UGA grads featured on HGTV’s “Tiny House Hunters”

UGA graduates Adam (BBA ’09) and Lindsey Nubern (ABJ ’09) were recently featured on HGTV’s “Tiny House Hunters.”

The couple has spent the last 18 months traveling around the world via backpacks, tents and camper vans. Upon returning home, Adam and Lindsey still had the travel bug and searched for a tiny house on wheels to continue their adventures around the country. Their episode was appropriately titled “Backpackers Go Tiny.”

Modern Cabin Showing. Film Crew

While traveling, Adam started his own accounting firm as a CPA. Lindsey is a travel writer and photographer and shares the couple’s travel stories on their blog and in other online publications.

On the show, the couple battled through their differences. Adam’s main concern was a practical, small, mobile home to take anywhere in the country. Lindsey prioritized necessities like a bathroom and shower, and finding a cozy spot in the world to call their own.
Lindsey’s mom, Wendy Desmarais, was their real estate agent in Atlanta, and found three choices for the couple to choose from: a tiny cottage, a little white camper and a modern cabin.

Intro Scene at Parents Suwanee House. Adam and Film Crew

To see which tiny home the couple chose, tune in to HGTV on Monday, May 2 at 11:00 a.m. EST to see the third airing of the episode.

Interested in following Lindsey and Adam’s adventures? Check out their Instagram.

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2016 Alumni Awards Celebration

On April 15, the UGA community gathered together in the Tate Student Center to enjoy the 79th annual Alumni Awards Luncheon, and celebrate this year’s group of honorees. Meet this year’s accomplished honorees and learn more about their UGA experiences.

Young Alumni Award

Christie Haynes, a Double Dawg from the Class of 2010 is the president and CEO of the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce. Christie is a former president of the Student Alumni Council who re-launched the G Book, UGA’s traditions handbook, with another SAC member when they were students. She is a former 40 Under 40 honoree and a past president of SPIA’s Alumni Board.

Support Christie’s passion and make a gift to the School of Public and International Affairs today.

Friend of UGA Award

The 2016 Friend of UGA Award was presented to Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson. Larry is an emeritus trustee of the UGA Foundation and serves on the faculty of the UGA School of Law. Brenda is a current UGA Foundation trustee and chair-elect of the Georgia Museum of Art Board of Advisors.

Would you like to support the Georgia Museum of Art, too? Learn more now.

Alumni Merit Award

Henry D. “Greg” Gregory, Jr. (AB ’06) is a UGA Foundation Trustee who has shown his commitment to the UGA History Department in a number of ways, including the establishment of the Amanda and Greg Gregory Chair in the Civil War Era and his providing financial support for Civil War research on campus.

Are you a Civil War buff? Consider supporting the Amanda and Greg Gregory Chair in the Civil War Era today.

Faculty Service Award

Karen A. Holbrook, former UGA Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost, also served as the first female president of The Ohio State University. Holbrook established a number of important initiatives while at UGA, including advocating for new programs in the biomedical and health sciences, which led to the creation of the College of Public Health.

Support the College of Public Health with a gift today.

Alumni Merit Award

The Honorable Saxby Chambliss (BBA ’66) is a long-serving and well-respected politician who retired from public service in 2014 after serving four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and two terms as a U.S. Senator. Recently, he established the Senator Chambliss Leadership Forum to increase students’ exposure to domestic and international politics.

Support students participating in the Senator Chambliss Leadership Forum with a gift today.

 

Interested in learning more about the Alumni Awards and seeing past honorees? Click here.

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Words of Wisdom

Do you remember what it was like to turn your tassel and receive your diploma from the University of Georgia? Were you excited, and maybe even a little bit nervous about the future? It’s time for the Class of 2016 to graduate and they would love to hear from YOU – the Bulldogs who came before them – about how to succeed after college.

Submissions will be shared on social media using #UGA16 leading up to Commencement on Friday, May 13.

The Words of Wisdom form has been closed. Please come back next year to leave insights from your experiences as a UGA Alumni!

Peabody Awards announce entertainment winners on NBC’s “Today” show

On Friday, April 22, the Peabody Awards Board of Jurors announced the Entertainment and Children’s programs that are among this year’s Peabody Awards winners live on NBC’s “The Today Show.”

The Peabody Awards, which are administered by the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, are one of storytelling’s most prestigious awards.

Founded in 1940, Peabody honors and extends conversation around stories that matter in radio, television, and digital media. Past award winners include Adventure Time, Fargo, House of Cards and Breaking Bad.

