Faculty Interest Groups

Early Career Women in STEM: This FIG will be an exchange of ideas and experiences related to how early career women STEM develop and enhance their academic careers. The FIG will enrich community, support progress, and celebrate success as the FIG members learn from each other’s experience and navigate the UGA system together. The FIG is open to all faculty. To join this group, contact Kaitlyn Casulli at [email protected].

Innovative Solutions to Complex Challenges: The interest of this research team lies at the intersection of creativity, innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. We explore and develop methods that enhance creative thinking and innovative problem-solving across a wide array of disciplines, with a focus on engineering education. By drawing on diverse fields such as the arts, design, business, social sciences, education, psychology, and technology, we curate an environment where researchers can engage in cross-disciplinary discussions, leading to approaches and solutions that we can use in our fundamental research and grant pursuits. Our goals are both social and learning-oriented. Socially, we build a community of scholars and practitioners who are committed to pushing the boundaries of traditional disciplinary silos. Learning-wise, our focus is equipping students and researchers with the tools and mindsets necessary for innovation. To join this group, contact Beshoy Morkos at [email protected].

Interdisciplinary Institute Work and Life: Conversation and Exchange: This FIG will bring together the Directors, Associate Directors, and Academic Professionals of the Institutes in Franklin College who are engaged in interdisciplinary teaching and research. As Franklin seeks to increase interdisciplinary studies, this FIG will discuss how we can contribute to and provide leadership in defining this effort and, simultaneously, enhance and support our own work. We will discuss teaching practices, strategize about how better to engage and support each other’s student populations, and think through our role and potential contributions in UGA’s increasing excellence. One focus will be writing interdisciplinary grants that could serve our student populations, enhance our research, and reach out to the Athens community. To join this group, contact Carolyn Medine at [email protected].

Interdisciplinary Scholarship on Crime, Law, and Criminal Justice: The purpose of this FIG is to promote interdisciplinary connections across campus around scholarship related to crime, law, and criminal justice, with the hope of encouraging collaborative research projects. Meetings will focus on networking as well as learning. Some meetings will be opportunities for conversation and relationship building, other meetings will be presentations of current or future research from members of the group. To join this group, contact Sarah Shannon at [email protected].

Leadership Pathways and Development for Faculty in Non-Tenured Lines: This Faculty Interest Group will pull together both veteran leaders and those who aspire to be leaders in non-tenured faculty lines. The learning goals of this FIG are as follows: 1. to identify leadership roles that NTT faculty may currently hold at UGA and the pathways to achieving them; 2. to identify professional development currently available for NTT faculty holding or interested in leadership roles; 3. to use the information obtained above to develop and/or revise professional learning opportunities in leadership for NTT. The social goals are as follows: 1. to create a network of NTT leaders across the university; 2. to establish a mentor – mentee system to pair veteran NTT leaders with aspiring NTT leaders; 3. to hold two social events during the 2024-2025 academic year for guest speakers, building community, and networking among NTT leaders. To join this group, contact Allison Nealy at [email protected].

Manufacturing Cohort at UGA: The Manufacturing Cohort at the University of Georgia (UGA) Faculty Interest Group (FIG) is designed to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation, and knowledge exchange in manufacturing. This group unites faculty from various departments to discuss advanced manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing, robotics, materials science, and sustainable practices. The primary goals are to encourage interdisciplinary research, facilitate resource sharing, and implement innovative teaching methods. The FIG also seeks to build partnerships with industry to enhance practical understanding and job readiness among students. Through workshops, seminars, and guest lectures, the FIG supports continuous professional development and creates a collaborative network that addresses complex manufacturing challenges. The group aims to break down departmental silos, foster mentorship among faculty, and contribute to UGA’s mission of advancing sustainability, technological innovation, and economic viability. To join this group, contact Kenan Song at [email protected].

Post Qualitative Inquiry Group: The aim of this interdisciplinary Faculty Inquiry Group is the study of an innovative qualitative inquiry approach known as Post Qualitative Inquiry through the deep reading of the writings of Elizabeth Adams St. Pierre and in discussion with St. Pierre herself. Through in-depth readings of St. Pierre’s work and engagement with her lecture series, FIG participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the theoretical foundations and practical applications for Post Qualitative Inquiry. The FIG’s meeting times will be organized to coincide with the dates for St. Pierre’s 2024-25 lecture series scheduled for Monday 9/9, 10/7, 11/4, 1/13, 2/10, and 3/17. In addition, this group of interested colleagues will actively provide support for the organization of the lecture series by setting up and hosting the lectures and associated events, through dissemination of information to the wider UGA community, and through facilitation of scholarly discussion groups or other creative activities. To join this group, contact Melissa Freeman at [email protected].

