News Archive - 2023

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Professor studies endangered languages and their variations

Awareness about languages, the differences in how individuals speak, and how these create local identities may come as no great surprise to American Southerners. When speakers of certain linguistic varieties decline, though, their languages become endangered. Keith Langston’s scholarship addresses questions of linguistic structure and the relationship of language and identity, with a focus on the country of Croatia. “We always have this idea…

young people outside on their phones
Socializing boosts mood more than screentime

People expect more enjoyment in conversation than on smartphones, but don’t always follow that instinct It turns out people might prefer social interactions over their smartphones, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to stop scrolling. A new study from researchers in the University of Georgia’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences found that when asked to scroll on their phones, sit quietly by themselves or have a conversation with a stranger,…

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Finding inspiration everywhere

Sophomore theatre major, and Cora Nunally MIlle Fine Arts Scholar in the Franklin Colege, Wyn Thomas channels her inspriations for theatre-making from a variety of sources. Our colleague Erica Techo shares her story: She has written several plays, including “Write Their Wrongs,” a short play that discusses the aftermath of a high school shooting. It was performed around the country as part of #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence and then published…

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Noted and Quoted, September 2023

From storms to smart phones to... what happened to the Southern accent? Research from Franklin College faculty and graduate students was widely reported during September. A sample of the stories and media pick from across the globe: Scientists are asked if humans have broken the Earth’s climate – Marshall Shepherd, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor od Geography, quoted by CleanTechnica, The Extinction Chronicles  Does…

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2023 BFSO awards luncheon

Six UGA students and four staff members received scholarships and awards during the Black Faculty and Staff Organization’s 2023 Founders Award Scholarship Ceremony, held Sept. 19. UGA President Jere W. Morehead expressed his appreciation to the BFSO for its assistance in supporting the institution’s students. “What the Black Faculty and Staff Organization does at this event, and the work leading up to this event, is especially important because…

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Kudos, September 2023

Thriving students, faculty and staff of the Franklin College pushes UGA to ever-greater heights, A few of the awards and shoutoutds we celebrated during September: University of Georgia professor J. Marshall Shepherd was npresented with the prestigious 2023 Environmental Achievement Award by the Environmental Law Institute 2023 University Professor Jean Martin-Williams, associate dean in the Franklin College, and 2023 Regents Professor Michael…

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Silent Sky

UGA Theatre presents Silent Sky, the untold story of Henrietta Leavitt, a brilliant astronomer whose groundbreaking discoveries changed our understanding of the cosmos.  Fueled by determination, intellect, and an unyielding spirit, Henrietta struggles against the societal expectations of the early 20th century in Lauren Gunderson's thought-provoking meditation on perseverance, the pursuit of knowledge, and the indomitable human spirit.…

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MFA students curate group exhibition for Atlanta Art Week

Organizers of the 2023 edition of Atlanta Art Week invited nine MFA students at the Lamar Dodd School of Art to present the group exhibition Unlisted at The Works, a mixed-use development in Atlanta’s Upper Westside, from October 3 through October 7, 2023. Atlanta Art Week partners with over 20 galleries, museums, and arts institutions in the metropolitan region to spotlight a rich variety of cultural…

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Timing plant evolution with a fast-ticking epigenetic clock

Recent discoveries in the field of epigenetics, the study of inheritance of traits that occur without changing the DNA sequence, have shown that chronological age in mammals correlates with epigenetic changes that accumulate during the lifetime of an individual. In humans, this observation has led to the development of epigenetic clocks, which are now extensively used as biomarkers of aging. While these clocks work accurately from birth until…

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Franklin faculty research on podcasts

The platform you can take with you, that so many people enjoy, is also very useful for learning about leading researchers and research topics of wide interest. New episodes of two podcasts each feature Franklin College faculty discussing their work, shedding light, and sharing their expertise. In a new episode of People, Parasites, & Plagues, the jhosts interview Dr. Xiaorong Lin, a distinguished professor of medical mycology at the…