Office for Proposal Enhancement

The Biomedical and Translational Sciences Institute (BTSI) at the University of Georgia facilitates and promotes interdisciplinary research and instructional efforts throughout UGA. With divisions focusing on neuroscience, basic and translational biomedical science and the One Health initiative, researchers in the institute support graduate degree programs and cooperative research projects designed to solve the most fundamental problems in the fields of biomedical and health sciences. btsi.uga.edu.

The Center for Applied Isotope Studies (CAIS) is an interdisciplinary unit dedicated to providing the highest quality radiocarbon (14C), stable isotope, and elemental analyses to researchers in academia, industry, and government in order to facilitate integrative research, inform science-based decision making, and promote the future growth of UGA as a leader in applied STEM fields. The CAIS occupies a 22,000 square-foot complex of offices and laboratories located in UGA’s Riverbend Research Facility. Additional facilities are located in the UGA Chemistry Building, the Geology/Geography Building, and in the L.L. Pete Philips Wood Utilization Plant Sciences Building within the Whitehall Forest complex of the Warnell School of Forest Resources. CAIS is accredited (since 2015) under the International Organization for Standardization, ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for stable isotope and radiocarbon analyses—an accreditation that is universally recognized as the highest level of quality attainable by a testing laboratory. cais.uga.edu

The Center for Cyber-Physical Systems (CCPS) develops partnerships among universities, industry and government on research and education in Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) analytics and security and fosters bold innovation and entrepreneurship in CPS. The CCPS center is an interdisciplinary research center in UGA committed to advancing research and education in CPS and to transitioning CPS science and technology into engineering practice and real-world applications with lasting impact. Integrating with the existing strength of UGA, the CCPS will be initially positioned on leading the CPS innovations on the intersecting grand challenges of energy, environment, food and health. cps.uga.edu.

The Center for Drug Discovery is designed to be the premier portal at the University of Georgia for the development of therapeutics by supporting pre-clinical stage collaborations with extramural supporting entities. The Center for Drug Discovery was established in 2005 to fulfill a critical state, national, and international need for the discovery and development of new chemical and biological entities for combating existing and emerging life-threatening diseases. The Center’s drug discovery services are provided by the Drug Discovery Core Laboratory, which is a partnership between the UGA Center for Drug Discovery and the Interdisciplinary Toxicology Program. More on some of the center’s services as well as its ability to help with proposal development can be found here cdd.uga.edu

As an intellectual community where scientific curiosity is valued, the CEID seeks to address the problems at the intersection of ecology and infectious diseases by developing innovative technical methods and novel collaborative approaches, which draw upon the various fields vested in infectious disease research. The CEID welcomes participation from anyone wanting to learn and contribute, including professional scientists, graduate or undergraduate students, and industry professionals seeking answers to today’s pressing infectious disease issues. Center activities include disease ecology workshops in which faculty present research in progress, computational clinics to teach modeling techniques, and research seminars given by visiting faculty on a range of topics. The CEID also supports working groups on zoonotic spillover, disease mapping, and disease forecasting. ceid.uga.edu

The Center for Food Safety (CFS) was established in 1992 to promote food safety and its role in protecting the agricultural system. CFS is a leader of multidisciplinary, innovative research to improve the safety of food. CFS researchers develop ways to detect, control and eliminate harmful microorganisms and their toxins from the food supply. The expertise within CFS is broad and involves every stage of the food supply chain, from the growing fields and barns to consumers’ plates. CFS is part of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and is located on the Griffin Campus of the University of Georgia. CFS maintains strong collaborative ties with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and research groups at the Athens campus of the University of Georgia. center-for-food-safety.

The Center for Geospatial Research (CGR) promotes geographic thinking and the application of geospatial technologies in interdisciplinary research, education, and public service. They apply expertise in remote sensing, photogrammetry, GIS, geovisualization, and field surveys to uncover spatial and temporal aspects of projects and research. Since their establishment in 1985 as the Laboratory for Remote Sensing and Mapping Science (later renamed to Center for Remote Sensing and Mapping Science), their internationally recognized work in natural and cultural resources, terrain analysis, and spatiotemporal modeling addresses critical and contemporary issues in humans and the environment relationships. cgr.uga.edu

At the Grady College Center for Health and Risk Communication (CHRC) at the University of Georgia researchers are working to improve communication practices that address a broad catalogue of health and risk conditions ranging from breast cancer and diabetes to multiple sclerosis and sickle cell anemia to drinking water contamination arising from terrorist attack. It functions as an institutional, regional, and international contact point for UGA outreach in health and risk communication research, training, and service to advance knowledge about effective and understandable messages to help people make better health-related decisions. chrc.uga.edu

The Center for Integrative Conservation Research (CICR) works to inspire durable and equitable solutions to complex environmental challenges through its support of collaborative training, research, and problem-solving with an emphasis on a broad diversity of ways of perceiving and analyzing complex conservation issues. Established in 2007, the CICR plays a convening and catalytic role in fostering integrative research across the social and environmental sciences and diverse knowledge traditions, supporting conservation practices and policies that simultaneously preserve biodiversity and serve human needs. With a remarkable breadth of expertise on the social-environmental interface at UGA, CICR serves as a bridge between faculty and students from different disciplines and units on campus. cicr.uga.edu.

The Center for International Trade & Security (CITS) was established in 1987 with the support of former U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk. Since its founding, CITS has developed a network of academic researchers, public officials, and industry representatives with expertise in critical areas of national and international security. CITS advises policymakers and trains personnel around the world on nonproliferation, strategic trade and energy security, while serving as a hub of research, teaching, and outreach on new and emerging security topics. spia.uga.edu/cits.

The Center for Molecular Medicine (CMM) at the University of Georgia is working to better understand the molecular and cellular basis for human disease and translate this research into the discovery of new therapies, cures and diagnostic tools. The therapeutics being developed may be in the form of stem cell-based therapies, vaccines, new drugs, antibodies or protein pharmaceuticals. Research programs also focus on the identification of new biomarkers and other tools for clinical diagnostics, with direct application to a wide range of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders and diabetes. cmm.uga.edu

The Center for the Study of Global Issues (GLOBIS) at the University of Georgia fosters educational and research activities focused on economic, political, and sociocultural change and development occurring at the global level. GLOBIS conducts research and educational activities which examine recent global economic, political, and socio-cultural trends and the human problems associated with these trends in order to furnish a basis for forecasting the future and forming public policy. spia.uga.edu/globis.

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) offers a wide variety of programs and activities to foster an institutional climate that reinforces excellence in teaching and learning across the University of Georgia. The CTL partners with faculty, graduate students, staff, and administrators to promote evidence-based teaching and learning practices, sustain a university culture that values and rewards teaching, encourages critical reflection on teaching practices, and creates learning environments in which all students and instructors can excel. The CTL provides instructional grants, consultation services, faculty and TA development programs, publications, activities planning, and teaching resources and media services. In addition, it offers seminars, workshops, and conferences that address a wide range of topics throughout the year. ctl.uga.edu

The Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases at the University of Georgia is one of the largest international centers of research focused on diseases of poverty that contribute enormously to global death, disability, and instability. CTEGD’s 24 faculty are from nine departments in five colleges/schools and adjunct faculty from the Task Force for Global Health provide a strong foundation of parasitology, immunology, cellular and molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics to develop medical and public health interventions for at-risk populations. CTEGD also benefits from the participation of adjunct faculty from The Task Force for Global Health, and its linkages to the Emory Vaccine Center and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all in nearby Atlanta, as well as its relationships with UGA’s Faculty of Infectious Diseases, Complex Carbohydrate Research Center (CCRC). The Center is made up of a wide range of research programs that focus largely on protozoan and metazoan parasites, their hosts, and their vectors. Many of these programs have major international, on-site components for both research and training, where the faculty and trainees deal with these global infections and the populations that harbor them. CTEGD also benefits from the participation of adjunct faculty from The Task Force for Global Health, and its linkages to the Emory Vaccine Center and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all in nearby Atlanta; as well as its relationships with UGA’s Faculty of Infectious Diseases, Complex Carbohydrate Research Center (CCRC), and other related programs at UGA. ctegd.uga.edu

