From the downside of smart phones to the promise of a 'super yeast' for biofuels to the creation a new island off the Georgia coast, Franklin faculty have been ready and willing to lend their expertise on the full range of issues and current events. A sample from this month:

Less smartphone time equals happier teenager, study suggests – article reference research by professor of psychology Keith Campbell in Los Angeles Times, India Today

Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor J. Marshall Shepherd talks challenge of communicating science to public 16th annual Founders Day Lecture – ABH

How a government shutdown affects your weather forecasts today and in the future, Marshall Shepherd in his regular column in Forbes

“Super yeast” could be a game-changer for U.S. ethanol production, article on research by professor of microbiology Joy Doran-Peterson in BioFuels News

The Amazon River’s ecosystem: Where land meets the sea, article features research by associate professor of marine sciences Patricia Yager in Eos

The tax cuts are a bad deal for charities, op-ed by associate professor history Stephen Mihm at Bloomberg

Hurricane created new island off Georgia coast, articles quote professor of geography and Director of the Center for Geospatial Research Marguerite Madden in ABH, Weather Channel 

U.S. cold snap was a freak of nature, quick analysis finds, Marshall Shepherd quoted by ABC News (AP) 

UGA to lead NSF project to sequence corn pangenome, research by Distinguished Research Professor of plant biology Kelly Dawe – UGA Today, Feedstuffs.com

U.S. spent a record $306 billion on natural disasters in 2017, Marshall Shepherd at Time (AP), Forbes 

Low oxygen levels, coral bleaching getting worse in oceans, Athletic Association Professor in Arts and Sciences Samantha Joye quoted by Chicago Tribune (AP) 

Felony conviction rates have risen sharply – SaukValley.com article on research by assistant professor of sociology Sarah Shannon

Felony conviction rates are up nationwide – PBS 

Weather forecasting deserves some credit for eye-popping aviation safety headlines, Marshall Shepherd in Forbes 

A UGA prof’s reminder: Record cold doesn’t refute climate change, Marshall Shepherd in the AJC

Sex harassment scandal has potential to reshape Congress, Stephen Mihm writes in the ABH 

Trump tweets about the bitter cold and global warming, confusing weather and climate, Marshall Shepherd quoted by Weather.com

No, Trump is not P.T. Barnum, Stephen Mihm in the  New York Times 

Thunderstorm-triggered asthma attacks put under the microscope in Australia, research by professor of geography Andrew Grundstein featured in Science magazine

 

Image: Getty via the Los Angeles Times