This year is the Peabody Awards’ 75th anniversary and the ceremony, taking place on Saturday, May 21 at Cipriani Wall Street, will be hosted by former Peabody winner Keegan-Michael Key.

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The 2016 Entertainment program winners are:

Beasts of No Nation (Netflix)

black-ish (ABC)

Deutschland 83 (Sundance)

Marvel’s Jessica Jones (Netflix)

Master of None (Netflix)

MR. ROBOT (USA Network)

The Leftovers (HBO)

Transparent (Amazon)

UnREAL (Lifetime)

Wolf Hall (PBS)

The Peabody Awards ceremony will air June 6 at 8 p.m. as a 90-minute special on Pivot.

Want to learn more about the Peabody Awards? Check out this 75th anniversary video.

hashtag-peabody75

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Georgia Gymnastics heads to Texas

The No. 9-ranked Georgia gymnastics team will compete in the first semifinal in the NCAA Championships this week in Texas.

The semifinals will take place Friday, April 15, at 2 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. ET. The top three from each session will advance to the Super Six on Saturday, April 16, at 9 p.m. ET.

Can’t attend the match? ESPNU will televise each round of the meet, which will take place at the Fort Worth Convention Center.

Session I will feature the Gymdogs along with No. 2 Florida, No. 3 LSU., No. 6 Auburn, No. 16 Minnesota and No. 18 Stanford. Session II will be made up of No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 4 Alabama, No. 5 Utah, No. 8 UCLA, No. 10 California and No. 12 Nebraska.

 

Georgia will open on beam, followed by a bye, floor, vault, a bye and bars. That is the same rotation the Gymdogs had at last week’s Athens Regional as they came in second. Washington’s Allison Northey will rotate along with the Gymdogs.

This is the 32nd time the Gymdogs have qualified for the national meet. Learn more about the Georgia gymnastics team.

Are you a graduate of the University of Georgia? Please take a moment and update your information to stay up-to-date with all things UGA!

 

Commit to G-Day!

UPDATE:

 

“I just want to tell everybody how great it is to be back home. I love the energy and passion here tonight. We want to see the same energy and passion at the spring game. We want to see 93,000 there to come out and support us.

The easiest thing in recruiting is when your fanbase is united and everybody is pulling in the same direction. That’s what we need, that’s what we want, that’s what we expect. We want to get that done.”

Coach Kirby Smart (BBA ’98)

 

G-Day Schedule

G-Day is April 16, 2016, at 4:00 p.m. 

Admission is free!

1:00 p.m. – Stadium Opens
1:15 p.m. – Flag football game between former football players
2:45 p.m. – Dawg Walk
3:00 p.m. – Team stretch on the field
3:45 p.m. – Ludacris performance
4:00 p.m. – G-Day Spring Football Game

Stadium and Parking

All stadium gates will be open, beginning at 1:00 p.m.

Seating throughout the stadium is general admission, with the following exceptions:

  • Sections 135 & 136, Rows 1 – 25
  • Sections 209 – 215
  • Sections 225 – 226

View more details at georgiadogs.com.

View from the sidelines

Whether you’re at G-Day, watching from home, or on the road, tune in to the official University of Georgia Snapchat accounts listed below. All three accounts will be posting from the sidelines throughout G-Day!

Follow footballuga on Snapchat

Follow the UGA Alumni Association on Snapchat

Follow UGA on Snapchat!

 

Around Campus

Alumni Chapter G-Day Watching Parties

Are you a graduate of the University of Georgia? Please take a moment and update your information to stay up-to-date with all things UGA!

 

Announcing the UGA Alumni Directory Project

The UGA Alumni Association has partnered with Publishing Concepts (PCI) to publish the first UGA alumni directory in more than five years. All graduates are encouraged to call PCI to update their information in the new directory.

The last UGA Alumni Directory was printed in 2010. A new directory will not only be of service to those graduates who are interested in reconnecting with fellow alumni, but the updated information will help us invite alumni to university events across the country. In a nutshell, this project will help your alma mater serve you better in the future.

For more information, please visit alumni.uga.edu/directory. Thank you in advance for your support, Bulldogs!

To celebrate the launch of the new UGA Alumni Directory, PCI hosted a Bulldog-theme celebration in their Dallas office. We hope their team enjoyed a little taste of Athens in the office!

A Tale of Two Athens

Travelocity recently published a commercial where a traveler mistakenly ends up in Athens, Georgia instead of Athens, Greece. We couldn’t think of a better mistake to make! 

Founded in the late 18th century and named after Athens, Greece, a place known for its dedication to higher learning, Athens, Georgia is home to the University of Georgia, the state of Georgia’s flagship institution.