Established in 2015, the Center for Vaccines and Immunology (CVI) is made up of a premier team of researchers that are leading the way in basic and translational research in immunology and vaccine development. CVI takes advantage of UGA’s diverse, world-renowned expertise within the areas of infectious disease, veterinary medicine, ecology and public health. With UGA’s world-class biocontainment research resources coupled with the expertise of scientists from nearby institutions, CVI investigators can focus on translational studies to test and assess the efficacy of vaccines and immunotherapies in development by industry, governmental and academic institutions. cvi.uga.edu

The Clinical and Translational Research Unit (CTRU), an initiative of the AU/UGA Medical Partnership and the UGA Office of Research, was established in 2015 to support investigators in conducting sponsored or pilot clinical and translational studies that advance the understanding, prevention and treatment of human diseases. For students and health sciences trainees, the unit provides opportunities to gain experience in clinical research and learn how laboratory discoveries are translated into improved patient outcomes. The CTRU also offers competitive seed grants for faculty. ctru.uga.edu

The Complex Carbohydrate Research Center (CCRC) at the University of Georgia was founded in 1985, and is one of only three centers worldwide dedicated to the study of complex carbohydrates, which play critical roles in cellular communication, gene expression, immunology, organism defense mechanisms, growth and development. The 140,000 square-foot facility was specifically designed for the interdisciplinary and equipment-intensive nature of carbohydrate science and is home to 17 interdisciplinary research groups, including four federally designated centers for carbohydrate research. Collaborative research programs span multiple domains, including biomedical glycoscience, plant and microbial glycoscience, synthetic and analytical chemistry. In addition to UGA research projects, the center provides analytical services and training worldwide for university, government and industrial scientists interested in complex carbohydrate molecules. ccrc.uga.edu

The Developmental Biology Alliance at the University of Georgia is a novel mechanism based on partnerships with diverse units and research groups at UGA and across Georgia to advance common goals in supporting integrative and interdisciplinary research and undergraduate and graduate training programs in developmental biology. The UGA Developmental Biology Alliance encompasses research in organogenesis, evolutionary developmental biology, and the interface of developmental mechanisms and aging. The Developmental Biology Alliance also actively promotes interactions between developmental biologists and scientists in diverse disciplines including nanotechnology, quantitative modeling, and advanced imaging, to develop new avenues of collaborative research and training. devbio.uga.edu

The Engineering Education Transformations Institute in the UGA College of Engineering seeks to transform engineering education through building community and shared capacity around the scholarship of teaching and learning in engineering that will allow educators to improve their own teaching, innovate in their courses and curricula, and conduct empirical investigations to better understand their students’ experiences. The college faculty, staff, engineering education researchers, graduate, and undergraduate students in three schools and 15 degree programs fuse a vibrant culture and discourse around educational innovation in the college with cutting-edge engineering education research to transform engineering programs, educational practices, and institutional cultures, locally and nationally. The strength of their efforts, and of their community, is grounded in a shared commitment to celebrating diversity, embracing collaboration as our mode of operating, and valuing individual strengths and interests. eeti.uga.edu

The Faculty of Infectious Diseases was created in 2007 to address existing and emerging infectious disease threats to species and economies worldwide by integrating multidisciplinary research in animal, human and ecosystem health. The Faculty of Infectious Diseases spans eight schools and colleges at UGA, creating a consolidated profile for infectious disease research at UGA including epidemiology, host-pathogen interactions, evolution of infectious diseases, disease surveillance, vaccine development, therapeutics and diagnostics and predictors/modelling of disease outbreaks and the likely influence of countermeasures to control outbreaks. The faculty promotes interdisciplinary interactions, new collaborations, and synergy among UGA faculty and with regional institutions and the private sector; facilitates the pursuit of new research initiatives, particularly in response to emerging threats, and new technologies and applications; and trains the next generation of researchers in infectious diseases. fid.uga.edu

The Faculty of Robotics at the University of Georgia aims to significantly advance the fundamental science and engineering involved in robotics, facilitate diverse robotic applications with profound societal impact, and enhance the University’s prominence in the discipline of robotics by serving as a singular hub for research in robotics that brings together interested University faculty and students from a variety of disciplines. The Faculty facilitates close research exchanges among several UGA faculty all of whom have research expertise in fields related to robotics science, engineering, and its applications. robotics.uga.edu

The institutions of the NIH-funded Georgia Clinical & Translational Science Alliance (CTSA) leverage their complementary strengths to accelerate clinical and translational education, research, and community engagement to impact health in Georgia and beyond. This strategic multi-institutional alliance among Emory University, UGA, Georgia Tech, and Morehouse School of Medicine offers compelling, unique, and synergistic advantages to research and patients statewide. UGA’s statewide Extension footprint has allowed Georgia CTSA to broaden the impact of its community engagement mission across the state. actsi.org.

The explosion of digital information has created new opportunities in so many fields-from the sciences to engineering and the humanities. The goal of the Georgia Informatics Institutes (GII) is to help faculty use informatics as a tool to help answer research questions while making it easier for them to incorporate informatics into their instruction. GII is a hub for informatics research and instruction that will promote collaboration among faculty members and give our students the knowledge and skills they need to fill some of today’s most in-demand positions. GII institutes and affiliated groups are the Institute of Bioinformatics, Health Informatics Institute, Institute for Cyber-Security and Privacy, Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Center for Cyber-Physical Systems, Digital Humanities, Management Information Systems, and Departments of Statistics, Computer Science, and Geography (GIScience Group). gii.uga.edu

The Georgia Initiative for Climate and Society at the University of Georgia fosters a scientific community dedicated to improving our understanding of the complex processes and effects of climate variability and change on natural, managed, human-built, and societal systems. As part of the initiative’s mission, members integrate research, outreach and instruction to provide the public with science-based information about climate variability and change, as well the tools needed to prepare for and respond to the challenges it may create by developing user-inspired effective and appropriate adaption and mitigation strategies, solutions, information and tools. climateandsociety.uga.edu

The Global Health Institute (GHI) at the University of Georgia seeks to identify best practices of health care throughout the world and to support their dissemination, adaption, and adoption in order to create equity in health for people around the world. The GHI promotes the health of individuals and their communities through global health research and the application of scientific discoveries, undergraduate and graduate education programs, and service activities that promote global health. GHI has 34 members from nine different UGA colleges/schools, centers, and institutes. Members range from Deans to postdoctoral researchers and represent 74 different academic research areas. ghi.publichealth.uga.edu

Ideas for Creative Exploration is a catalyst for innovative, interdisciplinary creative projects, advanced research and critical discourse in the arts, and for creative applications of technologies, concepts, and practices found across disciplines. It is a collaborative network of faculty, students, and community members from all disciplines of the visual and performing arts in addition to other disciplines in the humanities and sciences. Ideas for Creative Exploration enables all stages of creative activity, from concept and team formation through production, documentation, and dissemination of research. ice.uga.edu

Innovation Gateway (IG) is the University of Georgia’s technology and commercialization office, incubator, and entrepreneurial assistance center. Conveniently located on UGA’s Athens campus, Innovation Gateway facilitates licensing and patents for the discoveries of UGA students, faculty, and staff in the fields of medicine, agriculture, bioinformatics and environmental science, and also enables start-ups to accelerate the commercialization of those discoveries. The IG helped UGA introduce 900+ products to the marketplace, placing it in the top 5 among U.S. Universities for bringing new products to market for 8 consecutive years. The UGA has placed in the top 10 U.S. universities in active licenses for 14 consecutive years and has generated a $531 million economic impact from UGA startup companies. research.uga.edu/gateway.

