News from the Chronicles - December 2025

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Communicating research through art and creativity

As the timer counted down 4 minutes and 33 seconds, presenters took the stage to share their integrative arts investigations. The presentations that unfolded went beyond standard explanations of an abstract and utilized creativity to captivate the audience.  The 2025 4’33” Competition featured a variety of presentations from poetry readings to immersive visuals. First place winner Younghyun Kim, Ph.D. student in Learning, Leadership, and…

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From UGA to AI Innovation: Azalea Robotics' Journey

In spring 2025,  Nikita Jha, a fourth-year computer science and economics major at the University of Georgia, was interviewed along with the co-founders of Azalea Robotics and UGA alumni, David Millard (BS Mathematics and Computer Science, `14) and John B. Stroud (BS Mathematics and Economics, `16). Stroud and Millard shared their journey from being students at Franklin to founding a Y Combinator-backed startup in Berkeley, Ca., where Jha…

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Schroeder receives Elemental Critical Minerals grant

University of Georgia faculty member Paul Schroeder will lead one of 11 new partnerships launched to accelerate innovation in engineering biology for sustainable critical mineral supply chains.  Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and delivered in partnership with the UK Science and Technology Network, this initiative provides targeted grants to strengthen transatlantic collaboration in sustainable…

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Marine Education Center and Aquarium offers wonders, opportunities

The University of Georgia Marine Education Center and Aquarium on Skidaway Island, a barrier island just outside Savannah, offers visitors sweeping views of the marsh and a sense of wild seclusion. Since opening to the public in 1971 as Georgia’s first saltwater aquarium, the center has introduced generations to the wonders of the coast, combining hands-on education, immersive fieldwork, and engaging exhibits to spark curiosity and stewardship:…

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Oyster shore strengthens Sapelo Island

Nik Heynen, Distinguished Research Professor of geography in the University of Georgia’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and friends hit upon an ingenious idea to tackle waste in an Athens industry and arrest the effects of sea level rise on a Georgia barrier island. Tyler Leslie and Hunt Revell had worked at the popular downtown Athens seafood restaurant, Seabear. Working at an oyster bar, Leslie and Revell were aware of the high volume…

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Theatre students excel with Evil Dead: The Musical

Blood, songs, demons, dancing and more! UGA Theatre's production of "Evil Dead" brought the audience a musical filled with comedy horror, catchy songs, and plenty of fake blood.  "Evil Dead" is a rock musical featuring four college students who camp out in an old cabin in the woods, when they discover an ancient book that unleashes demons and the undead into the world. Inspired by slasher films and filled with plenty of comedy, “Evil Dead”…

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Franklin genetics major named UGA's 10th Marshall Scholar

Finn Walsh will build on her studies in infectious disease post graduation as UGA’s newest Marshall Scholar. The senior from Atlanta will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in genetics and a minor in Spanish through the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. She has conducted undergraduate research through the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities, with the majority of her work in the Odum School of Ecology. Up to 50 students are…

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Perspective illuminates ethics across disciplines

Rather than a specialized approach to a set of philosophical questions or political issues, ethics presents a way of evaluating choices in an open society. The tools to navigate choices may involve a variety of expertise and disciplinary specialties, but these are also connected simply by the physical world where they are put into practice. Piers Stephens, professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of philosophy, explains…

Bulldog 100
Nearly one third of Bulldog 100 companies led by Franklin College alumni

Franklin College of Arts and Sciences alumni continue to show their Franklin Spark, the characteristics that define us at the intersection of arts and sciences (ambitious, curious, creative, innovative and tomorrow’s leader) and distinguish themselves as dynamic leaders in business and innovation. In the 2026 Bulldog 100 — selected by the University of Georgia Alumni Association as the fastest-growing businesses owned or operated by UGA…

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New musical frontiers with Emily Koh

Composer Emily Koh, associate professor in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, typically creates new emotional textures and moods in 24-pitch increments. Her work with two pianos dictated this constraint, an approach she stuck with for a long time. When she decided to explore music beyond 24 pitches, however, she knew she needed a new solution. Working with partners in the College of Engineering, Koh created ModμMIDI, a modular MIDI device with…