While many people might be disappointed if they meant to book a flight to Athens, Greece, but mistakenly found themselves in Athens, Georgia, Bulldogs know better.

We know that Athens is a thriving town full of great music, food, art and more. Most importantly, Athens is home to the University of Georgia, a place that embeds itself into the soul of anyone who attends.

As the saying goes, “you can leave it, but it never leaves you.” Many UGA alumni know how true that statement is, and often find themselves dreaming of days spent on North Campus studying on Herty Field or Saturdays ‘tween the Hedges.

While there’s no denying that Athens, Greece is an incredible vacation spot, we think Athens, Georgia is pretty special, too.

Wouldn’t you agree?

Are you a graduate of the University of Georgia? Please take a moment and update your information!

 

Interview with Kazuya Takahashi (MED ’07), a top 10 finalist of the prestigious Global Teacher Prize

Today, we are sharing an interview with alumnus Kazuya Takahashi. The interview was conducted by Kathryn Kao (ABJ ’13), content strategist for the College of Education. 

Kazuya Takahashi (MED ’07), an English teacher at Kogakuin University Junior and Senior High School in Tokyo, Japan and an alumnus of the University of Georgia’s College of Education, was selected as a top 10 finalist for the prestigious Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize for his innovative work in the classroom.

Takahashi was selected among 8,000 candidates around the world and is the first person from Japan to ever be nominated for the $1 million award. The Global Teacher Prize is the largest of its kind and is presented annually to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession.

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What was the biggest takeaway you gained from your studies at UGA’s College of Education? Are there any methods you’ve learned here that you currently apply to your everyday teaching? 

I owe a lot to the theory of instructional design. Although my degree is in instructional technology, I learned many useful things from friendly and knowledgeable teachers. They taught me cognitive science, instructional design, and cutting-edge technology in the academic world. They not only taught me the knowledge of subjects, but also how to use it in class. That’s why I could easily apply what I learned at UGA in my class when I came back to Japan.

Your Global Teacher Prize profile says you teach students using LEGO-based instruction. Can you give me a brief explanation of what this instruction focuses on and how it benefits students?

It’s based on the ideas of instructional design, Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory, and constructionism. I think I learned this in Dr. Reeve’s class. With LEGO, I want to see different aspects of students’ intelligences. Schools usually focus on language intelligence. Teachers talk and students have to listen and answer back on a test. That’s why students who are good at speaking, listening, and writing are regarded as good students. However, students who are not good at language, but good at expressing themselves in other ways are not labeled as “good” or “exemplary” students. With LEGO, students can express themselves with things other than language and learn how to manage time. I can benefit a lot of things with LEGO instruction. Students can try to make their own products many times and easily get engaged in what they are doing.

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 Why is it important for you to stress global citizenship in your teaching? How do students benefit from volunteer work?

My teaching style is based on learning science and constructionism. However, this kind of teaching philosophy is in vogue around the globe. There are a bunch of pedagogies and teaching curricula such as IB, Common Core, and national curricula. They compete with each other over which program is the most appropriate to educate the best and brightest kids and send them to prestigious colleges all over the world. I feel that this does not make any sense. Today, there are so many “smart” people with shining degrees, but the world has not gotten better. Wars are everywhere and the world economy is pretty messed up. I do believe we educators have to teach not only the subject, but also how students should take responsibility for their learning and contribute to others using what they learn.

So, I started a program in which students collaborate with a social entrepreneur in Indonesia and actually go work to solve social issues over there. In that sense, I think my teaching style is related to teaching global citizenship through daily classes. I want students to move around without paying attention to their borders.

The students who joined the Indonesia program said they learned a lot by doing something for others. They said they came to understand why they are learning and the importance of being responsible and serving others.

Can you tell me a bit about the space elevator competition you organized for your high school students? What has the response/results from this new initiative been like?

I only applied for the science promotion partnership fund and started the space elevator project. I got interested in this because I used LEGOs a lot in and outside of class, and I knew I could make a space elevator with LEGOs. I also wanted to introduce the students to college professors and some professionals at JAXA*. Results? I think students gained a more positive view on their learning and learned something real about space at JAXA.

*Note: JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is Japan’s national aerospace agency designed to support the Japanese government’s overall aerospace development and utilization. 

Kazuya

What are some things you want to change or improve upon in the Japanese schooling system?

In Japan, students just study to go to a so-called good college and work for a good company. To put it in a simple way, they only study for themselves. That’s why they are afraid of making a mistake and dropping out of a single-track career path. However, I believe from this time on I have to educate kids who are passionate about both business and helping others. So, what I want to do is challenge their fixed mindsets.