The Institute of Bioinformatics (IOB) at the University of Georgia facilitates interactions and cutting-edge research collaborations between experimental biologists, technologists and computational/mathematical scientists to solve complex biological problems. Thus, our program emphases the full data lifecycle from experimental design to choosing the appropriate technology to analysis with the proper statistics and algorithms. The IOB’s 50 associated interdisciplinary faculty actively conduct bioinformatics research on genomics and phylogenomics (all domains of life), biomedicine and cancer, metabolomics, glycobiology, data integration, systems, and statistical and mathematical sciences. Our M.S. and Ph.D. and Graduate Certificate programs train students to tackle complex biological problems which utilize omics or other complex data types in support of campus-wide computational biology and bioinformatics research at UGA. iob.uga.edu.

Every year, thousands of people are impacted by disasters across the world, often receiving aid only after considerable delay and suffering. The leading researchers and subject matter experts at the Institute for Disaster Management at the University of Georgia (UGA IDM) work to reduce the casualties and disruption from all types of hazards through engagement in planning, mitigation, risk analysis, professional training, and the development of response capabilities and infrastructure. They work with local, state, federal, and international partners to host a coordinated research, service, and training program to affect meaningful improvement in the global response to disasters and human suffering that disasters entail. The IDM offers one of the only Master of Public Health (MPH) degrees with a specific concentration in disaster management, graduate and undergraduate certificates, and an undergraduate minor in public health. uga.edu/dman

The institute provides a venue for industry, government, and academia to improve and harmonize the worldwide safe use of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, medical devices, biologics, animal health products and combination products through the regulatory sciences. We achieve this through collaborative partnerships, integrative research, education, training, and outreach. The University of Georgia established graduate training in regulatory affairs and clinical trials management in 2005 with an initial focus toward improving the education of working regulatory professionals in a wide variety of biomedical product areas involving pharmaceuticals, biologics, medical devices, and animal health products. Advances in technology and our understanding of diseases create new opportunities to positively impact the health and well-being of patients while presenting increasing challenges that need to be studied and understood in order to bring the highest quality of life to mankind.  The regulatory sciences are responsible for the integration of new innovations in science, technology, engineering, informatics, and other related disciplines into guidelines that can be broadly understood and operationalized. iibrs.uga.edu

The Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems (IRIS) helps communities, businesses, and governments mitigate risks – and seize opportunities – associated with environmental change, extreme weather, and climate-related events by rethinking, transforming and adapting infrastructure systems to strengthen social, economic and ecological resilience. IRIS advances the integration of natural and conventional infrastructure systems to strengthen society’s long-term resilience to flooding, sea level rise, drought and other disruptions through collaborative partnerships, integrative research, decision support, education, training, and outreach. https://www.iris.uga.edu/.

The Georgia Sea Grant College Program is part of a national network of 34 Sea Grant programs located in every coastal and Great Lakes state, Puerto Rico, Lake Champlain, and Guam. These programs serve as a core of a dynamic university-based network of over 300 institutions involving more than 3,000 scientists, engineers, educators, students, and outreach experts. UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant provide research, education, training, and science-based outreach to assist Georgia in solving problems and realizing opportunities for its coastal and marine environments. They promote the economic, cultural, and environmental health of Georgia’s coast by preparing citizens to become good stewards of coastal ecosystems and watershed resources and assisting marine industries in finding ways to increase their efficiency and effectiveness by developing new, environmentally sustainable industries. gacoast.uga.edu. 

The UGA New Materials Institute is committed to preventing waste through the design of materials and systems that adhere to Green Engineering principles. The Institute partners with industry and businesses to design materials for their use that are bio-based, fully biodegradable, or completely recyclable, and safe for people, animals and our planet. In addition, it works with businesses, governments, foundations and other organizations to redesign systems so that they generate less waste and promote circularity in materials management. The New Materials Institute is also shaping the future by training the next generation of scientists and engineers on the importance of considering Green Engineering design principles in everything they do. newmaterials.uga.edu

The NMI is home to the Bioseniatic Laboratory, which tests materials and/or products currently in development or in use, from any manufacturer or researcher to determine how long it takes to degrade into a natural state and in what receiving environment. A Bioseniatic™ material or product is one that will be consumed by microbes in water or on land, leaving behind no micro- or nano-sized particles or toxic residues. The lab assesses the safety of biologically degradable materials and products that can replace environmentally persistent petroleum-derived plastics and other environmentally persistent materials. Their certification program determines how long it takes a material or product to degrade into a natural state and tests for micro- and nano-sized particles of materials and/or chemical residue. https://newmaterials.uga.edu/the-bioseniatic%e2%84%a0-laboratory/

The UGA Obesity Initiative addresses the growing epidemic of adult and childhood obesity and its related diseases by promoting multidisciplinary, collaborative research that will inform effective and sustainable obesity prevention and treatment programs across the lifespan. Through its public service and outreach, the OI ensures that UGA’s outstanding research helps Georgia communities, employers and health care providers develop and implement obesity prevention and treatment programs to improve the health of Georgia’s citizens and decrease the cost of health care in the state. obesity.uga.edu.

The Owens Institute for Behavioral Research, founded in 1970, provides services, information, and support to enhance the quality, comprehensiveness, and relevance of social and behavioral research at the University of Georgia. Over 140 behavioral scientists from across the university’s campus collaborate to address basic and applied cutting-edge research questions in the arenas of health, family, education, culture, conservation, and sustainability. OIBR’s mission is to encourage multidisciplinary research by facilitating the exchange of information and ideas across disciplinary boundaries, to enhance the ability of both emerging and eminent scholars to further their careers and to obtain extramural funding, to encourage the development of young scholars, to increase recognition of the social and behavioral sciences across campus, and to expand the research infrastructure at the University of Georgia by turning ideas into funded research. oibr.uga.edu.

Opportunities for Networking and Collaboration. The Institute sponsors frequent colloquia, research presentations, interest group sessions, and an annual retreat to promote interdisciplinary collaboration.

Grantsmanship Development Program. The Grantsmanship Development Program is a competitive, two-year program designed to prepare participants to compete successfully for extramural funding. Training includes workshops, seminars and staged guidance on proposal preparation.

Grants Support Services. OIBR offers customized, comprehensive pre-award and post-award grants services. Pre-award support includes funding searches, budget development, coordination among collaborating institutions, proofreading, and evaluation to ensure the proposal meets RFP requirements and sponsor guidelines. Post-award services include assistance with procurement and all aspects of account and expense management.

