Happy 238th Birthday UGA! On Jan. 27, the University of Georgia marked the anniversary of its founding in 1785 with a Founders Day celebration on the Tate Plaza, hosted by the Student Alumni Council. Odum School of Ecology’s student ambassadors tested visitors’ knowledge of ecology and shared information about academic programs in the Odum School.
Nearby, distinguished alumnus Robert (Bob) Edge was recognized with the President’s Medal at the Founders Day Luncheon. The President’s Medal recognizes individuals who have dedicated their lives to supporting UGA students, championing UGA’s research enterprise, and engaging in public service on behalf of the UGA community. I was moved to hear Bob reflect on learning to play piano as a young student working with Hugh Hodgson, how he was inspired by painter Lamar Dodd, and his friendship with Eugene Odum, who he knew both personally and through his work as a dedicated supporter of the university.
The Odum School of Ecology held its annual graduate student recruiting event on Jan. 26, inviting 22 prospective M.S. and Ph.D. students to Athens for a full day of meetings and tours to learn more about the school and campus.
This was followed by the 29th Ecology Graduate Student Symposium (GSS) on Jan. 27-28. Carrying on a tradition that began in 1995, graduate students presented research talks and sponsored an undergraduate poster session on Friday. Saturday’s events began bright and early with the John K. Spencer 5k Run/Walk (which I walked at a safe pace), followed by graduate student presentations and a keynote lecture delivered by distinguished alumnus Jake Allgeier (PhD ’13). Introduced by Distinguished
Research Professor Amy Rosemond, Allgeier discussed how artificial coral reefs inform understanding of nutrient dynamics and conservation of seagrass-fish-coral communities. The GSS presentations were amazing in their scientific breadth and depth, and a strong spirit of community wove through the symposium as students cheered each other on and communicated ideas and approaches from diverse research programs.
Earlier in January, the Odum School of Ecology hosted a reception to celebrate the release of Animal Behavior and Parasitism, a new book edited by faculty members Sonia Altizer, Vanessa Ezenwa and Richard Hall. The book, sponsored by the Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, and following from a virtual symposium hosted by CEID in 2021 on the same topic, was published in November 2022 by the Oxford University Press. It is part of a series on the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases, edited by Regents’ Professor and CEID director John Drake. Other books in the series include Pertussis, co-edited by Pej Rohani, and Population Biology of Vector-borne Diseases, co-edited by John Drake.
A much larger celebration on Jan. 14 marked the return of UGA’s back-to-back national championship football team, with a parade down Lumpkin Avenue and a ceremony in Sanford Stadium. The Bulldog team capped an undefeated season with a down-to-the-wire playoff win against Ohio State (42-41) in the Peach Bowl and a 65-7 win over Texas Christian University in the National Championship game. It certainly has been a great year to be part of Bulldog Nation!
Even as we celebrate the many successes in Ecology and across the university, our community members continue to feel stress and anxiety owing to a number of factors, including the ongoing war in Ukraine, racial injustices and conflicts with law enforcement, weather-related disasters around the world, and recent mass shootings here in the U.S. These events bring uncertainty and disruptions to daily routines and underscore the importance of social support networks. Many of us don’t seek support for stress, anxiety or depression until we are at a point of crisis, but it is so important that we prioritize mental health and find ways to connect with each other. Sometimes a walk outdoors, having coffee with a friend, and checking off a small task can help you get through a rough day. Other times, professional medical services and counseling are needed to restore and maintain mental health. UGA and the Athens area offer many options for students, faculty and staff seeking mental health support. Together with awareness and support for mental health, daily acts of kindness and compassion toward each other, and reaching out when someone appears to be struggling, will help us move forward in difficult times.
It’s always magical to see wildlife around South Campus, including red-tailed hawks, cedar waxwings and monarch butterflies. A favorite visitor to the Ecology Building this year has been a barred owl that occasionally sits in a tree near the front entrance, watching quietly as students pass by. Her presence reminds me that even in tiny greenspaces surrounded by parking lots and brick buildings, remnants of nature can thrive—and that we continue to have opportunities to create vibrant habitats that make room for both people and nature here on campus.
January’s weather has brought alternating spells of heavy rain, frosty mornings and warmer stretches with sunshine. Despite the soggy, cold days, the earliest signs of spring are here. Daffodils have started blooming outside of the Ecology Building, buds are forming on the surrounding trees, and the days are getting noticeably longer. Spring in Georgia is amazing, and I can’t wait to see the dogwoods, azaleas and redbuds bloom in the coming months. We have a busy spring semester ahead of us, with many exciting events to come. Good luck to everyone—I’m sending best wishes for a productive and exciting spring, and thank you for being part of the Odum School community!