Community and Cuisine: The main interests of this FIG are to connect, build community, and get to know different cultures through food. This FIG will provide a space for UGA faculty to share their favorite dishes, while connecting and creating a support system for each other. UGA faculty come from all over the US and the world, and this FIG will allow the members to get to know each other and talk about food and other topics while enjoying delicious meals from different regions. To join this group, contact Hind Yahyaoui Azami.

How Am I Teaching? The purpose of this FIG is to discuss best practices in peer-observation of teaching and build a community that will provide the nucleus of a sustainable practice of regular peer-observation. A faculty peer’s perspective is vital (in addition to student and instructor perspectives) in providing an all-round observation of teaching that can lead to meaningful teaching evaluation and improvement. This FIG aims to engage a group of interested faculty in discussions about the merits and challenges of peer-observation and help promote a regular and sustainable practice of peer-observation in their courses. Recent work presented by UGA’s Scientists Engaged in Education Research (SEER) Center promoting peer perspectives in teaching evaluations will be used as the springboard for these discussions. To join this group, contact Siddharth Savadatti.

The Photonics Club: The goal of the Photonics Club is to establish connections among faculty members from various disciplines across the university who share a keen interest in both research and education to optics and photonics. Given the current cutting-edge landscape of optics and photonics research, which spans disciplines such as physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, and more, this club is intended to serve as a platform for interdisciplinary collaboration. The main objectives of this group are two-fold: first, to facilitate robust research collaboration and innovation by harnessing diverse expertise to tackle intricate challenges at the forefront of optical sciences; second, to develop compelling curricula that traverse different departments, enriching student learning experiences in the realm of modern optics and photonics. To join this group, contact Yiping Zhao.

All Disciplines invited to connect, write together, have beverages, and eat cake: We are proposing a FIG that is interdisciplinary, composed of faculty interested in writing together. Writing projects are open (i.e., manuscripts, grant proposals) and simply include any kind of current writing that may require feedback or discussion. We are expecting that our involvement in the FIG would provide us two benefits: We need time to socialize around meaningful projects, and the interdisciplinary nature would encourage us to write more clearly and with less jargon. To join this group, contact Emily Adah Miller.

Applied Population Studies: The goal of the Applied Population Studies FIG is to connect faculty from disciplines across the university who share interests in population research and education. Population research is inherently interdisciplinary, and given that the University of Georgia does not have a Population Center or Demography department, this FIG is designed to strengthen informal networks that exist across campus. In addition to the existing faculty on campus, this FIG could evolve into a network and resource for new faculty beyond their department who share interests in population-level questions. This network would benefit students of all academic levels, connecting students interested in this type of research with a network where they can meet other faculty and learn of opportunities in other parts of the University including coursework, assistantships, and research. This collaborative community around the shared interest of population studies could benefit Research, Teaching, and Service at UGA. Our plan for the first year of the Population Studies FIG is to use the funds to support purchasing coffee and tea for one-two gatherings per semester. To join this group, contact Taylor Hafley.

CED Interdisciplinary Reading Group: The CED Interdisciplinary Reading Group for faculty is an opportunity to build community – both intellectual and social – among the faculty of the CED. There are three programs at the CED: urban planning, landscape architecture, and historic preservation. While each of these programs share a common focus on the built environment, there are different approaches taken by each discipline. The reading group is an opportunity to foster interdisciplinary connections through the readings and topics as well as in the act of gathering and meeting. To join this group, contact Katie Marages.

Dawg Ears: The primary shared interest of this group is protecting hearing and providing education and outreach regarding sound exposure (whether it is from noise at stadiums, music, hobbies) and healthy ears and hearing.

Outreach includes setting up educational booths, providing free hearing screenings, measuring sound levels, educational lectures, and providing hearing protection, including (hopefully) custom UGA logo earmuffs and UGA colored custom ear plugs. To join this group, contact Kerry Cohen.

