Since graduating from UGA in 1949, Abit has become one of the institution’s most accomplished alumni and one of its most loyal supporters.” Massey has many noted accomplishments with the university, and as Morehead continued, “In his capacity as executive director and president of the Georgia Poultry Federation from 1960 to 2008, and as president emeritus since 2009, he has played a central role in UGA’s relationship with the poultry industry and has served as a tireless advocate for both entities.
Medscape
Tricyclics May Up Fracture Risk in Type 2 Diabetes
Jim Kling
in people with type 2 diabetes with overweight or obesity, independent of any prevalent neuropathy, according to findings from an analysis of a large, randomized clinical trial. Although the findings are suggestive, they don’t definitively pin blame on TCAs, said Rachel Elam, MD, who presented the study at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) 2023 Annual Meeting. “I think that there’s not enough information to conclude that tricyclic antidepressants directly lead to fractures, but I think it opens the door [to] something we should look into more. Is it being mediated by a better predictor, or is it the medication itself? I think it’s more hypothesis generating,” said Elam, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of rheumatology at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.
Clayton News-Daily
With great knowledge come great food products
When clients need help bringing an idea to market, the experts at the University of Georgia Food Product Innovation and Commercialization Center (FoodPIC) come to the rescue. Established in 2017, FoodPIC helps companies develop new food products and market those products through a robust network of experts both at the university and within the industry in food technology, engineering, food product development, sensory analysis, storage and shelf-life evaluation, consumer testing and marketing. Jim Gratzek, who earned his doctorate in food process engineering from UGA’s Department of Food Science and Technology in 1994, returned to UGA to take on the role as FoodPIC director in July 2022 after spending nearly 30 years in the commercial food industry.
WRWH
Posted by Dean Dyer
University of North Georgia Athletics has announced its kickoff of its award-winning Operation Nighthawks of Honor initiative for the 2023-24 seasons, which recognizes service members who were former or current UNG students. This year’s initiative will honor Colonel (Ret) E. Wayne Dill for the 2023-24 seasons. …In November of 2020, Col. Dill was inducted into the Georgia Military Veterans’ Hall of Fame. Col. Dill has also volunteered for 15 years with the Athens Community Council on Aging ‘Meals on Wheels’ program in Athens, Georgia. Today, he continues to generously give of his time and energy to the University of North Georgia and the Corps of Cadets by serving as a University of North Georgia Foundation Trustee and advisor on the University of North Georgia Corps of Cadets Advisory Council.
Savannah Morning News
Georgia Southern economist: Pooler can be hopeful about sustained growth
Destini Ambus
Population, employment growth and traffic were among the topics discussed on Wednesday at the annual economic outlook luncheon hosted by the Greater Pooler Area Chamber of Commerce. The event featured Michael Toma, professor of economics at Georgia Southern University, as the keynote. Attendees included people like Pooler Mayor Rebecca Benton, City Councilmembers Stevie Wall, Karen Williams and Shirlenia Daniel, and representatives from locally and nationally-owned businesses. Toma started out the luncheon discussing the wider economy before focusing on the Pooler area with its rapid population growth. The population grew 17% between 2000-2010, before slowing to 8% from 2010 to 2015. Since 2015 it has grown 3% each year.
EurekAlert!
Pathogen that plagues food processing plants eradicated by blue light
Blue light kills both dried cells and biofilms of the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes, a frequent contaminant of food processing facilities. Demise of L. monocytogenes occurred quickest when cells or biofilms were placed on polystyrene, a widely used, transparent form of plastic. The research is published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. “These results contribute to advancing our understanding of the potential of blue light to treat inert surfaces contaminated with L. monocytogenes,” said corresponding author Francisco Diez-Gonzalez, Ph.D., Director and Professor, Center for Food Safety, University of Georgia. Although biofilms of pathogens are generally powerfully resistant to being exterminated, the results suggest that blue light could effectively destroy L. monocytogenes.
One Green Planet
Poison Ivy is a Growing Threat Because of Climate Change
By Trinity Sparke
Working diligently across Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire, Peter Barron, known as Pesky Pete, decided to document his work as a poison ivy remover by capturing the emergence of the plant each year. …Barron has noticed a significant shift in the timing of poison ivy’s arrival; its first appearance has been advancing by nearly a month over the past 14 years. This shift in poison ivy’s emergence may well be linked to the effects of Climate change….Jacqueline Mohan, a professor at the University of Georgia’s Odum School of Ecology, conducted a recent study in the Harvard Forest in Massachusetts, where she artificially increased the temperature of the topsoil. The findings indicate that poison ivy thrives in these warmer conditions and seems to benefit from a specific fungus that proliferates in warm soil.
Fox28 Savannah
Georgia Southern University to reignite ‘Celebrate: Together’ festival tradition
by Jordan Stevenson
The Armstrong Campus of Georgia Southern University will once again host its traditional “Celebrate: Together” festival. The festival will bring GSU students from all of its campuses to amplify eagle pride and celebrate camaraderie and diversity. The Festival Committee Chair Carson Myrick shares more on the anticipated event saying, “Celebrate: Together draws students, faculty and staff from our Statesboro and Hinesville campuses to Savannah for a day of fun, food and activities. This event brings everyone together and evokes pride in the community.”
