Griffin Campus

$500,000 endowment will support UGA Extension entomologist Daniel Suiter as Orkin Professor of Urban Entomology

Dan Suiter, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension entomologist and well-known expert in addressing the needs of pest control operators, has been named the Orkin Professor of Urban Entomology at the University of Georgia.

Orkin, an industry leader in pest control services and protection, has created the endowment to help strengthen the entomology program in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES).

By supporting the CAES Department of Entomology, Orkin is supporting science that delivers transformative research to the world and helping to ensure that UGA faculty in urban entomology are leaders in their field. Orkin’s professorship paves the way for new research partnerships that advance the pest control industry, create new businesses and generate new jobs.

The World Health Organization estimates that there are 600 million cases of foodborne illness every year. One way harmful pathogens can enter the food supply is through irrigation water, but researchers are using precision agriculture to create a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to combat the bacteria that makes us sick. And the tool they are using is available to everyone — the sun.

In recent years, researchers have begun to examine the effects of light on microorganisms. Antimicrobial blue light is used in hospital settings to reduce pathogens, and current research is underway at the University of Georgia to determine the viability of its use in food production.

UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Professor Govindaraj Dev Kumar, who has been involved with those studies, is also the lead researcher on a recent study to determine sunlight’s ability to affect the survival of certain bacteria in water.

Coming to UGA Griffin Campus may seem intimidating at first, but we are here to support you and give you real-life insight into what Griffin Campus is like to help make you feel more at home! Please enjoy this VR space of our Newly Renovated Fitness Center on the University of Georgia Griffin Campus!

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On December 15, the University of Georgia Griffin campus held its’ Fall Graduation Celebration and Brick Ceremony for the 19 members of the Class of 2022. These students join nearly 700 other graduates who have completed their degrees at UGA Griffin since 2005.

Each student graduating from UGA Griffin is honored with a lasting mark on campus-a brick featuring their name and class year. The bricks are placed in the walkways around the Student Learning Center and will mark their time on the UGA Griffin campus for generations to come. This aspect is unique to the local campus and the brick laying ceremony is held directly after the graduation celebration in both the Fall and Spring semesters.

David Buntin, Interim Assistant Provost and Campus Director for UGA Griffin, opened up the commencement ceremony in the Stuckey Auditorium by praising the students for their perseverance the last two years throughout all the changes brough on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The last few semesters have been challenging with restrictions on our instruction and events, but you all persevered and were able to graduate,” said Buntin. “We are very pleased to celebrate your graduation with you and hold this Griffin campus ceremony today.”

For high school students interested in agriculture, food and environmental sciences, the University of Georgia offers the opportunity to have hands-on learning with world-renowned research scientists through the Young Scholars Program (YSP). YSP is a six-week long paid summer internship organized by the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences which hopes to broaden students interests in various fields of study. Students can apply to be part of the program at three UGA campuses: Athens, Griffin and Tifton, with applications being accepted now through January 31, 2023.

While in the program, students are assigned to work with a researcher and their staff on campus. They learn about the research that is ongoing in that department, how to use lab equipment and work in the field, as well as completing their own research project under the guidance of their mentor. On the UGA Griffin Campus, students spend Fridays with fellow young scholars where they attend site visits of many departments, participate in college and career related workshops and play interactive games to give them a chance to know each other.

YSP concludes each year with a pre-collegiate conference at the University of Georgia campus in Athens. Students have the chance to interact with other YSP students from the Athens and Tifton campuses, stay in the dorms, learn about the UGA admissions process and take part in behind the scenes tours of various university departments.

Srijana Thapa Magar, a PhD candidate in horticulture on the University of Georgia Griffin campus, was recently named the recipient of the Marie Fort Garden Club Scholarship for 2022. The local club has presented the $1,000 scholarship annually since 2014 to a UGA-Griffin student in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. They awarded the scholarship during a club meeting in October.

“Our membership has supported this project each year,” said Diane Lamb, President of the Marie Fort Garden Club. “We work with the scholarship committee each year and support their recommendation. We feel that each year we have given the scholarship to a very deserving student.  If our scholarship can make a difference in a student’s life, we feel like we have accomplished what we set out to do. In a small way we can support and encourage a student in reaching their academic goal.”

Thapa Magar was thrilled when she received the news she was this year’s recipient and knew exactly how the scholarship would help in her college career.

Since first making their appearance in Georgia in 2014, Joro spiders have steadily expanded their range in Georgia, and now — just in time for Halloween — the spooky-looking species has reached the University of Georgia Research and Education Garden on the UGA Griffin campus.

Native to Japan and China, Joro spiders are believed to have made the trek overseas by hitching a ride in a shipping container. The striking arachnid spotted at UGA-Griffin is thought to be the first documented sighting of the species in Spalding County. So far, sightings have been limited to the northern region of the state. Spalding County is located about 40 miles north of the Georgia fall line, which separates the Piedmont region of the state from the Coastal Plain.

Jeffrey F.D. Dean, a distinguished scholar and academic leader whose interdisciplinary research focuses on forestry, plant biology and biochemistry, has been named assistant provost and director of the University of Georgia’s Griffin campus, effective Jan. 1, 2023. In this role, he will oversee all research, extension and academic programs at UGA Griffin.

Since 2014, Dean has served as a professor and head of the department of biochemistry, molecular biology, entomology and plant pathology at Mississippi State University, one of the largest academic units in the university’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

“Dr. Dean has a tremendous track record of growing enrollment, developing innovative academic programs and strengthening partnerships with communities and industry,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “I believe he will be a catalyst for advancing scholarship, research and outreach at our Griffin campus, and I look forward to welcoming him to our leadership team.”

If you’ve ever wished that the orange juice you buy from the grocery store tasted like you squeezed it yourself — and stayed fresh at home — you may be interested in an electrifying project at the Food Product Innovation and Commercialization Center (FoodPIC) on the University of Georgia Griffin campus.

Food technology company Food Physics is working with FoodPIC scientists to perfect a technique known as pulsed electric field technology (PEF). An alternative to thermal pasteurization for processing food products, PEF uses short bursts of high voltage —15,000 volts per centimeter (V/cm) — to inactivate any harmful bacteria that may be found in the product.

“The idea is to have a product taste as close as possible to fresh-squeezed, but be safe and have a commercially feasible shelf life,” said Jim Gratzek, director of FoodPIC.

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