University of North Georgia

Using the University of North Georgia's (UNG) eye tracker, Dr. John Dewey and a trio of seniors pursuing psychology degrees are searching for the answer to a question: How much information can you gain from a person's gaze?

For about 20 hours over 2 1/2 days, University of North Georgia (UNG) students Joseph Froetschel, Suzy Steel and Lani Chastain helmed the world's second-largest single-dish radio telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. It is an experience not open to many, said Dr. Allison Smith, part-time faculty in physics and astronomy at UNG.

The University of North Georgia (UNG) Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation honored women for their entrepreneurship efforts Oct. 22. Jenna Libman took home the UNG Student Woman Entrepreneur of the Year honor.

The University of North Georgia's (UNG) Ranger Challenge program swept the top two spots at the Spartan Ranger Challenge and will send two teams to the Sandhurst International Military Skills Competition in April as UNG tries for a third straight ROTC title. Hosted by the 1st Brigade of U.S. Cadet Command, 19 teams from the nation's junior and senior military colleges competed in the Spartan Ranger Challenge Oct. 24-26 at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

To find students enthusiastic about the service projects that are part of the Blue Ridge Scholars program at the University of North Georgia (UNG), Dr. Nathan Price interviewed the applicants this year to the cohort-style program. "We get an idea of who they are and what they want to accomplish, and they get an idea about the program and its requirements," said Price, coordinator for the Blue Ridge Scholars program. Blue Ridge Scholars are full-time freshmen who receive extra academic support in the first year and participate in service-learning activities. As a cohort, they have a lower teacher-to-student ratio to help ease the transition from high school to college.

The Learning Assistant Program at the University of North Georgia (UNG) is introducing teaching as career pathway in physics. Learning Assistants train one-on-one with a professor for a lecture or lab class. Then, along with the professor, they help other students in those specific courses during class. During the first semester as an LA, students also take a pedagogy class to learn how to teach.

University of North Georgia (UNG) students Roel Aguilar, Carlos Garcia and Juan Velasquez made history earlier this semester on the University of North Georgia's Gainesville Campus. The trio were inducted as the newest members of Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity Inc., becoming the first Latino fraternity at UNG and the first Greek-lettered fraternal organization on the Gainesville Campus.

University of North Georgia (UNG) student Katherine Torres participated in the highly competitive Cox-State Department Diplomacy Seminar in October. Torres, a junior pursuing a degree in political science with a concentration in pre-law, had applied for a summer enrichment program but was not selected. Then Dr. Anastasia Lin, assistant vice president of research and engagement and associate professor of history, found the diplomacy seminar, a fully funded career exploration program for undergraduate students.

Researchers at the University of North Georgia (UNG) are on a quest to give people who use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram better tools to guard their sensitive data. Thanks to a Presidential Semester Incentive Award, Dr. Ahmad Ghafarian and three students are conducting controlled experiments to see how much data is stored on computers and web browsers used by social media account holders.

Two University of North Georgia (UNG) students participated in a unique opportunity through Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity's national philanthropy, The Ability Experience, in summer 2019. Both UNG students participated in Journey of Hope, which is one of three programs in The Ability Experience. With the program, students bike across America to raise awareness and funds for people with disabilities. They raised a combined $4,888 through their efforts with the program.

Now in its third year, the McNair Scholars program is designed to identify and prepare sophomores, juniors and seniors from all UNG campuses for post-graduate studies through involvement in research and other scholarly activities. The current 18 McNair Scholars are succeeding. Since the program launched at UNG in fall 2017, several McNair Scholars have participated in undergraduate research projects and presented at conferences. In spring 2019, two McNair Scholars won national scholarships, including UNG's first Truman and Goldwater Scholars.

The University of North Georgia (UNG) congratulates all of the award recipients at the Georgia Film Festival. Hosted by the CMJ department at UNG, the festival ran from Sept. 20-21 in the Continuing Education and Performing Arts building on UNG's Gainesville Campus. More than 60 films from independent filmmakers and college students were accepted into the festival.

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is proud to announce the recipients of a 2019 Love of Learning Award. The awards help fund post-baccalaureate studies and career development for active Society members.