Centers of Excellence:

• Center for Family Research (CFR)
• Center for Gambling Research (CGR)
• Center on Biological Embedding of Social Events and Relationships (BESER)
• Center for Integrative Conservation Research (CICR)
• Center for Research on Behavioral Health and Human Services Delivery (BHHSD)
• Scientists Engaged in Educational Research Center (SEER)

The Phenomics and Plant Robotics Center (P2RC) aims to propel UGA into a global leadership position in the high-impact area of phenomics and plant robotics and to provide interdisciplinary educational programs to train the next generation of cross-trained scientists and workforce at the interface of plant science and technology. The P2RC leverages UGA’s world-class plant sciences portfolio (e.g., Plant Center, Complex Carbohydrate Research Center), as well as plant robotics/sensing, and the new Georgia Informatics Institutes to create a nucleus for interdisciplinary collaboration and convergence of sciences, including plant breeding/genomics, plant biomass characterization, engineering, and computational sciences. The Center addresses a major grand challenge facing humanity: to feed and sustain a growing human population amidst increasing climate variability and less arable land. It seeks to establish international collaborations with phenomics centers in Europe, Australia, and Asia while developing robotics technologies to accelerate the application of genome information in the improvement of plants that produce food, fuel, feed, and fiber. pprc.uga.edu

The Plant Center at the University of Georgia enhances the tradition of outstanding research in plant molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, genomics, and ecology to sustainably meet the food, feed, fiber and fuel needs of an ever-increasing population. The center promotes interaction among UGA researchers to support agriculture in Georgia and beyond. Researchers focus particularly on the growth, development and behavior of plants; the organization, evolution, and function of plant genomes; and the improvement of plants for agricultural and industrial uses. They bring together plant scientists from across the UGA community with an annual retreat and research seminars featuring nationally renowned speakers covering cutting-edge topics. Their workshops and symposia highlight research breakthroughs and technological advances. plantcenter.uga.edu

The Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center (PDRC), which is part of the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Population Health, is dedicated to the advancement of poultry medicine throughout our state, nation, and world. Faculty members in the PDRC teach undergraduate courses in the UGA College of Agriculture, offer course work for DVM students, and oversee several graduate programs for veterinary professionals. They also provide diagnostic assistance and consultation to the world’s poultry producers and conduct research focused on solving problems of importance to the industry. vet/uga.edu/poultry

The Regenerative Bioscience Center (RBC) at the University of Georgia, established in 2004 by Dr. Steven Stice, links researchers and resources collaborating in a wide range of disciplines to develop new cures for devastating diseases and medical conditions that affect both animals and people. With its potential restorative powers, regenerative medicine could offer new ways of treating diseases for which there are currently no treatments—including heart disease, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and stroke. In addition to research, the RBC provides education to national and international researchers, graduate and undergraduate classes taught by the faculty, and a Young Scholar program for high school students interested in biomedical science careers. rbc.uga.edu.

The River Basin Center (RBC) of the University of Georgia works to produce and disseminate the knowledge and tools for sustainable management of aquatic resources and ecosystems through applied scientific and policy research. The River Basin Center works in three broad areas: (a) Conservation ecology of aquatic ecosystems; (b) Applied research on aquatic system stressors and development of appropriate management tools; (c) Policy development and outreach. Its affiliate faculty are drawn from across the university and it is known for an interdisciplinary approach to challenging environmental and social problems. rivercenter.uga.edu.

The Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL), founded in 1951, is located on the Savannah River Site, a Department of Energy facility near Aiken, SC. Scientists here pursue a wide variety of basic and applied research at multiple levels of ecological organization, from atoms to ecosystems, designed to provide sound science for decision-making and environmental stewardship. The lab also provides opportunities for graduate and undergraduate research training and service to the community through environmental outreach. srel.uga.edu

The UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography is a multidisciplinary research and training institution located on Skidaway Island near Savannah. The Institute was founded in 1968 with a mission to conduct research in all fields of oceanography. In 2013, the institute was merged with the University of Georgia. The campus serves as a gateway to coastal and marine environments for programs throughout the University System. The Institute’s primary goals are to further understanding of marine and environmental processes, conduct leading-edge research on coastal and marine systems, and train tomorrow’s scientists. Institute scientists conduct basic research across a broad range of subdisciplines, covering not only local economic and environmental issues, but also global processes and phenomena. Skidaway encourages interdisciplinary research among its faculty who collaborate on projects ranging from molecular aspects of biological systems to studies of global-scale climate change. Institute faculty are members of the Department of Marine Sciences at UGA and serve as mentors and advisors for undergraduate and graduate students from UGA and all over the world. skio.uga.edu

The University of Georgia Cancer Center is composed of more than 30 teams of researchers from across campus working to discover new drug targets, develop diagnostic tests, create cancer vaccines, and educate the public about cancer treatment and prevention. The center is also committed to educating undergraduate and graduate-level students who will become the next generation of cancer researchers and physicians. cancercenter.uga.edu.

A Public Service and Outreach unit of the University of Georgia, the Carl Vinson Institute of Government (CVI) has been helping governments become more efficient, effective and responsive since 1927 through training and development, customized assistance, application of technology, and studies relevant to government operations and decision making. The CVI offers over 600 training and education courses to help governments throughout Georgia and beyond solve grand challenges and analyze the effectiveness of new initiatives with surveys, evaluations, and focus groups.

CVI offers undergraduate and graduate students opportunities to gain valuable experience and prepare for careers in public service through a variety of experiential learning opportunities, internships, fellowships and part-time paid employment.  Carl Vinson Institute of Government

The Jane and Harry Willson Center for Humanities and Arts at the University of Georgia promotes research and creativity in the humanities and arts through research grants, lectures, symposia, publications, visiting scholars, visiting artists, collaborative instruction, public conferences, exhibitions and performances.  It cultivates a community of publicly engaged faculty and students whose diverse interests reflect the intellectual breadth and depth of UGA as a leading global and public institution. willson.uga.edu

The Animal Health Research Center (AHRC) is a state-of-the-art facility that enables scientists to study infectious microorganisms, parasites, and toxins in an environment that is safe for researchers, animals, and the public. One of the most technologically advanced biocontainment facilities in the United States, the AHRC is dedicated to studying a wide variety of infectious diseases affecting both animal and human health and offers training and consulting for study design, biosafety, and bioresources. Researchers can also use the facility independently once training is completed, documented, and approved. The AHRC, a 75,000 square-foot facility, is comprised of BSL-2 labs, ABSL-2 spaces, BSL-3 labs, ABSL-3/BSL-3Ag vivarium. Each lab is available for reservation by UGA and outside researchers. vet.uga.edu/animal-health-research-center.

The Bioexpression and Fermentation Facility (BFF) in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology provides wide-ranging expertise and capabilities in biotechnological applications such as cell culture, fermentation, molecular biology, monoclonal antibodies, gene synthesis, peptide synthesis, process development, endotoxin testing, and purification to UGA, other academic researchers, and industry. Established in 1967, the BFF can speed the pace of your research, development and manufacturing with an array of state-of-the-art equipment including fermentation equipment from 750mL to 750L; downstream processing equipment including homogenization (12k psi), TFF (10 m2) & hollow fiber (up to 12 m2); preparative & analytical HPLC; low pressure chromatography (up to 3 L/min.); an array of chromatography equipment for projects (up to 25L packed column); and shelf lyophilizers (purified proteins only).  Services can be tailored to meet the needs of researchers. bff.uga.edu.

The Bio-Imaging Research Center (BIRC) is a multi-imaging research suite designed to provide a full range of biological tissue imaging technologies to multiple biomedical investigators, their students, and other researchers. The state-of-the-art facility serves as a resource across disciplines and fosters collaborative, extramurally funded research among human, animal, and cellular scientists at UGA and scientists in other federal, state, and private agencies or businesses. The facility houses a GE 32-channel fixed-site Discovery MR750 3.0 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) magnet, the anchor technology within the BIRC; a CTF Omega Whole-cortex magnetoencephalography system with 143-channel MEG and 64-channel EEG, all enclosed in a state-of-the-art magnetically shielded room; an EGI Geodesic System 200 Electroencephalography system with 256-channel head capabilities; a fully functional MRI simulator to acclimate research subjects;  a 7T Varian Magnex 7 Tesla, 210 mm horizontal bore, MRI/MRS system for imaging mice and rats provides non-invasive monitoring of both anatomical and metabolic changes; and a PIXImus Densitometer (GE Medical systems) for small animal imaging that allows measurement of bone density and of bone or soft tissue composition that uses dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and typically takes less than 10 minutes for image acquisition. birc.uga.edu.