WSB-TV
5 accused of firing shots near UWG campus, planning to sell drugs at homecoming weekend, police say
By WSBTV.com News Staff
Multiple people are behind bars after officials say they were involved in a shots fired near a college campus. Carrollton police said on the morning of Oct. 17, officers received reports of possible shots fired at a home on Maple Street near the University of West Georgia campus. When officers arrived, they found 41 shell casings and bullet fragments, but no one was there. …According to the investigation, the gunfire struck at least three residences, including one on the UWG campus. No injuries were reported from the incident.
See also:
Athens Banner-Herald
Former Georgia football player testifies he knew who killed Oconee Racetrac clerk
Wayne Ford
A former University of Georgia football player testified Wednesday that he knew on the day a Racetrac station clerk was shot to death in 2021 that a former teammate, Ahkil Nasir Crumpton, allegedly committed the crime. Juwan Taylor, who played linebacker for the Bulldogs from 2015 to 2018, testified in U.S. District Court in Athens that he kept the confession a secret for more than year, even when he was confronted by law enforcement about the crime. Taylor, the father of two children, works as a player development assistant in the UGA athletic department, where he also assists with coaching linebackers.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
Wisconsin Republicans Withhold Pay Raise for State University Workers
By Jessica Blake
Republican leaders of the Wisconsin Legislature withheld pay raises for state university system employees on Tuesday in an effort to force the system to cut spending on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, The Wisconsin Law Journal reported. The lawmakers approved raises for other state workers, however, illustrating their continued politicization of and opposition to DEI efforts and policies in state higher education. Republican Assembly speaker Robin Vos, co-chair of the employment relations committee, promised to block pay raises for Universities of Wisconsin employees until the system cuts its DEI spending by $32 million, according to the Associated Press. Vos said the $32 million reflects what the system spent on DEI efforts over a two-year period.
Inside Higher Ed
Former Florida Presidents to Legislators: ‘Enough Is Enough’
By Susan H. Greenberg
Seven former presidents of public institutions in Florida published in an op-ed in The Tampa Bay Times Wednesday criticizing the legislative steps the state has taken to reshape higher education by dictating what faculty can teach, curtailing the power of accrediting bodies and banning diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. “These measures erode academic freedom, prohibit instructors from accurately conveying history to their students and, ultimately, limit students’ access to the full range of information and ideas they need to become engaged citizens,” they wrote. …The op-ed notes that while Florida has a long history of censoring educational content, “the severity of these recent legislative attacks is unprecedented.”
Cybersecurity Dive
US data compromises hit all-time high
Supply-chain attacks and zero-day exploits, such as the widespread attacks against the MOVEit file-transfer service, are surging, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center.
Matt Kapko, Reporter
Data breaches resulting in compromised personally identifiable information in the U.S. are at an all-time high this year, squashing a record set in 2021 with the final three months of the year yet to be recorded, according to Identity Theft Resource Center’s research released last week. More than 2,100 organizations filed data breach notices through the first nine months of 2023, beating the previous record of 1,862 data compromises in 2021, ITRC found. Supply-chain attacks are on the upswing, and they’re having far-reaching consequences. The majority of compromises, 3 in 5, are the result of attacks against just 87 organizations, the report said. Many of those downstream victim organizations were compromised by attacks against Progress Software’s MOVEit file-transfer service.
Cybersecurity Dive
Cisco’s critical IOS XE software zero day is a ‘bad situation’
Researchers from VulnCheck said they have found thousands of implanted hosts.
David Jones, Reporter
A critical zero-day vulnerability in the web user interface of Cisco IOS XE software is under active exploitation, the company disclosed Monday. Cisco warned that the vulnerability gives remote, unauthenticated attackers the ability to create accounts on an affected system, allowing the hacker to gain control over the system with a privilege level 15 access, which means full access to all commands. The company said the vulnerability affects Cisco IOS XE software if the web UI feature is enabled. There is no current patch or existing workaround, so Cisco is urging customers to disable the HTTP Server feature on internet-facing systems.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Study: Third-Grade Retention Has Positive Effects for Student Outcomes
Arrman Kyaw
Holding students back a year may have its benefits, according to a recent study published by the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Grade retention, the practice of having students repeat a grade if they do not pass certain proficiency thresholds, has been argued to help children develop their reading and literacy skills in early grades, preparing them for educational pursuits in the future. … The presence of opposing views on this controversial practice is partially what motivated this research, said study co-author Dr. NaYoung Hwang, an assistant professor of education at the University of New Hampshire. Opponents of the practice have argued that grade retention is punitive and can harm students socially and emotionally, Hwang said.
Inside Higher Ed
No More ‘Logic Games’ on the LSAT
By Liam Knox
The Law School Admissions Council is removing the logic games section from the Law School Admission Test starting in August 2024, according to an announcement from the organization Wednesday. It’s one of the most significant changes to the exam in decades. The change comes from accessibility concerns that were raised in a 2019 lawsuit by a legally blind test taker, who argued that the games section—sometimes referred to as the analytical reasoning portion—heavily disadvantaged the sight impaired because of the importance of drawing diagrams and models to solve the problems. The plaintiff eventually reached a settlement with LSAC, the terms of which included a promise to re-evaluate the section within four years. LSAC, which develops and administers the LSAT, said the decision was based on “rigorous research” that shows the elimination of the section will have “virtually no impact” on scores or the correlation between them and law school success.