Angela Dupree’s office is overflowing with elfin magic. Her office mate is Ernie the Elf, the Hollow Tree conference room is around the corner, and it’s her job to make sure the cookies you buy in the store are perfect, batch after batch. Dupree, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in environmental health and a minor in environmental soil science from the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in 1992, is the food safety and quality manager at Ferrero Bakery in Augusta, Georgia.

In April, the Environmental Protection Agency announced the nation’s first drinking water standard for “forever chemicals,” a group of persistent, human-made chemicals that can pose a health risk to people at even the smallest detectable levels of exposure. The new rules are part of efforts to limit pollution from these per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which can persist in the environment for centuries. Supported by a nearly $1.6 million grant from the EPA, researchers from the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are developing improved, cost-effective treatment systems with advanced technologies for removing PFAS.

From bringing more than 50 varieties to market to monitoring the growing economic impact of the blueberry, this series dives into the multidisciplinary University of Georgia research behind the top-10 Georgia commodity. “The UGA blueberry breeding program has been a key to the success of launching a significant commercial blueberry industry in Georgia in the 1980s and helping sustain it for four decades,” said Scott NeSmith, professor emeritus in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Compared to some of the long, more strenuous hikes at Yosemite National Park in California, the venture up the granite outcrop at Olmsted Point is short if a little steep. But an epic view awaits the 18 University of Georgia students who make the climb. High above Yosemite Valley, they gaze westward to make out Half Dome in the distance. Other peaks of various shapes and features stretch on endlessly. Class is now in session.

William “Bill” D. Branch, Georgia Seed Development Professor in Peanut Breeding and Genetics in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, has been elected as Fellow for the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Branch is the 17th UGA faculty member to receive this honor, which recognizes inventors whose innovations have had a significant impact on society, economic development and quality of life.

Hurricane Helene wrought sweeping devastation across Georgia’s agricultural sector in late September, leaving an indelible mark on both the land and the people who tend it, bringing focus to vulnerabilities in Georgia’s farming industry and the need for more robust safety nets. In addition to the physical destruction, the hurricane took an emotional toll on Georgia’s farmers. In response, UGA Extension has prioritized mental health support.