Tags: cellular biology

Students in class

Thinking about thinking: how life sciences students can become better learners

Learning how to learn is a process—and for college students, that process can take years. New research from the University of Georgia offers one of the clearest looks yet at how students develop the skills to plan and evaluate their own learning throughout their undergraduate careers.  Specifically, researchers were looking at their metacognition skills, or a student’s ability to self-analyze how they learn. Julie Stanton, Meigs…
Joseph Dainis and Kaelynn Parker

Cellular biology doctoral students receive NIH fellowships for parasitic disease research

University of Georgia Ph.D. students Joseph Dainis and Kaelynn Parker, both affiliated with the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Disease (CTEGD), have received prestigious Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards from the National Institutes of Health that will support their doctoral programs and help them prepare for careers in science. Through the fellowship, Dainis and Parker — doctoral students in Franklin's Department of…
plants in test tubes

$21.1M in research awards secured by Franklin faculty over summer 2026

More than $21 million in external research funding was secured by faculty in the University of Georgia's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences during May, June, and July 2026.  The 31 awards from federal agencies, foundations, and industry partners underscore the breadth of Franklin's research enterprise and will support discoveries while providing new opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students.  Among the largest…
Emily Bremers in front of sign

Ph.D. candidate Emily Bremers pairs global health research with education

Emily Bremers grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, in a household where education shaped daily life. Both of her parents worked full time and also taught courses at a local community college. Their example set expectations early. “Education mattered, and it carried real weight,” Bremers says. When she considered graduate school, her mother reminded her she was fortunate to be paid to keep learning. That idea stayed with her and shaped her approach to her…
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Celebrating the Franklin Spark: Honors Week celebrates top Franklin faculty

Franklin College of Arts and Sciences faculty and students are receiving top UGA awards during Honors Week. Since the 1930s, UGA has celebrated the accomplishments of its students and faculty with a dedicated week each spring semester. This year’s honorees exemplify the Franklin Spark, the characteristics that define faculty, students, and alumni at the intersection of the arts and sciences: ambitious, curious, creative, innovative, and tomorrow…
Pictured: Punkosdy in lab

From Small-Town Curiosity to Cutting-Edge Cancer Research

Growing up in the rural town of Tallapoosa, Georgia, George Punkosdy (BS ’98, PhD ’04 – Cellular Biology) was always drawn to understanding how things worked. But it was a high school chemistry class taught by the tough yet inspiring Mr. Tommy McGuire that truly ignited his passion for science. The intricate interactions of nature’s building blocks fascinated him and set him on a path that would eventually lead to groundbreaking work in…
Pictured: Hope Ritter with students

Investing in Discovery: The Legacy of the Hope T.M. Ritter Lecture Series

The University of Georgia Franklin College of Arts and Sciences has long been a place where knowledge grows through curiosity, mentorship, and the pursuit of excellence. Few traditions embody this spirit more than the Hope T.M. Ritter Lecture Series, a program born from generosity and carried forward by the vision of family and community.  Hope Ritter was a beloved member of the UGA faculty and a mentor whose teaching inspired countless…
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UGA's Kurup on the PATH to stop malaria

UGA faculty member But Samarchith “Sam” Kurup is determined to strengthen  immune defenses against malaria. Now, thanks to a prestigious Investigators in Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease (PATH) award from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, his lab is one step closer. Burroughs Wellcome recently announced its 2025 cohort of eight innovative scientists. Kurup is the first University of Georgia faculty member to receive this highly competitive…
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NIH funding supports ‘One Health’ model to fight Chagas disease

Funded by a $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, researchers at the University of Georgia and Texas A&M are using improved detection and treatment methods to understand Chagas disease – a serious, often overlooked illness affecting both dogs and humans.  Rick Tarleton, UGA Athletic Association Distinguished Professor, will co-lead a new project focused on strategies to detect, treat and monitor treatment outcomes in…
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Franklin double major Yeongseo Son named a Knight-Hennessy Scholar

2025 University of Georgia graduate, scientist and storyteller in training Yeongseo Son has been selected for the 2025 Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, a global graduate-level program at Stanford University. Son, a Foundation Fellow and Stamps Scholar who earned bachelor’s degrees in anthropology and biochemistry and molecular biology as well as a certificate in immunology, all from the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, attended high school in…
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Phase 1 of Science Hill renovations

A central artery of campus and home to multiple Franklin College units for decades is in the process of significant renovation – and celebration: The University of Georgia held a dedication ceremony on Oct. 30 to celebrate the completion of the first phase of renovations to modernize research and instruction facilities and infrastructure on UGA’s Science and Ag Hill. This area of campus, located just south of Sanford Stadium, includes buildings…
segmented x-ray of human skull

Regenerative Bioscience Center harnesses the body’s natural healing ability

What began in 2004 as a relatively small group of researchers has since grown to include more than 40 members spanning seven colleges, including the College of Engineering, the College of Public Health, and the College of Pharmacy. Together, the scientists aim to tackle medical challenges and develop cures and treatments for devastating diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and stroke. What is Regenerative Bioscience? You’re working in the…
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Divisional Spotlight: Biological Sciences

