Points of Pride – August 2009
August 12, 2009
Click here to download a copy of the August 2009 Points of Pride.
The Carl Vinson Institute of Government (Vinson Institute)
Information Technology Services Wins International Award
The Carl Vinson Institute’s Information Technology Outreach Services Division recently received the 2009 Special Achievement Award from the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), a leader in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology. The unit was selected from more than 300,000 organizations worldwide. It was honored for innovative work in helping government entities and international organizations utilize GIS technology to improve their operations and allow better access to information. For more information visit www.esri.com/sag/index.html.
The Georgia Center for Continuing Education Conference Center and Hotel (Georgia Center)
The Professional and Personal Development (PPD) department’s Summer Academy at UGA (SAUGA) hosted 105 students in eight specialty camps in the areas of art, science, and technology. The total enrollment for the SAUGA program this year was 162 which was an increase of 38 percent over last year.
Leading influenza experts from around the world attended the third annual Immunobiology of Influenza Virus Infection Conference at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education Conference Center and Hotel. The multi-disciplinary conference provided a forum for virologists, immunologists, and vaccine researchers from academia, government, and industry to discuss advances in basic and applied influenza research.
The Georgia Center’s sales department booked six conferences with an estimated 1,405 participants, 993 hotel room nights and 2,320 participant meals for an estimated revenue of $172,369. The Conference and Event Planning department coordinated 11 conferences with 973 participants and 54 meetings or special events with 2,007 participants.
The State Botanical Garden of Georgia
In July, The State Botanical Garden of Georgia jointly sponsored a family day event with the Georgia Museum of Art called “Family Day: Colors of Summer”. Participants used photographs from the Botanical Garden to assemble works of art into beautiful collages, inspired by the colors, shapes and textures of nature.
More than 350 people attended a Classic City Band concert. This was a free concert for the public.
The State Botanical Garden initiated a blog and a twitter account for publicity through social networking. To visit the blog account go to statebotgardenga.blogsport.com and for the twitter account please visit twitter.com/botgarden_ga.
The ninth season of the Sunflower Music Series featured two of Athens’ most legendary artists and provided a time to show the new flower garden.
The State Botanical Garden Education Department conducted two weeks of Garden Earth Naturalist Day Camp.
Andrea Fischer, volunteer coordinator, implemented the “Workforce Investment Act” program. The program offers part-time employment and professional experience to four local high school students.
Construction began on The State Botanical Garden of Georgia’s new $2.5 million horticulture complex, a facility that will support the 313-acre public garden.
The Marine Extension Service (MAREX)
National Park Service Coastal Assessment 2009 Canaveral National Seashore
The Marine Extension Service Water Quality Team conducted sediment and water sampling in Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, a protected body of water adjacent to the Canaveral National Seashore. Since 2007, the Marine Extension Service has worked collaboratively with the National Park Service to conduct water quality assessments at selected parks within the Southeast Coast Network (SECN). Each assessment completes water and sediment collection at 30 randomly selected sites, compiles hydrographic profiles, and collects station and habitat information for each chosen sample location.
“Taste the Invasion”
Marine Extension Service faculty and staff members hosted “Taste the Invasion,” an event that raises awareness about the invasive flathead catfish, which has caused significant environmental harm to the Altamaha River ecosystem since its introduction decades ago. More than 40 fishermen, managers, scientists, teachers and other members of the public participated in a four-species wild catfish taste test at Skipper’s riverfront restaurant in Darien, Georgia. Results of the blind taste test revealed that the most popular catfish was actually the invasive flathead catfish. Participants tested their taste buds and answered questions about native and invasive species to win prizes.
R/V Georgia Bulldog Turtle Population Research – Georgia Bight
The crew of the R/V Georgia Bulldog completed six weeks of offshore sea turtle research. The project assessed the regional abundance of sea turtles, collecting and releasing 110 turtles this year for a total of 802 turtles caught and released since 2000. Since the summer of 2000, the Bulldog has collected and tagged 759 loggerheads, 40 Kemp’s ridleys, and three green sea turtles. In 2009, 105 loggerheads and five Kemp’s have been collected and tagged.