The Biomedical Microscopy Core (BMC) provides access to confocal, deconvolution, light sheet, super resolution and other optical microscope systems that are useful for multi-color imaging of live and fixed cells and tissue samples, and high-content screening. This state-of-the-art microscopy facility serves UGA and external researchers by providing microscopy related expertise, training, and assistance for advancing their projects on various model organisms. Additionally, BMC offers software packages on high-end workstations for image processing and analysis. Among other equipment, users have access to a BD Pathway 435 Bioimager, DeltaVision I (pd125225), DeltaVision II (pd20621), DeltaVision II (pd20621), LaVision BioTec UltraMicroscope II, Zeiss LSM 710 Confocal Microscope, Zeiss LSM 880 Confocal Microscope, Zeiss Axio Examiner Microscope, Zeiss ELYRA S1 (SR-SIM) Super Resolution Microscope, and Zeiss Axio Scope A1.  bmc.uga.edu.

Founded in 1985, the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center offers Analytical Services and training to universities, federal agencies, research institutes, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies interested in analysis, structural elucidation and validation of polysaccharides, glycoproteins, and glycolipids. The Analytical Service Team offers both routine services and in-depth full structural characterization of all types of glycoconjugates derived from plants, animals, or bacteria, or produced through cell culture. The AS team has the expertise and experience to tackle the most challenging projects in the analysis of glycoconjugates. They also develop and perform method validations and conduct research into new methods for glycoscience research. ast.uga.edu.

Located at UGA’s Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) facility is used to determine molecular structures of carbohydrates and proteins and to investigate the structural and dynamical basis of protein-carbohydrate interactions. Researchers at the CCRC will consult in planning studies, preparing samples, and analyzing data and can help at all stages of bio-molecular NMR projects. The in-house expertise includes new NMR methods to analyze structures of large mammalian glycoproteins and carbohydrate binding proteins. The facility has standard laboratory facilities and supplies for sample preparation and a variety of automated sample handling capabilities and are equipped for remote access. It houses eight NMR spectrometers and a diverse collection of probes and hardware suitable for a wide range of biomolecular and chemical NMR. New hardware includes a 1.7 mm cryoprobe at 800MHz, a 5 mm TXO C13 and N15 optimized cryoprobe at 900MHz, a comprehensive multi-phase (CMP) HRMAS probe at 600 MHz, and an Oxford Hypersense dissolution DNP system. nmr.ccrc.uga.edu.

The Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases’ (CTEGD) Flow Cytometry Facility provides UGA researchers and others across the scientific community with access to state-of-the-art flow cytometry analyzers, including a Luminex multiplexing instrument, an imaging flow cytometer, and flow cytometry cell sorters. The facility also provides expert advice and consultation for the design and analysis of flow experiments and educates researchers at all levels of expertise in the understanding of the concept and operation of flow cytometry equipment and the correct interpretation of flow data. ctegdcytometry.uga.edu.

The Georgia Advanced Computing Resource Center (GACRC) provides high-performance computing and networking infrastructure, as well as consulting and training services in support of world-class research computing and communications resources for UGA researchers. The GACRC has a fulltime staff of ten systems administrators and scientific computing consultants specializing in Linux/UNIX system administration, storage administration, scientific computing, virtualization, and database administration. The primary computational resource is a 26,000 compute-core Sapelo2 Cluster, spanning general-purpose compute nodes (128GB, 192GB and 256GB of RAM), high-memory nodes (512GB, 1TB and 2TB of RAM), CPU/GPU hybrid nodes (NVIDIA K40, P100 and A100 GPUs). Additionally, the cluster hosts an ever-growing number of researcher-owned compute nodes obtained through the GACRC Buy-In Program. High-performance storage for the Linux cluster is provided for users’ home directories and temporary scratch space. Slower storage resources are available for long-term archival needs. The GACRC provides better than 99.99% uptime to its users of computing and storage resources and serves over 280 principal investigators and over 1,200 total users. gacrc.uga.edu. See also gacrc.uga.edu/proposal_info

Established in 1969 through a Center of Excellence grant from the National Science Foundation, Georgia Electron Microcopy (GEM) offers expertise in the use and application of electron and optical microscopy methods within and outside the University System of Georgia to users with interests in biology, chemistry, biomedical sciences, nanotechnology, plant biology, geology, materials science, textiles, archaeology, food science, agriculture, and physics. A complete range of conventional preparative services are offered, allowing investigators to submit fresh or fixed tissues and receive representative study prints in digital format or from scanned negatives. Special services include Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Negative Staining/Negative Contrast, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). GEM provides a unique medley of state-of-the-art equipment, a highly competent technical staff, and a broad STEM education mission. Instrumentation includes a STEM Hitachi SU9000EA, FE-SEM Thermo Fisher Teneo, TEM – JEOL JEM1011, Leica DVM6 high-resolution light microscope, Horiba XGT-5000 XRF, Leica EM ACE600 coater, SPI coater, Tousimis critical point dryer, ultramicrotomes, light microscopes, and more. On-site instruction and training are available to most individuals who would like to utilize the facility for their own research and casework. gem.uga.edu.

The Georgia Genomics and Bioinformatics Core (GGBC) is the University of Georgia (UGA) core laboratory for nucleic acid sequencing and bioinformatics. GGBC’s mission includes research support, education, and training. GGBC provide genomics and bioinformatics consultation to UGA researchers on experimental design, selection of the appropriate sequencing platforms, bioinformatics analyses, and letters of support (LOS) to offer our capabilities and expertise for grant applications submitted to funding agencies. GGBC operates multiple platforms for short-, long-, and single-molecule sequencing reads, as well as optical genome mapping (i.e., Illumina MiSeq and NextSeq, PacBio Sequel, Oxford NanoporeMinIon). dna.uga.edu.

The Integrated Bioscience and Nanotechnology Cleanroom includes a 2,200-square-foot (Phase I) Class 100/1,000 multidisciplinary, nanotechnology-focused fabrication, characterization, and manipulation facility and a 1,000-square-foot (Phase II) Class 10,000 bio-cleanroom part. This campus-wide shared facility can also be accessed by users outside UGA. cleanroom.uga.edu.

The Shirley Mathis McBay Science Library Makerspace is a campus-wide resource supporting students, faculty, and staff in creative making for educational, non-commercial purposes. It provides project-based instruction that inspires curiosity, exploration, and innovative uses of technology to support research and academics at UGA.

Technology 

• 3D Printers (MakerBot Replicator+, FDM, & Form 3+ SLA resin printer)
• 3D Scanner (Revopoint POP)
• microcontroller boards for coding: Arduino; Makey Makey; Multimeters; Raspberry Pi
• Laser Cutter (Dremel LC40)
• Vinyl Cutter (Roland Stika SV-12)
• Soldering equipment (Hakko FX-888D)
  UGA Makerspace

The Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry Facility is equipped with an ThermoScientific Orbitrap Elite mass spectrometer for high resolution and high mass accuracy analysis. It is coupled with a nano HPLC, increasing its capacity to analyze more complex protein mixtures. The facility also has a Bruker Autoflex MALDI for quick analysis of tryptic digests of pure proteins. The facility offers UGA researchers in-gel digestion and subsequence analysis for protein identification. The facility also has an in-house version of Mascot that provides customers with the option of loading a database to search for protein identification. pams.uga.edu.

The Statistical Consulting Service (SCC) provides collaborative research assistance to faculty, research staff, and students in all departments of the University of Georgia. Housed in the Department of Statistics since 1990, the SCC offers consultation on experimental and/or survey design, general procedures for analyzing data, and interpretation of output from statistical software packages. Graduate students receive training in both theory and applications. stat.uga.edu.

