kudos, February 2024

The parade of excellence also known as the Franklin College faculty was on full display during the month of February. National awards of professional distinction and achievement bring honor and pride to the University of Georgia and congratulations from friends, colleagues, students, and alumni. A round up the of the recent announcements:

Michelle Momany, professor in the department of plant biology and the Fungal Biology Group, is one of 65 new fellows elected to the American Academy of Microbiology, Class of 2024

Natalie Cohen, assistant professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of marine sciences, has been awarded a prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship

Diana Downs, Distinguished Research Professor in the department of microbiology, is one of two University of Georgia faculty members named Regents’ Professors for the widespread reach and impact of their scholarship and creative activity

The UGA Latin program in the department of Classics was ranked the largest in the nation in a report from the Modern Language Association 

Wenxuan Zhong, professor in the department of statistics, was named UGA Athletic Association Professor in Statistics

For the second consecutive year, UGA exceeded half a billion dollars in research and development expenditures. Its $570.9 million total in fiscal year 2023 represented another record high in R&D activity and marks the fifth consecutive year of growth for the university

Ten university-wide projects led by and involving multiple Franklin College faculty advancing interdisciplinary research have been awarded Presidential Interdisciplinary Seed Grants as part of the 2023 cohort

The UGA Alumni Association recognized the fastest-growing companies owned or led by UGA alumni during the 15th annual Bulldog 100 Celebration

The USG announced that John Knox, professor of geography and Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor, is the recipient of the Felton Jenkins, Jr. Hall of Fame Faculty Awards

For the second year in a row—and the sixth time in 12 years—that UGA has been named a top producer of Fulbright U.S. students

And with its vote on Feb. 13, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents authorized the University of Georgia to establish a new independent School of Medicine in Athens

Langston, Lemons earn University Professor titles – Keith Langston, professor and head of the department of linguistics and professor of Germanic and Slavic studies, and Paula Lemons, professor in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology and associate dean of social and behavioral sciences in the Franklin College, honored by UGA for their visionary leadership

Image: Michelle Momany, photo of by Jason Thrasher