International Public Service and Outreach (IPSO)
Full-Time Teaching Position for TIES Phase I Mexican Graduate Exchange Student
Carmen Leticia Antonio Cruz recently obtained a full-time teaching position at the Universidad Autonoma de Chiapas in Tapachula, Mexico. Carmen graduated from the University of Georgia on December 15, 2006, with a master’s degree in middle school education under International Public Service and Outreach’s TIES Phase I project, Universidad Veracruzana-University of Georgia: A Partnership for Rural Economic, Educational and Human Capital Development. Carmen said, “The experience I had at UGA has let me become more sensitive to the needs of our community, too. I have tried to share with my students the knowledge I gained at the master’s program at UGA.”
The Fanning Institute
Thirty-three high school students from 14 counties spent a week on campus for Session I of the Leadership Sin Limites (Leadership Without Limits) program. This is the seventh consecutive year the Fanning Institute has offered the program, which develops leadership skills in Latino youth. Participants learned about leadership and leadership styles; engaged in experiential hands-on leadership activities that allowed them to see their styles in action; explored the process for applying of college admission and scholarships; toured the campus; discussed issues facing Latino youths; conducted research and created a handbook on Latino youth issues with factual information and possible solutions; and began to design community service projects that they will implement this fall. The closing luncheon keynote address was delivered by the DeKalb County State Court Judge Antonio DelCampo. Carolina Darbisi served as the lead faculty member. Other Fanning faculty and staff members taught sessions, including Langford Holbrook, Delene Porter, Maritza Soto Keen, and Kathleen Cason. Graduates of previous classes served as mentors to participants. This year, nine mentors (five from UGA, one from Georgia State College, one from Gainesville College, and two high school seniors) were trained and participated in the program. Representatives from the Office of Admissions, Department of Plant Pathology, and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund also presented sessions during the program. For more information, visit: www.fanning.uga.edu/program/LYLP.
Danny Bivins and Leigh Askew Elkins of the Fanning Institute, in conjunction with the College of Environment and Design’s Costa Rica Summer Study Abroad, led a service-learning project with 11 graduate and undergraduate landscape architecture students. Their work focused primarily on three farms within the Finca la Bella (Beautiful Farm) community. Each farm offers eco-tours arranged primarily through the UGA Costa Rica campus. The students designed trail improvements, an outdoor café, signage, brochures, and other elements to improve the experiences of visitors and increase the opportunity for revenue-generation for the farmers and their families. Elkins and Bivins also designed a website dedicated to Finca la Bella that will be launched in the near future. Their service-learning work was funded through Elkins’ Service-Learning Fellowship and a mini-grant from the Office of Service Learning and Bivins’ International Scholarship of Engagement Grant. For more information, visit: www.outreach.uga.edu/news/2009/04/07/service-learning-in-coasta-rica/.
The Fanning Institute participated in the Summer Young Dawgs program, a partnership between the University of Georgia, the Clarke County school district, and Athens-Clarke Leisure Services. The Young Dawgs Summer Program is created for 14, 15, and 16 year old students to work an eight week apprenticeship on the UGA campus. Each potential apprentice completes a week-long career services training program during his or her spring break, then interviews for the summer positions. Students are invited to participate based on their demonstrated commitment to the pursuit of their goals. The Young Dawgs summer program matches students with members of the UGA faculty and staff, who serve as the students’ site supervisors and individual mentors. UGA mentors introduce their students to possible careers in their field and also guide their students through basic practices and workplace etiquette. Delene Porter supervised and mentored Sharina Walton, a rising junior from Clarke Central High School. Sharina was able to gain work experience and leadership development opportunities. Sharina worked 20 hours per week during the summer supporting Fanning initiatives. She also provided valuable support for the UGA Honors Program by doing peer interviews and research on the “dos & don’ts” of successful mentoring programs that use college-age students to mentor students in grades K-12. For more information, view: www.hr.uga.edu/workdev/stcp/jryap/jrYAP.html.
Skip Teaster, a certified community economic developer at the Fanning Institute, appeared before the Hospital Authority of Liberty County in July to present a report on the hospital’s progress toward achieving strategic goals. The board and Liberty Regional Medical Center (LRMC) executive staff underwent a strategic planning process facilitated by the Fanning Institute in 2007 to prepare for the expansion of nearby Fort Stewart and the expected increase in demand for LRMC services. After the strategic plan was finalized in November 2008, the Fanning Institute was contracted to evaluate the plan’s implementation phase. Skip Teaster’s presentation and written report demonstrated significant progress toward achieving the hospital’s goals. The board’s vice-chair credited the implementation audit as the driving force behind making so much progress in such a short period of time. For more information, view: www.fanning.uga.edu/project/LRMC.