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Six years after founding the Great Southeast Pollinator Census, Becky Griffin held something remarkable in her hands — a children’s book inspired by the project she built from the ground up. "The Great Pollinator Count," written by Susan Richmond and published by Peachtree Publishing, is set to hit physical and digital bookshelves on April 15. The book celebrates the power of community science, pollinator conservation, and the educators and students who bring it all to life.

From crop molecular genetics to estuarine mussels to computer experiments, three University of Georgia undergraduates have been honored for furthering research in their fields of study. Juniors Oscar de la Torre, Anderson Smith and Sloka Sudhin are among the 441 undergraduates from across the nation to be recognized as Barry Goldwater Scholars this spring. They have earned the highest undergraduate award of its type for the fields of mathematics, engineering and natural sciences.

The University of Georgia Career Center provides students with invaluable opportunities to explore diverse career paths. On March 21, the Career Center organized a “Career Caravan” to two prominent Atlanta-based companies: Delta Air Lines and IHG Hotels & Resorts. This immersive experience aimed to give UGA students, including those studying hospitality and food industry management at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, firsthand learning from the hospitality industry.

The Rivers of Iris exhibit at the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens (CGBG) is flourishing, but the technicolor blooms aren’t the only things attracting attention. Stan Gray, volunteer iris curator at CGBG, and Brian Shamblin, an associate research scientist with the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, are growing several mystery irises at the gardens that could prove to be one of two exceptionally rare iris species: Iris rivularis or a variant of Iris hexagona.

The seventh cohort of the Women’s Staff Leadership Institute celebrated its graduation with a reception March 25. “I want to say first, congratulations to all of you graduating,” said Stacy Jones, associate vice president for public service and outreach and WSLI co-sponsor. “I hope that as you continue to walk as graduates and alumnae of this program that you pay attention to the fact that you’re taking some amazing journeys.”

The 2025 Georgia Aquaculture Conference will advance sustainable aquaculture practices and foster economic growth across the state. Hosted by University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, the conference will take place on April 18 at the UGA Center for Continuing Education and Hotel in Athens.

In the most competitive FABricate contest to date, Sean Snarey, a graduate student in agribusiness in the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, took home the $10,000 prize on March 27 for his automated poultry rehanging system. FABricate is an entrepreneurial pitch contest where students develop their idea for a new food product, new agricultural technology, new food or agricultural-related business or new environmental or sustainable business.

University of Georgia Regenerative Bioscience Center Director Steven Stice has been elected to the 2025 class of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows. Stice, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and D.W. Brooks Professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, was elected to the AIMBE by his peers in recognition of his pioneering contributions in translational human stem cell research and leadership in regenerative biology, education and advocacy.

Five University of Georgia faculty and staff members are being honored for their commitment to public service and outreach. Phillip Brannen, professor and UGA Cooperative Extension specialist in the plant pathology department in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, has been named a Walter Barnard Hill Fellow for Distinguished Achievement in Public Service and Outreach. Jacob Price, a senior public service associate and Lowndes County Extension coordinator, received the Walter Barnard Hill Award.

Sitting in his office at the Edgar L. Rhodes Center for Animal and Dairy Science at the University of Georgia, Lohitash Karumbaiah reflects on his path from working in the agricultural biotechnology industry in India to his current role researching ways to help the brain heal itself after traumatic brain injury and disease. “I’ve always had a deep sense of adventure and a desire for purpose, and I think my journey to where I am now reflects that quite well. Getting out of my comfort zone has been a huge part of my story,” said Karumbaiah.