The SPIA Survey Research Center (SRC) is a nationally recognized polling operation with a primary focus on the state of Georgia, providing timely data about public perceptions of policy priorities and political attitudes of Georgia citizens. The SRC serves as a model for the University’s experiential learning initiative. Graduate students are hired to serve as lab managers, overseeing onsite operations of the SRC. The center also serves as a teaching tool for undergraduates in the Applied Politics Program—an interdisciplinary program focusing on practical politics and public affairs communications. The SRC conducts both live-interviewer surveys, as well as online polls. In addition to conducting its own statewide polls relating to Georgia politics and policy, the SRC also performs contract work for academic researchers, corporations, and non-profits. spia.uga.edu/spia-survey-research-center.

The College of Veterinary Medicine AAVLD-accredited diagnostic labs are committed to providing quality, efficient, and affordable service to veterinarians, the livestock industry, and researchers throughout Georgia and the world. Both the Athens and Tifton Diagnostic Laboratories are fully accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians. Their board-certified pathologists, highly trained laboratory professionals, and infectious disease experts are available for consultation both before and after sample submission. The test catalog includes bacteriology and mycology, clinical pathology and cytology, molecular diagnostics, necropsy, parasitology, pathology and histopathology, virology and serology and clinical flow cytometry. They provide comprehensive diagnostic services to laboratory veterinarians and researchers in order to further One Health efforts. The Athens Diagnostic Laboratory provides custom health monitoring and clinical diagnostic services for conventional and unconventional laboratory species, as well as for agricultural animals. In addition, they can conduct various studies to phenotype genetically modified rodents and fish. vet.uga.edu/diagnostic-service-labs.

As the state’s most comprehensive research institution, the University of Georgia is a major driver of economic and workforce development, catalyzing effective public/private partnerships that support industry, create new businesses, generate new jobs, and train the college-educated workforce of tomorrow. Research strengths include glycobiology; plant sciences, including genomics; infectious diseases, including vaccine development and parasitology; biomedical research, including stem cell/regenerative medicine; and behavioral/social science research. The University of Georgia is classified at the Highest Research Activity level, according to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Total non-sponsored research expenditures for FY 2021 were $220.6 million, while total sponsored research expenditures were $273.3 million.

The Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO) is open to all undergraduates at UGA. CURO allows students to pursue faculty-mentored research in any discipline as early as the first year of college. The program supports students in identifying and selecting opportunities, choosing a mentor, and presenting and publishing their work. Through this program, students can earn course credit for research in any department regardless of year, GPA, or major. Additionally, more than 550 UGA undergraduates now participate in the CURO Symposium each semester. 

In addition to $3,000 summer fellowship grants, students can apply for the CURO research assistantship, which has provided $1,000 stipends to 500 undergraduates each year since 2016. The students can also apply for the CURO Conference Participation Grant award, which provides funding for undergraduate students to present their research at national conferences. 

UGA’s Office of Service-Learning supports academic service-learning and community engagement initiatives designed to enhance students’ civic and academic learning, promote engaged research that is responsive to community needs, and contribute to the public good through mutually beneficial community-university partnerships. During 2016-2017, 413 course sections with service-learning (232 unique service-learning enhanced courses) were taught at UGA, including all 17 of UGA’s schools and colleges. These courses represented some 7690 student enrollments, reaching almost 5900 unique students at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional level. Students in these classes provided an estimated 327,000 hours of service; as a value of volunteer time, this represents about $7.99 million in benefit to the community.

The Office of University Experiential Learning (EL) ensures access to challenging and engaging experiential programs. All UGA undergraduates are required to engage in at least one approved Experiential Learning activity that enhances learning and positions them for success after graduation. To succeed, students in the 21st century must be able to tackle real-world problems and use critical thinking and problem-solving skills to solve multifaceted problems that do not have simple solutions. A growing body of research demonstrates that experiential learning enhances student learning, success in the classroom, on-time graduation, and transition to the workforce. EL gives students hands-on opportunities to connect their academic foundations to the world beyond the classroom through internships, study abroad, faculty-mentored research, service learning, and leadership opportunities.  

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia at the University of Georgia aims to acquire and disseminate botanical knowledge and to foster appreciation, understanding and stewardship of plants and nature through collections and displays, horticultural gardens, research, educational programs, exhibitions and special events. The garden is a 313-acre preserve set aside by UGA in 1968 for the study and enjoyment of plants and nature. Located three miles south of campus, it is a living laboratory serving educational, research, recreational and public service roles for the university and the citizens of Georgia. It contains a number of specialized theme gardens and collections, more than five miles of nature trails, and four major facilities including a tropical conservatory.

The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) provides a leadership program for University of Georgia students interested in earning a commission and entering the active duty Air Force, as an officer, after completing a bachelor’s degree. AFROTC instructs students in military heritage, the development of air and space power, military ethics, drill and ceremonies, communication, human relations, and leadership theory and techniques. The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) offers students an opportunity to diversify their college curriculum by providing military science courses that prepare them with tools, training, and experience to help them succeed in any competitive environment. During classes and field training, students learn first-hand what it takes to lead others, motivate groups and how to conduct missions as an officer in the Army.

The University of Georgia is strongly committed to enhancing and maintaining a diverse and inclusive environment for learning, teaching, research, and service. The Office of Institutional Diversity (OID) provides institutional leadership in this regard, with goals including: 1. Enhancing diversity awareness and education through training and learning opportunities for faculty, students, and staff throughout the university. 2. Promoting awareness of UGA’s diversity efforts by supporting diversity related events across the UGA campuses. 3. Establishing and defining strategic partnerships between the Office of Institutional Diversity and other units. 4. Identifying and obtaining additional resources that will enhance and support institutional diversity endeavors. The OID offers numerous classes in diversity and inclusion, and gives workshops and presentations to various groups, including faculty and graduate students. A Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion can also be earned upon the completion of six diversity courses. Safe space training is offered through the LGBT Office. The OID offers a variety of additional programs including membership in the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD).

The University is currently undertaking a number of efforts to hire a more diverse faculty. UGA is a member of the second cohort of the ASPIRE Alliance IChange Network, a national comprehensive effort to increase faculty diversity and the use of inclusive teaching practices in STEM fields. At the institutional level, the university’s Office of Faculty Affairs administers training for search committees on implicit biases and the best practices for recruitment of a diverse hiring pool. The Planning Committee on Diversity and Inclusive Excellence convened by President Morehead recently completed a comprehensive five-year roadmap to advance diversity and inclusion at UGA. The plan includes 11 university-level goals including providing training for search committees and hiring authorities, increasing the enrollment of underrepresented students, increasing the number of underrepresented faculty and staff, and increasing institutional visibility in the educational pipeline of underserved communities. Each of the 11 goals in the plan includes key performance indicators to measure progress over time as well as institutional actions to be implemented immediately. President Morehead has also established a Task Force on Race, Ethnicity, and Community to develop initiatives to improve the campus culture and strengthen the learning environment at UGA. Sixteen initiatives developed by the task force already are moving forward, including a diversity educator position, a speaker series, a community read program, campus diversity awards, campus markers to recognize historically Black fraternities and sororities, and a student advisory board, among others.

