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Tag: 2009

Yiping Zhao

ovprweb on March 22, 2016

UGA researcher in lab

Distinguished Research Professor 2016

Yiping Zhao, professor of physics, has made tremendous contributions to the field of nanotechnology. He has developed a method to rapidly and accurately detect viruses, bacteria and chemical contaminants using a technique known as surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, or SERS, which measures the change in frequency of a laser as it scatters off a compound. The signal produced by Raman scattering is inherently weak, but Zhao and his colleagues have arrayed silver nanorods 1,000 times finer than the width of a human hair at a precise angle to amplify the signal. This system may be used to detect pathogens and contaminants in mixtures such as food, blood or saliva. Zhao is also a recognized leader in the development of the glancing angle deposition (GLAD) technique for nanostructure design and fabrication. Using this process, Zhao is able to fabricate nanorod arrays that may be used as sensors for biological, renewable energy and nanomachine applications.

Previous Award
Creative Research Medal 2009

 

Jessica Kissinger

mterrazas on March 2, 2016

Lamar Dodd Creative Research Award

Jessica Kissinger

Jessica Kissinger, Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Genetics and former director of the UGA Institute of Bioinformatics, has focused her interdisciplinary career on the question of how parasites evolve. She has been a driving force behind the groundbreaking effort to create and maintain novel bioinformatics databases covering omics data for hundreds of dangerous pathogens. The Eukaryotic Pathogen, Vector, and Host Informatics Resources knowledgebase (VEuPathDB.org) is an integrated, centralized resource for data mining on more than 500 organisms. Databases searches are free, permitting researchers to gain insights into and test hypotheses that may pave the way for new approaches to treating or preventing diseases such as malaria and Cryptosporidium (a waterborne parasite). Kissinger has used the databases and other bioinformatics tools to make remarkable discoveries, including tracing the evolution and movement of genes within the genomes of Apicomplexa, a phylum of microscopic parasites. She hosts bioinformatics workshops worldwide, helping to make these tools more accessible.

Previous Award

  • Creative Research Medal 2009
  • Distinguished Research Professor 2017