The University of North Georgia (UNG) Boar's Head brigade honored a record 31 members of the Corps of Cadets at the 2019 Distinguished Military Students (DMS) Review held Sept. 29, breaking the previous mark of 25 during the 2016-17 school year. The annual review recognizes senior ROTC cadets who have excelled academically and as leaders. To be selected, a cadet must be in the upper half of the academic class, the upper third of the ROTC class, and the upper third of UNG's Order of Merit List, established by the professor of military science. Additionally, cadets are chosen on the basis of interest and aptitude for military service and outstanding qualities of leadership and high moral character as demonstrated by participation and achievement in campus, civic and military activities.

Around 190 students transitioned from being civilians to cadets at Freshman Orientation Group (FROG) Week at the University of North Georgia (UNG), which ran Aug. 11-17. From rifle range training to an academics introduction, incoming cadets were presented with a great deal of information about UNG and how the Corps of Cadets fits within the university. They also completed grueling leadership exercises at Pine Valley, rappelled at the Army Rangers' Camp Frank D. Merrill and capped off the week with the Crown Mountain Run the morning of the traditional FROG Week graduation.

Learning to hack into a car, control a robot, program a drone, and write computer code are just a few of the activities high school students mastered during the GenCyber Warrior Academy in June at the University of North Georgia (UNG). More than 170 national and international students applied for 40 positions to the highly selective 10-day summer program

Students in the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Summer Language Institute (SLI) gained experience far beyond the classroom this summer. As part of the intensive six-week course from June 15-July 31 that earned them eight credit hours in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean or Russian, students took field trips to put their language skills into practice.

University of North Georgia (UNG) President Bonita C. Jacobs recognized students who achieved a 4.0 GPA during the summer 2019 semester. Students enrolled in 12 or more credit hours in bachelor's degree programs who achieved a 4.0 grade point average were named to the President's Honor Roll. Students enrolled in associate degree programs who met the same level of achievement were named to the President's List.

The deans of each of UNG's five colleges - the College of Arts & Letters, the College of Education, the College of Health Sciences & Professions, the Mike Cottrell College of Business, and the College of Science & Mathematics - announced the names of those students who made their respective lists for summer 2019. Dean's List recognition is achieved by having at least a 3.5 grade point average, carrying 12 or more credit hours in one semester and having no grade lower than B.

The University of North Georgia announces degrees and certificates awarded for the summer 2019 semester, including hundreds awarded in commencement exercises held Aug. 2 at Convocation Center at the university.

In ceremonies held August 2 at the University of North Georgia, graduating cadets were awarded commissions as second lieutenants.

The University of North Georgia's Faculty Undergraduate Summer Engagement (FUSE) grants are funding research projects in 2019, but they are not the only ones. For the first time, four faculty members of psychological science received the American Psychological Association's Summer Undergraduat Psychology Research Experience (SUPRE) grants. SUPRE and FUSE grants allocate funds for UNG faculty to conduct research with undergraduate students who have little to no research experience.

Nine UNG students have been awarded the Benjamin A Gilman International Scholarship. The students learned in late April that they received the nationally competitive scholarship for summer 2019. Earlier this year, six UNG students earned early summer Gilman scholarships for a total of 15 UNG students, which is a new record for UNG.

Eight University of North Georgia (UNG) cadets participated in the NSA Cyber Exercise (NCX) from April 15-17 at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The University of North Georgia (UNG) had a record 65 current and former students attend the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) from April 11-13 at Kennesaw State University. UNG sent 77 people to NCUR, which ranked UNG as the No. 7 school for participants at the conference. Participants included students and faculty in anthropology and archaeology, biology, chemistry, computer science, education, history, music, physics, and psychology.

Three University of North Georgia (UNG) rifle team student-athletes competed in April at the National Junior Olympics in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Sophomore Ricky Medina from Kennesaw, Georgia, finished 23rd out of 172 in the men's 10-meter air rifle event with a score of 1,217.9 and 24th out of 61 in the men's meter three-position rifle with a 2,259.

University of North Georgia (UNG) senior Kelly Reid has been selected as an alternate in the U.S. English Language Teaching Assistantship Program with the Fulbright Austria program. This means Reid has a chance of being offered a position by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research for the 2019-20 academic year if additional assistantship positions become available. In previous years, a considerable number of positions opened up for alternate candidates before the program's July start.

In ceremonies held May 3 at the University of North Georgia, graduating cadets were awarded commissions as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army or Georgia National Guard.

The University of North Georgia announces associate degrees awarded to dual-enrolled students in the 2018-2019 school year, including more than a dozen presented at commencement exercises held May 3 and 4 in Dahlonega.

Alumna Brooklyn Rouse won the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program this year. She will spend at least one year in Japan as an assistant language teacher.