The Graduate School FUSE Program (Facilitating Underrepresented Student Experiences) is an educational partnership with six Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Albany State University, Florida A&M University, Fort Valley State University, Morehouse College, North Carolina A&T State University, and Spelman College; it provides students from those institutions with an application fee waiver and consideration for a Graduate School assistantship if admitted to UGA. Further, the Graduate School provides their Graduate School 101 and the Exploring Graduate Education at UGA workshops to undergraduates at these institutions. Each fall the Graduate School hosts the Preparing Diverse Populations for Graduate Admissions, a half-day interactive program with dinner that provides participants with the opportunity to explore the advantages of applying to graduate school, learn insider tips on how to score competitively on the GRE, speak with current students about their graduate school experience, and learn essential strategies to secure graduate school funding. The annual Future Scholars Visitation Program is a three-day, all expenses paid event that provides the opportunity for underrepresented undergraduates to meet academic administrators, discuss program and research interests with department faculty, network with current and other prospective graduate students, and participate in workshops about admissions, how to craft a CV and personal statement, and learn about various funding opportunities.

Once underrepresented students have enrolled, the Gateway to Graduate School Bridge Program allows these students to begin their graduate education at UGA in the summer semester rather than the fall. This provides students with an intellectual, professional. and social introduction to UGA. Additionally, the Graduate School offers three workshop series to assist with retention of URM students: the Graduate Student Success Series, Transitioning from a Minority-Serving Institution to a Predominantly White Institution, and First-Gen in Graduate School.

Based on a grant from UGA’s Office of Institutional Diversity, the Graduate School also offers both recruitment and retention events targeting Latinx students specifically as well as a dedicated webpage in Spanish for prospective graduate students and their families.

Finally, UGA has several student organizations that support the retention of underrepresented graduate students. Graduate and Professional Scholars (GAPS) provides a variety of professional development and networking opportunities for graduate students in all disciplines. Graduate Research Assistants Diversifying STEM (GRADS) specifically targets URM graduate students in STEM and offers activities focused on professional development, recruitment/retention, and social support of its participants.

Teaching excellence is at the forefront of the University of Georgia’s priorities.  UGA provides robust instructional development roles for graduate students, with the goal of preparing teaching and laboratory assistants for instructional duties at UGA, as well as to support their development as instructors for future careers in the academy. The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at UGA is tasked with providing this support, supplementing required TA training with regular workshops and enrichment programs to assist graduate students as they improve their instructional effectiveness.

UGA’s teaching assistant (TA) policy requires all graduate students with instructional roles to receive support and training prior to or concurrently with the start of their teaching activities.  Per UGA policy, anyone holding an assistantship with defined teaching duties – including all teaching and laboratory assistants – must complete a TA Orientation conducted by the CTL prior to or concurrently with their first assistantship. This interdisciplinary orientation provides general preparation for graduate students with instructional responsibilities, including an overview of policies and procedures pertinent to their role, an introduction to effective teaching strategies and practices, and exposure to services and resources available across campus that offer support for individuals engaged in teaching and learning at UGA. All graduate teaching assistants must also successfully complete GRSC 7770 (Intro to College Teaching) or an approved departmental equivalent prior to or concurrently with their first teaching assignment. GRSC 7770 is a credit-bearing course providing instructional assistants with knowledge of pedagogical approaches, relevant UGA policies, and available support systems.

In addition to the training required of TAs, the CTL also offers a range of enrichment activities available to all graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to support their instructional development. The CTL’s GradTeach programs focus on topics of particular interest to the developing teacher, including effective teaching presentation, facilitating discussion, lesson planning, intercultural communication, and preparing for the academic job market. GradTeach programming includes an annual workshop series open to all graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, advanced graduate pedagogy courses, book clubs, and TA Cafés, which provide opportunities for instructional assistants to come together and discuss issues relevant to their work. Teaching assistants are also encouraged to request teaching observations and mid-semester formative evaluations (MSFEs), and to connect with the CTL for consultations on teaching as well as teaching-related job market materials development (such as a teaching portfolio). Finally, the CTL and the Graduate School jointly sponsor the Future Faculty Fellows Program (3FP), a year-long professional development program that brings together 15 innovative and dedicated teaching assistants from across campus to talk about, reflect upon, and improve their teaching, while contributing to their preparation for the academic job market and the rigors of their first faculty positions.

Please contact Jake Maas at jnmaas@uga.edu or 706-542-2090 for more information, and prior to using this information in a grant proposal. 

 

UGA has a PREP R25 grant (6/2018-3/2023) from NIH NIGMS to provide post-baccalaureate training in infectious diseases research. The University of Georgia’s Post-baccalaureate Training in Infectious Diseases Research Program provides intensive research training experiences to recent post-baccalaureate underrepresented minority and disabled students as an avenue for these students to gain the skills and attributes necessary for gaining admission to biomedical graduate programs and attaining success careers in biomedical research. UGA PREP draws on UGA’s remarkable strength in infectious diseases research, as well as strong graduate programs in several of its biology-related departments and mathematics, to provide intensive research experiences for seven underrepresented minority and disabled trainees each year. Since the program’s inception in 2014, 33 faculty drawn from the UGA Faculty of Infectious Diseases, who belong to the departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology, Ecology, Entomology, Genetics, Infectious Diseases, Mathematics, Microbiology, and Population Health, have incorporated UGA PREP trainees into their laboratories, providing a unique, structured and mentored one-year research experience.  

 

UGA’s Diversity in Neuroscience NIH R25 grant (8/2018-7/2023) addresses the NINDS Neuroscience Development for Advancing the Careers of a Diverse Research Workforce R25 program to support educational activities that enhance the diversity of the biomedical, behavioral and clinical research workforce by (1) increasing the pool of current and future Ph.D.-level research scientists from diverse backgrounds that are underrepresented in biomedical neuroscience research, and (2) facilitating the career advancement/transition of the participants to the next step of their neuroscience careers. Rapid advances in technology and scientific knowledge coupled with the increasingly global workplace environment call for a neuroscience workforce that is not only technically advanced in the discipline, but is also culturally and experientially diverse, capable of reaching beyond the traditional laboratory, working across disciplines and within diverse communities to advance the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of recognized and emerging diseases of the brain. Providing a collaborative, supportive and inclusive environment for all our students is a core value and we are dedicated to broadening participation of students from diverse backgrounds that are underrepresented in neuroscience research training. To address the overarching goals of this FOA, we propose to leverage a number of resources currently available at UGA along with newly proposed strategies to develop a network of synergistic activities aimed at broadening participation of underrepresented students in our neuroscience graduate training program and preparing a diverse neuroscience workforce for the 21st century.  

• Aim 1) Strengthen the diversity of our recruitment pool by offering summer undergraduate research experiences in neuroscience (NSURE) with a focus on nine undergraduate students who are underrepresented in neuroscience from UGA, minority serving institutions in the southeast US, and undergraduates recruited nationally through minority serving organizations.  
• Aim 2) Enhance the training environment for Neuroscience students from diverse backgrounds who are underrepresented in biomedical neuroscience research to improve retention and self-agency using the following strategies: Strengthen mentorship through mentor training programs for neuroscience faculty, graduate students, and NSURE participants that focus on mentoring preferences, cross cultural understanding and co-cultural communication; enhance student success through stage-specific transition support; build agency by providing personal and professional development training opportunities for doctoral students, and community building activities. 

UGA has a T32 Genetics Training Program grant from NIH (current ends date 6/2022). The mission of the Genetics Training Program in the broadest sense is to train eight Ph.D. students that will be able to become successful life scientists who can work as independent researchers and educators in academic or industrial jobs. More specifically, the training program seeks to achieve exceptional quality and breadth of education for its students in the field of genetics. An individual trainee’s research may or may not be focused in one particular field, but all trainees will receive extensive exposure to three broad realms of modern genetics: “molecular” genetics (typically, interactions of genes and gene products within or between cells), “evolutionary” genetics (including population and quantitative genetics, as well as phylogenetics) and genomics (bioinformatics and genome structure or evolution). A key objective of the program is to produce junior scientists capable of utilizing all three of these realms in their future work. All trainees are also required to participate in at least one semester of teaching genetics. Experience at instruction is considered a crucial component of training as a high percentage of trainees will go on to careers involving some level of teaching. 

