University of North Georgia

Ryan Coyle, a spring University of North Georgia graduate with a degree in chemistry with a biochemistry concentration, received the Outstanding Undergraduate Student of the Year Award from the Northeast Georgia Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS). In April, he accepted the award at the combined ACS/University of Georgia chemistry awards banquet in Athens, Georgia.

The University of North Georgia's Dahlonega Campus American Chemical Society student chapter took first place in the third annual Trivia Night event hosted by Georgia Gwinnett College and Augusta University. They outperformed teams from Georgia, North Carolina and Florida. The group's faculty advisers are Dr. Greta Giles and Dr. Ryan Meier.

University of North Georgia senior Alexander Smiarowski earned the 2024 Undergraduate Student Award from the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) for his work with Dr. Isaac Agyekum, associate professor of chemistry. Smiarowski presented their research, which is a novel, faster and more streamlined analytical method of fatty acid analysis, and received his award at the ASMS Annual Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics in June in Anaheim, California.

The University of North Georgia's (UNG) Dr. Esther Morgan-Ellis, Abigail Cannon '24 and Lily Hammond '24 had an article published in "Choral Journal," the international journal of the American Choral Directors Association. Morgan-Ellis combined the research papers of Cannon and Hammond, added her thoughts and submitted the new journal article.

University of North Georgia (UNG) senior Casey Helton took part in the prestigious Harvard Forest Summer Research Program in Ecology from May 20-Aug. 2.

Torrie Reed, a junior at the University of North Georgia (UNG), has won the Georgia Young Farmer and Rancher Collegiate Discussion Meet Award. She will represent Georgia at the American Farm Bureau Foundation FUSION conference in Denver, Colorado, in March.

Fourteen University of North Georgia (UNG) students of Mexican or Latinx descent will receive scholarships provided by the UNG Foundation and the Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta. Recipients are primarily in the College of Education.

University of North Georgia (UNG) graduate students Kimberly Nelms, '13, and Heidi Carr presented at the inaugural Education Technology Summit at UNG this summer.

University of North Georgia (UNG) junior Katie Galbreath and several of her theater peers at UNG and Brenau University came together to produce Kevin D. Ferguson's "Child's Play" Aug. 3 at UNG's Gainesville Campus.

Four University of North Georgia (UNG) students are participating in the first East Asian studies internship program at two metro Atlanta schools this fall. The students are serving as interns in the schools as teaching assistants, applying their knowledge of Japanese or Korean language and culture, said Dr. Sung Shin Kim, director of East Asian studies and professor of history.

The University of North Georgia's (UNG) 220 newest cadets began their time in the Corps of Cadets with Freshman Recruit Orientation Group (FROG) Week from Aug. 4-10. The week mixed physical challenges with an array of workshops about available services and how to succeed as a cadet and a student.

University of North Georgia (UNG) senior Ana Flores has been named the school's Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Scholar for the 2024-25 academic year.

University of North Georgia (UNG) film students Andrew Byrd, Mark Harris and Jacob Monahan all participated in a study abroad in summer 2023 in Italy where they created a short film together as they all pursue degrees in film with a production concentration. When they returned stateside, they were offered an internship with Syfan Logistics in Gainesville, Georgia.

University of North Georgia (UNG) senior Autumn Sniffen was awarded the Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Grant to study at the National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan. Originally from Catonsville, Maryland, Sniffen is pursuing a degree in modern languages with a concentration in Chinese for global professionals.

More than 80 elementary and middle school students participated in the University of North Georgia's 2024 Summer Scholars STEM Institute. The program designed for students in fourth to eighth grade occurred during June and is supported by the Tommy and Chantal Bagwell Foundation, Jackson EMC Foundation, Habersham EMC Foundation and the United Way of Hall County.

Two University of North Georgia (UNG) students participated in the four-week Pathway to Med School program through the Foothills Area Health Education Center (AHEC) this summer. The program looks to help students get into medical school and get them interested in primary care so that they will consider returning and serving the north Georgia community. This summer, eight students from the region participated.

University of North Georgia (UNG) senior Tracy Amaya took part in the competitive Meridian-Cox Service Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Washington, D.C., from June 23-29.

University of North Georgia (UNG) President Michael P. Shannon recognized students who achieved a 4.0 GPA during the summer 2024 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 or dual enrollment programs who met the same level of achievement were named to the President's List.

For the summer 2024 semester, the University of North Georgia (UNG) awarded about 500 degrees and certificates to graduates. About 260 of the graduates participated in the summer 2024 commencement ceremony held July 26 at the Convocation Center at UNG's Dahlonega Campus.

The deans of each of UNG's colleges announced the names of those students who made their respective lists for summer 2024. 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.

Fourteen University of North Georgia (UNG) cadets commissioned as second lieutenants in the Army and Georgia Army National Guard on July 25 in a ceremony in the Hoag Auditorium at UNG's Dahlonega Campus. The university also honored three cadets who graduated this summer on the National Service Leadership Track.

Ten teams pairing faculty and students for research are taking part in the Faculty Undergraduate Summer Engagement (FUSE) program this year at the University of North Georgia (UNG).

The Model United Nations clubs on the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Gainesville and Dahlonega Campuses jointly organized the seventh annual Model United Nations Conference at the Gainesville Campus. Held March 29, the event topic was "Addressing the Impacts that Artificial Intelligence has in the Current Digital Age."

A trio of students and two faculty members in the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Department of Biology are researching oysters from the Georgia coast to check for the presence of vibrio bacteria and for the level, if any, of antibiotic resistance in these bacteria.

Nine University of North Georgia (UNG) students were chosen as Gilman scholarship recipients this spring. This achievement marks four more students than the previous year.

University of North Georgia (UNG) Cadet Benjamin Smith earned Distinguished Honor Graduate recognition in his class this summer at Air Assault School at the Warrior Training Center at Fort Moore, Georgia. He was the best student out of the class of roughly 230, which included mostly cadets and some active-duty personnel.

Eleven University of North Georgia (UNG) students have been selected to embark on funded summer research experiences, many of which are funded by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) program.

Three University of North Georgia (UNG) students pursuing degrees in biology won poster presentation awards at the Georgia Academy of Science conference hosted by Kennesaw State University this spring.

Six University of North Georgia (UNG) cadets placed in the top 10 among their fellow ROTC cadets at the Army Small Arms Championship, a weeklong competition at Fort Moore in Colombus, Georgia, in March.

Seven University of North (UNG) students were named Fulbright finalists this spring, and six are set to travel to destinations in Europe and Asia. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program will allow these students to meet, work, live with and learn from the people of their host country. These UNG's Fulbright finalists will serve as English teaching assistant in their respective countries.