As a teacher, what are you most proud of achieving or accomplishing?

I have not achieved anything yet. I am still working on being like the great teachers in my life. However, just one thing I can be proud of is that I have put the quality of Japanese education on the map through this prize.

Exercise Science: A Unique Discipline Comes of Age

Today, alumnus Phillip Sparling (MED ’76, EDD ’79) will be guest-blogging about his experience as an exercise science major at UGA in the 1970s. 

Sparling

Phillip Sparling (MED ’76, EDD ’79)

To her dying day, my mother never fully understood what I did for a living.

She knew, of course, that I was a college professor. It was my field of study she was unable to explain to cousins and acquaintances. The questioning looks: what the heck is exercise science? Today, some 20 years after her death, my academic discipline is no longer unknown, although its scope and significance still remain fuzzy to some, on campus and off.

With apologies to Paul Simon, I’m still crazy about exercise science after all these years. With an undergraduate degree in the liberal arts from Duke, I pursued graduate training in exercise physiology at the University of Georgia in the Division of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (HPERD) in the mid-1970s. My career spanned the coming of age for exercise science. It wasn’t a straight-forward progression for me or the field. New trails were blazed as a new field took shape.

Relative to the venerable sciences of biology, chemistry and physics, exercise science is one of the newer kids on the block. It has grown from infancy to full maturity within a few short decades and is now one of the most popular majors on campuses nationwide. Similar to the rise of computer science, the development and application of technology have been central to the growth of exercise science. For example, tools and techniques from molecular biology, neuroscience and biomedical engineering are used to answer our research questions.

Questions span the continuum from the effects of complex high-intensity conditioning programs for top athletes to the effects of simply increasing daily walking on quality of life and reduction of chronic disease risk in sedentary adults. Exercise science is the theory-based, evidence led study of human movement. It comprises many emphasis areas, most notably exercise physiology, biomechanics, motor control and exercise psychology. Like the fields of medicine or psychology, exercise science is both broad and deep, with many specialties and subspecialties.

The roots of exercise science in academe can be traced to 1861 when Edward Hitchcock, Jr., M.D. initiated a program of gymnastics and physical training at Amherst College. The aim was to maintain health and relieve the strain associated with “academic courses.” A tenet of the college experience was mens sana in corpore sano (a sound mind in a healthy body). Over the next several decades, the Amherst model was widely replicated across the country and physical education became part of the general education curriculum at most colleges.

Following World War II, the boom in federal research funding and expansion of doctoral programs ushered in a golden age of scientific inquiry. By the 1950s and through the 1960s, a new breed of physical education faculty, led by scientists like Franklin Henry at UC Berkeley, advocated for an increased focus on rigorous research. Their contention was straightforward: physical education faculty should be systematically investigating the effects of exercise to advance the knowledge base, just as colleagues in the life sciences studied the nature of their respective disciplines. This set the course for what would become exercise science.

In the current taxonomy of academic fields, exercise science is a major branch of kinesiology, similar to the relationship of zoology to biology or biochemistry to chemistry. The discipline of kinesiology refers to the study of human movement in the broadest sense. In addition to exercise science (and its many specialties), other prominent branches (majors, tracks) are athletic training, physical education (teacher education), and sports management. The University of Georgia’s Department of Kinesiology is ranked among the best in the country.

Future financial security is not a given though. Kiplinger recently rated exercise science as among the “worst careers”, along with animal science, horticulture and music. This assessment was based solely on projected salaries following graduation. In making a career choice, reconciling passion versus salary is always difficult. Interestingly, some graduate students in exercise science have undergraduate degrees in engineering and business; many were well paid but dissatisfied with the day-to-day grind.

The world in 2015 is designed for sitting – our lives are dominated by cars, chairs, and screens – yet humans are wired to move. The positive impact of daily physical activity on growth and development in children and overall health and well-being in adults is undeniable. An increasingly important challenge is how to translate national guidelines into behavior change (physicalactivityplan.org). How do we better enable children, adults, families and communities to become more physically active?

Preparing professionals for careers in exercise science has never been more relevant or timely. No other aspect of our lifestyle has a more potent impact on our capacity to thrive than exercise. If my mother were alive today, I think she’d agree and understand my fervor as an exercise scientist.

And I trust that many of you – friends and alumni of the University of Georgia, folks from all walks of life – do as well.

Phillip B. Sparling is an alumnus of the University of Georgia, Professor Emeritus at Georgia Tech, and a Fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology. He presented the 1st Distinguished Alumni Lecture in the Department of Kinesiology in October 2015. This essay is based on a viewpoint he published in the February 2016 issue of JOPERD.