Category: Research Communications Award

Research Communications Award 2025

Jenna Jambeck, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering, is a globally recognized researcher and communicator specializing in plastic pollution and materials management. Her unique ability to blend scientific rigor with effective communication has elevated public understanding and policy action on environmental sustainability worldwide. Jambeck’s groundbreaking studies, including the 2015 revelation that 8 million metric tons of plastic waste enter the Earth’s oceans annually, have been extensively covered by major outlets such as NPR, BBC, The New York Times, and National Geographic. Her publications have been cited over 37,000 times, ranking among the top in their fields, and her work has been instrumental in United Nations treaty negotiations, global policy workshops, and the creation of circular economy frameworks through her Circularity Assessment Protocol. As the creator of the Marine Debris Tracker app, Jambeck has facilitated global citizen science efforts, leading to extensive data collection in 100 countries.

Research Communications Award 2024

Michael J. Chamberlain, Terrell Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management in the Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources, is perhaps best known as the “Wild Turkey Doc.” He has developed a world-renowned research program focusing on this popular game bird while disseminating his findings to diverse audiences, including academics, policymakers, and laypersons. Managing wild turkey populations under intensifying pressure from land-use changes and natural predators requires clear communications with conservationists and more than 2.5 million hunters nationwide. Chamberlain’s website, wildturkeylab.com, launched in 2022, provides engaging, informative content to those interested in wild turkeys and the landscapes they inhabit. He has conducted dozens of seminars, webinars, videos, and media events, and appears frequently on the popular MeatEater podcast, which averages more than 4 million downloads monthly. Top-level administrators of numerous state agencies have invited him to speak on his expertise, resulting in improved harvest regulations to ensure more sustainable populations.

Research Communications Award 2023

Andrew K. Davis, an animal ecologist and assistant research scientist in the Odum School of Ecology, is passionate about promoting science to broader audiences and helping improve scientific understanding. In 2022, he and his research partners gained local, national and international attention from major media outlets for two peer-reviewed articles. Davis and an undergraduate co-author published a paper describing how the physiology of the now-famous Joro spider, an invasive species in Georgia, predicts its likely spread throughout the U.S. With members of the Department of Entomology, he also co-authored a paper about the monarch butterfly to understand how its breeding populations have changed over two decades. Davis is tireless in his efforts to work proactively with UGA communications professionals and in fostering relationships with journalists at prominent media outlets. As a result, his research projects have been featured widely in television, newspaper, radio and online news organizations, generating invaluable positive publicity for UGA and the Odum School.