 

The objectives of UGA’s T32 Glycoscience Training Program (GTP) from NIH (Current end date 6/2022) for Predoctoral Students are to train students in research that focuses on both the chemical and biological aspects of glycans and glycoconjugates and their expression as they relate primarily to biomedicine. The rationale for this program was highlighted by the National Academies’ 2012 study entitled Transforming Glycoscience: A Roadmap of the Future, which demonstrated the great potential that Glycoscience holds for biomedicine, as well as other applications such as bioenergy. Glycoscience involves the study of the function and structure of glycans, the enzymes that regulate their expression, and the genes and regulatory sequences that are involved. The GTP has 22 faculty trainers/mentors from the Chemistry, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Infectious Disease, and Microbiology Departments, as well as the Bioinformatics Institute. It accepts students from both the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences and Chemistry department portals.  Appointments are for two years, after which trainees are supported by their trainers. Trainees conform to the requirements of the department/institute of their trainers’ appointment. Key activities are a seminar series, annual retreat, monthly breakfast presentations, special classes such as the ASBMB Scientific Communication short course, and biotechnology career development workshops. Training emphasizes scientific reasoning, rigor in research design, quantitative skills, data analysis, bioethics training, and developing students’ writing and communication skills. The intended outcomes for students are to progress to a postdoctoral appointment and/or to enter the workforce in the biotechnology industry. The grant supports six predoctoral trainees per year for two-year appointments. UGA funds two additional trainees per year to expand the impact of the GTP. In addition, emphasis is placed on recruiting students from underrepresented minorities. 

 

A NIH T32 training grant at UGA focuses on Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases (current end date 2025). This program trains graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to become independent research scientists who study parasitic diseases in the context of global health. The program’s research seeks fundamental insights into protozoan and helminth parasites and their interaction with their mammalian hosts and invertebrate vectors. It combines cutting-edge bench and field science with perspectives on the global challenges and opportunities for the control and elimination of parasitic diseases. These perspectives are grounded in firsthand experience by trainers and collaborators around the world. Every year protozoan and helminth parasitic diseases of humans are responsible for more than a million deaths, many millions more cases of severe morbidity, and hundreds of millions of cases of subtle morbidity due to chronic infections. UGA is uniquely positioned as a training ground for the next generation of parasitology/tropical diseases researchers. UGA is home to perhaps the largest number of parasitology research laboratories in the US that collectively cover the full gamut of parasitic diseases. We believe that the breadth and culture of our program instills trainees with the ability to translate basic scientific findings into tool development and the implementation of interventions and fosters their ability to identify and formulate a fundamental research question out of the context of parasitic disease itself. During the last funding period, the program has further grown and flourished and selected students and postdocs participate in a number of activities tailored to their preparation for their future success in science careers. For the next funding period we introduce new initiatives including new requirements for postdoc trainees, a more rigorous training of new trainers, new postdoc recruitment strategies to increase diversity, new strategies to recruit underrepresented minorities, potential expansion of the program with the use of matched trainee lines and new themes offered to trainees on large data mining and computer science. Significant institutional commitment for breadth-enhancing capstone experiences, a match for trainee lines, a reorganized innovative graduate recruitment umbrella, and new diversity initiatives further strengthen this highly successful training program.                                                                                                                                                          

UGA has a USDA training grant that focuses on Crop Genetics and Genomics II: Promoting Diversity in Agriscience through Undergraduate Mentoring in Research and Extension (03/2022-02/2027). This project aims to empower undergraduate Fellows to help shape the future of the AgroSciences by building their research self-efficacy, scientific competencies, and expectations that they will realize positive outcomes by pursuing agriscience careers. Building on a previous REEU, the program will support fifty Fellows from underprivileged communities in Georgia and the Southwest over five years. Additional efforts will be made to increase diversity of Fellows, mentors and the REEU support community, and provide mentor professional development. Fellows will undertake hands-on research in crop genetics and genomics and will be trained in research ethics and science communication. Fellows will attend plant breeding and organic farm field trips to learn different crop production systems and how genetic and genomics research is used to improve crops. Fellows will participate in a service-learning project to develop an understanding of the connection between research, extension and crop production. Fellows will incorporate their research and service-learning experiences into a public communication and outreach blog, and write articles for the UGA Extension newsletter to discuss the farm-to-table concept. A weekly career counseling series will expose Fellows to career options in extension, industry, government, and academia, including meetings with different plant graduate student communities. Formative and summative assessment through focus groups, interviews, skills assessments, and pre-/post-program surveys will yield evaluation data useful for making improvements and documenting outcomes and impacts in consultation with the advisory group. Our primary mission is to develop plant scientists who can address the challenges facing US agricultural competitiveness and food production. 

 

The UGA has a REU grant focused on Undergraduate Biology Education Research from NSF (5/2020-4/2023). Undergraduate Biology Education Research Version 3 (UBERV3) program will train 24 undergraduate students over three years. We will recruit first generation college students, students from underrepresented minority groups, and students from schools with few research opportunities to become UBERV3 fellows. Undergraduates will collaborate with faculty mentors on individual research projects, and engage in a program offering organized around three areas: a research strand, a professionalism strand, and an equity strand. After participating in UBERV3 students will be able to: 1) use appropriate methods to collect and analyze data associated with biology education research (BER), 2) critique the findings of educational research studies in the literature, 3) investigate issues of access to scientific careers, 4) communicate their research findings in scientific formats, and 5) outline career pathways in or related to BER or SER. Overall, UBERV3 will contribute to the BER pipeline and advance knowledge and theory in BER. 

 

UGA has a REU grant focused on Genomics and Computational Biology from NSF (4/2020-3/2023). The theme of this REU site integrating genomics and computational biology is the systems biology of microbial systems with a focus on the complex problems of how an organism tells time, how bacteria display adaptive immunity, and how a protist pathogen causes disease in a nonhuman primate. These three problems are examples to engage 10 REU participants each summer. Microbial systems have provided excellent models for understanding fundamental processes for how: 1) bacterial adaptive immunity arises; 2) an organism tells time; 3) one organism infects another organism. 

 

UGA has a REU grant focused on Interdisciplinary Research Experiences in Nanotechnology and Biomedicine from NSF (02/2020-01/2023), with research projects co-mentored by faculty in nanotechnology and biomedicine. The objectives of this REU site program are to attract and retain underrepresented minority and female students from institutions with limited research opportunities in science and engineering and prepare them for graduate programs and careers in these fields. To accomplish these goals, this REU will provide an interdisciplinary research experience at the interface of nanotechnology and biomedicine to undergraduate students from other institutions, leveraging the diverse interdisciplinary expertise, resources, and training opportunities in this area at the University of Georgia (UGA). We will host 10 REU students over a 10-week summer program where they participate in existing, interdisciplinary research projects that apply nanotechnology to specific biomedical questions. Each REU student is co-mentored by paired faculty from the nanotechnology and biomedical disciplines on a collaborative research project. In addition to a total-immersion and hands-on research experience, REU students participate in enrichment activities that include ethics-in-science workshop, weekly presentations on interdisciplinary research; what to expect in graduate school; career workshop; presenting research findings at conferences. The REU experience will be enhanced for all involved by efforts to recruit students from diverse backgrounds: targets include 50-60% of participants from academic institutions where research opportunities are limited, 60-70% underrepresented minorities, and 70-80% female students. This is expected to broaden participation by the next generation of scientists and engineers in interdisciplinary research endeavors. Outreach efforts include continuing the collaboration with high school teachers in a summer research experience to develop classroom materials based on the REU participants’ research findings.