News Stories - Page 5

Jennifer Jo Thompson's work is situated at the intersection of science, health and food systems. A researcher in the University of Georgia Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Thompson uses her background in medical anthropology to engage with policy and social justice to improve sustainability in agriculture and food systems. Learn more about her journey to academia and ongoing projects to build sustainable food systems in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

It’s a special moment to step inside Sanford Stadium and walk across that sprawling green field between the hedges. While the grass beneath your feet may not always be your first thought at the Freshman Welcome or Commencement, it is for Gavin Shytle. Keeping the turf safe, healthy, and aesthetically pleasing is the sworn duty of Shytle and his fellow turfgrass management majors. Before athletes even hit the ground running, he makes sure the ground is prepped for them.

University of Georgia Weather Network Director Pam Knox provides updates and analysis on the projected impact of Hurricane Helene, expected to strengthen to a Category 4 storm before making landfall. “I am running out of words to describe the catastrophe this may be, but most people that live in these areas have never experienced a storm like this before,” said Knox, agricultural climatologist in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “They will be totally unprepared for what they will have to deal with.”

The Rural Engagement Workshop for Academic Faculty at the University of Georgia has announced the list of funded faculty seed grants to address issues in rural Georgia. The grants offer funding between $5,000 and $10,000 for faculty to engage with rural Georgians on issues that are critical for their communities. The program encourages collaboration between faculty in UGA schools and colleges with faculty in Public Service and Outreach and UGA Cooperative Extension already working throughout rural Georgia.

Renowned plant genetics researcher Scott Jackson has returned to the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences as the inaugural Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) Eminent Scholar in Synthetic Biology. GRA Eminent Scholars are internationally renowned scientists recruited to Georgia’s leading research universities in collaboration with the Georgia Research Alliance. GRA Eminent Scholars are distinguished by the significance of their research discoveries and their potential for commercial application.

A new study by experts in the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is seeking to increase the value of Georgia’s peanut crops for new markets while reducing losses caused by aflatoxin, a consistent threat to the No. 1 peanut-producing state in the United States. The four-year, $490,000 grant will take a systems-based approach toward developing high-oil peanut varieties bred to withstand the unique climate and pest pressures of the Southeast.