Like the heart has four chambers, the Franklin College as the heart of UGA consists of five divisions. We want to begin the new year by highlighting this element of our organizational structure and the academic units contained in each division.  We begin today with the division of BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES! Spanning the broad field of natural sciences concerned with the study of life and living organisms, the Division of Biological Sciences…
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Noted and Quoted, October 2022

From tempests in the physical world to the discovery of an ancient canal to the reintroduction of heritage apple crops, expertise from and research by Franklin faculty was present in media around the globe. A same of stories over the past month:    As moms return to the office, companies need to demonstrate empathy – Malissa A. Clark, associate professor of psychology, quoted at Indeed Historic storm surge. Record flooding.…
photo of man using microscope in lab

Cellular biology researcher uncovers humans’ natural weapon against malaria

Parasitologist Samarchith “Sam” Kurup has been awarded a five-year National Institutes of Health grant to study the natural immune response to the Plasmodium parasite in liver cells, with designs on uncovering how the human immune system naturally fights malaria in the liver stage will lead to an effective malaria vaccine. Our colleagues in the Office of research share the story: Malaria is one of the most studied parasitic…
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Researchers discover potential treatment for Chagas disease

Researchers from the University of Georgia have discovered a potential treatment for Chagas disease, marking the first medication with promise to successfully and safely target the parasitic infection in more than 50 years. Human clinical trials of the drug, an antiparasitic compound known as AN15368, will hopefully begin in the next few years. “I’m very optimistic,” said Rick Tarleton, corresponding author of the study and a UGA…
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Fagbami named 2022 Burroughs Wellcome Fund PDEP Fellow

Lọla Fagbami, a postdoctoral research associate at UGA, has been awarded a Burroughs Wellcome Fund 2022 Postdoctoral Diversity Enrichment Program fellowship. Fagbami, UGA’s first PDEP Fellow, conducts research on the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum at the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases. She works with Vasant Muralidharan, associate professor of cellular biology in the Franklin College of…
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Kudos, March 2022

We'll begin with some great news from the Southeastern Conference and our own department of geography and atmospheric sciences program: Marshall Shepherd, the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Georgia, has been named the 2022 SEC Professor of the Year Department of English doctoral student Chanara Andrews-Bickers has been selected as a 2022 National…
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Two Franklin faculty members receive 2022 Russell Teaching Awards

Three UGA faculty members – two from the Franklin College – have been named recipients of the Russell Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, which recognize outstanding instruction by faculty members early in their academic careers. “This year’s Russell Award recipients demonstrate how innovative, evidence-based instruction enhances student learning,” said S. Jack Hu, the university’s senior vice president for academic affairs and…
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Amazing student Vidhi Patel

Vidhi Patel, a junior cellular biology major from Athens, serves as an orientation leader this summer to welcome first-year and transfer students to UGA as she continues her preparation to attend medical school. A wonderful ambassador for town and gown, incoming students are benefiting from her knowledge for learning and passion for UGA. She shares some important insights in this Amazing Student feature: How did you…
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Four UGA faculty members named AAAS Fellows

Four University of Georgia faculty members, three from the Franklin College, have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), an honor bestowed by their peers for “scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.” These four faculty members are among 489 new AAAS Fellows who will receive an official certificate and a gold and blue—representing…
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A love of numbers, a passion for helping people

The fall 2020 issue of the Georgia Magazine is out and replete with stories about Franklin College faculty, alumni and students, including mathematics major and Georgia Commitment Scholarship recipient Ana Kilgore: One of only 75 people in her high school graduating class, Ana Kilgore always dreamed of expanding her horizons. When she saw the range of STEM programs offered at the University of Georgia, the Hawkinsville native set her sights on…
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Roberts-Galbraith receives McKnight Scholar Award

University of Georgia faculty member Rachel Roberts-Galbraith has received the 2019 McKnight Scholar Award, which recognizes scientists in the early stages of their careers working in the field of neuroscience. An assistant professor of cellular biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, Roberts-Galbraith is the first UGA faculty member to receive the award.  “Dr. Roberts-Galbraith’s studies are a unique combination of…
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Two Franklin College professors win 2019 Sloan Fellowships

Two UGA faculty members have been awarded a prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship to support their research for the next two years, the Sloan Foundation announced on Feb. 19: Elizabeth Harvey of marine sciences and Rachel Roberts-Galbraith of cellular biology will each receive $70,000 from their fellowships over the next two years. Two of 126 Sloan Fellows nationwide for 2019, the assistant professors represent just the 12th and 13th Sloan…
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Double Dawgs program opening broad opportunities for students

The year-old dual degree program that pairs bachelor's and master's degree programs helps students incorporate an expansive vision for career success: For Ammishaddai Grand-Jean, the Double Dawgs program provides an opportunity to deepen his understanding of economic policy so that after graduation he can make a positive impact on communities. Ellen Everitt sees the linked bachelor’s/master’s degree…
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