Umoja: Faculty for Diverse, Co-constructed Spaces: The purpose of this FIG will be to generate dialogue and solutions regarding how faculty support retention and advancement of diverse staff at the University of Georgia. While there is much research, many opinion pieces, and a variety of research on retention of diverse faculty, there is a need to explore supporting diverse staff working at predominantly white institutions. This FIG will center around discussing solutions for faculty supporting retention and advancement of all employees at the University of Georgia. To join this group, contact Megan Brock.

Bio-Volcano: In this FIG initiative, the participants will discuss research plans (fieldwork and laboratory analyses) on how to quantify mercury concentration in multiple bioaccumulating organisms and how to determine the relationships between mercury in bioaccumulators and magnitude of volcanic eruptions to create diagnostic tools for monitoring volcanic activity. The participants will also explore the role of scientists working in a collaborative team to generate a unique set of data based on inter-, multi, cross-, and trans-disciplinary efforts, and will help design and teach the science of the future: cutting-edge, without barriers, and beyond any frontier. To join this group, contact Mattia Pistone.

Grant Writing Club: Extramural funding is critical to the success of tenure-track faculty and the continued growth of the university. While logistical support is provided by current university programs, creativity and stress-management are essential components of a successful grant applications as well. Current research suggests that persistence and team-work are two of the strongest predictors of creative performance and yet the former is undermined by declines in self-perception (PNAS, 2020, 117, 19830) and low rates of grant funding (Science, 2018, 359, 1007). We meet monthly to provide unstructured, interdisciplinary discussion as well as peer-support. To join this group, contact Eugene Douglass.

Infectious Diseases Grant Writing Interest Group: The Infectious Diseases Grant Writing Interest Group gathers weekly to monthly to discuss grant proposals at various stages of preparation. Feedback from our colleagues will substantially inform our new submissions and guide the rewriting of proposals for resubmission. We will develop strategies for identifying our audience, working with the NIH review system and addressing prior comments and criticisms will be key to improving the quality of proposals and therefore the success rate. To join this group, contact Eric Harvill.

Chinese UGA Professors: The primary shared interest of this FIG is to exchange ideas and experience of how Chinese faculty develop and enhance their academic careers in US.  The goals are both social and learning. Contact Tianming Liu, Department of Computer Science.

The FIG BIO-VOLCANO will initiate a collaborative, interdisciplinary research discussion on “BIOlogy looking after VOLCANOes (BIO-VOLCANO): How trees, plants, insects, soils, and microbes tell us about volcanic activity.” The main goal of this project is to evaluate whether trees, plants, insects, soils, and microbes can be used as tools for monitoring volcanic activity, including the possibility of forecasting volcanic eruptions. This FIG will foster collaboration between scientists of different research expertise and skills: Kamal Gandhi, Brittany Barnes (forest entomologists; Warnell), Caterina Villari (forest pathologist; Warnell), Elizabeth Ottesen (microbiologist), Aaron Thompson (soil scientist), Anna Chung (plant biologist), Randy Culp (CAIS Director), Alexander Cherkinsky, Carla Hadden (environmental scientists), and Mattia Pistone (volcanologist). More participants are sought, but enrollment will be capped at 20. The FIG opportunity will favor the discussion on the multiple aspects of this interdisciplinary collaboration within the BIO-VOLCANO team, including the science to be generated, the fieldwork planning at potential volcanic sites (Mt St Helens, WA and Kīlauea, HI, in the USA; Etna and Campi Flegrei in Italy), the funding resources, and the analyses that can be accomplished in the Departments, Schools, Research Centers of UGA. Meetings will occur on a month basis via Zoom for fostering round table for discussions. Participants are also welcome participate virtually via Zoom. The meeting should last 2 hours to ensure effective discussions. To join this group, contact Mattia Pistone.

Chinese UGA Professors: The primary shared interest of this FIG is to exchange ideas and experience of how Chinese faculty develop and enhance their academic careers in US.  The goals are both social and learning. Contact Tianming Liu, Department of Computer Science.

Eye Tracker Research: Discuss, present, educate, and learn from one another about eye tracker data and how gaze patterns reveal cognitive strategies. Discover connections between the disciplines and create collaborative projects. Contact Rebecca Atkins, Hugh Hodgson School of Music.

Images as Data: We all work with images as data. Goals are learning and potential collaboration in addition to making social connections. Contact Nora Williams, Department of International Affairs.

Trivia Night: This is a social group. The goal is to go out and play trivia, initially at SBC, but future locations are flexible. Contact Jessica O’Connell, Department of Marine Sciences.