GROWING RESEARCH
AND INNOVATION
THE WORLD'S PROBLEMS ARE LARGE AND COMPLEX.
At times they feel too big, too difficult to surmount. But we believe any challenge can be overcome when we commit to carefully understanding the problems and then relentlessly testing new solutions.
The University of Georgia’s commitment to expanding research, innovation, and entrepreneurship has never been more critical. We are part of the worldwide effort to tackle COVID-19, we are working to create a universal flu vaccine, and we are finding new ways to promote environmental health and sustainability. Our faculty, staff, and community continue to rise to the occasion. We approach new challenges as opportunities to improve lives and strengthen communities around the world.
GROWING RESEARCH
The most pressing challenges of this decade demand interdisciplinary and multi-institutional approaches. At UGA, we are uniquely positioned to answer these questions with deep faculty expertise in the sciences, the arts, and the humanities, as well as in agriculture, law, and business. Our greatest strength as a research university lies in our breadth.
BIO INNOVATION
In June, five companies and programs affiliated with UGA were recognized with awards from Georgia Bio, the association for Georgia’s life sciences industry.
The Innovation award went to Infrared Rx, an Athens-based biotech company that develops non-invasive tools to measure oxygen in muscles. Co-founders are Kevin McCully, a kinesiology professor in the Mary Frances Early College of Education, and professor and cardiologist Jonathan Murrow of the Augusta University/UGA Medical Partnership. In addition, the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center, part of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, won the Community Award for its contributions to life science in the state.
UNCOVERING THE PAST
The University has begun a comprehensive study of the history of slavery on UGA’s campus.
In November, UGA joined the Universities Studying Slavery Consortium and created a 21-person research team, spanning multiple schools, colleges, and units. The multidisciplinary team is studying the enslavement of Black Americans at the institution from its founding in 1785 until the end of the Civil War in 1865. Led by Chana Kai Lee, an associate professor of history and African American studies in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, faculty and student researchers are analyzing primary source and archaeological data, including existing research, family and community histories, and the personal papers of faculty who worked at UGA before emancipation.
The research initiative, which is expected to be completed in 2021, is supported by private funds from the Office of the President. The work will be published by the UGA Press.
$495 MILLION IN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EXPENDITURES
A 41% INCREASE OVER 7 YEARS
BUILDING ON MOMENTUM
“The complex challenges facing our world today require a renewed focus on graduate education and research to further the University’s positive impact on society,” said S. Jack Hu, UGA’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.
A task force created last summer by the provost identified critical areas of focus to maximize our impact. These recommendations helped launch the Presidential Cluster and Strategic Hiring Initiative, which resulted in 14 faculty members being recruited to UGA in areas such as precision agriculture; environmental sciences; and security (encompassing cybersecurity, national security, and food security). The University is also focusing its strengths on addressing challenges facing rural areas and in the biomedical and social sciences.
THE INNOVATION DISTRICT INITIATIVE BRINGS TOGETHER UGA’S BREADTH OF EXPERTISE TO TAKE ON CHALLENGES FROM MULTIPLE ANGLES.
2020 TOP 5 UNIVERSITY IN TAKING NEW PRODUCTS TO MARKET
INNOVATION THAT CHANGES LIVES
Sometimes serious problems require complex solutions. The Innovation District Initiative brings together UGA’s breadth of expertise to take on challenges from multiple angles, shape discoveries into marketable solutions, and educate tomorrow’s creators to be skilled, experienced, and versatile—all with the aim of making UGA a leading driver of economic development and community impact.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
While COVID-19 was disrupting daily life across the world, three dozen UGA student teams worked together in a five-week virtual hackathon to address some of the problems caused by the pandemic.
Nearly 200 UGA student innovators from 43 majors participated in the COVID-19 Virtual Design Sprint, sponsored by UGA’s Innovation District initiative and the College of Engineering. Students formed interdisciplinary teams, identified a specific problem related to the coronavirus, developed design concepts, and then refined their ideas into three-minute video presentations. The winning team, led by MIS student Cheryl Maafoh and marketing major Abigail Snyder, devised a way for local hotels to supply vulnerable Athens populations with hygiene products.
INNOVATION FELLOWS
One is pushing for new ways to make medical devices safer, the other is devising commercial health solutions for older adult caregiving. As the two inaugural Innovation Fellows, UGA faculty members Hitesh Handa and Jenay Beer received intensive training and mentorship to take their research to market.
Handa, an assistant professor in the College of Engineering, is working to commercialize his research in antimicrobial coatings through his startup, inNOveta Biomedical. Beer, an assistant professor in the College of Public Health and School of Social Work, hopes to use robotics and other technology to disrupt the dementia caregiving industry. The Innovation Fellows Program helps talented faculty translate their ideas into marketable solutions that will improve lives and communities
