University of North Georgia

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.

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.

University of North Georgia (UNG) student Dominique Cunningham has been accepted into Yale University's BioMed Amgen Scholars program. Inspired and assisted by her mentor Dr. Neal Lin, a lecturer of biology and a Yale alumnus, and Dr. Anastasia Lin, assistant vice president for Academic Affairs and director of the Nationally Competitive Scholarships office, Cunningham applied for the program late last year.

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.

The University of North Georgia (UNG) had a pair of student-athletes named as winners of the NCAA Division II 50th Anniversary Scholarship on May 20 at the NCAA Division II Spring Festival's Opening Ceremony in Orlando, Florida. UNG sophomore Max Garnett and senior Claire Mills were the two selected recipients from the Peach Belt Conference (PBC).

University of North Georgia (UNG) alumnus Atticus Tomcho has been selected as a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) recipient.

Four students from the University of North Georgia (UNG) have been selected as 2024 Boren Scholarship recipients, and one was named an alternate. The awardees won funding of up to $25,000 to study a critical language abroad. In return, they agree to work for the federal government for a year upon graduation.

As a student pursuing a degree in art education at the University of North Georgia (UNG), Bridgette Donnaud was enrolled in "Exploring Learning and Teaching," a required course in the College of Education, that mandated 30 hours of observation of classrooms and teachers. The Loganville, Georgia, native grabbed a unique opportunity presented by Dr. James Badger, course professor, to fulfill the requirement and begin a journey she had not considered.

Dustin Ward, a St. Louis, Missouri, native and University of North Georgia (UNG) senior, will be heading to London next spring for an internship with Deloitte accounting firm. Ward, who is pursuing a degree in accounting, also earned a scholarship from the Georgia Society of CPAs Educational Foundation.

University of North Georgia (UNG) student Marshall VandenOever capped off his time as the 2023-24 UNG Presidential Fellow for the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress (CSPC) by winning a writing award. He earned the Donald B. Marron Award for Best Historical Analysis for his paper entitled "The Presidency and Labor: A Policy of Pragmatism."

A partnership between a student in the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Department of Visual Arts and the Historic Vickery House provided a learning experience and functional art. Jennie Bosman, a senior in associate professor Alex Kraft's ceramics systems and surfaces class, designed, created and ultimately presented a set of four pavers to the Vickery House on March 28.

Fifteen UNG students earned scholarships for SANS Institute cybersecurity training through their strong finishes in the Cyber FastTrack competition.

Students in a pair of visual arts courses this spring gained valuable experience painting murals in the communities near the University of North Georgia (UNG). Stephanie Leyva, Alexis Phillips, Grace Witkowski, and Joanna Zwemke painted a "Discover Dahlonega" mural on panels that will be displayed in downtown Dahlonega, Georgia. They completed the project as part of a class with Vivian Liddell, assistant professor of visual arts, in partnership with Dahlonega's Downtown Development Authority and Main Street Program.

Cooper Warrington, a May graduate with a degree in cybersecurity, won the Best Application of Theory Award at the Northeast Decision Sciences Institute, held in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Tamirat Abegaz, associate professor of computer science, presented Warrington's paper, "A Comparative Analysis of ChatGPT, Bard, Snapchat, Hugging, and Perplexity on Unintentional Biases," on his behalf.

University of North Georgia students took third place overall at the National Cyber Exercise (NCX) hosted by the National Security Agency (NSA) at the Maritime Conference Center near Baltimore, Maryland. UNG was the top in-person team at the event with the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Air Force Academy, the highest finishers, participating remotely.

Recent University of North Georgia graduate Lauren Payne was the first recipient of the Dr. Sidney Benton Endowed Mathematics Educator Scholarship.

Fifteen University of North Georgia (UNG) students in UNG's Corps of Cadets participated in study abroad excursions this spring. For the first time, two cadets studied at the Hellenic Army Academy in Athens, Greece. Two cadets from Greece came to Dahlonega, as well.

Recent University of North Georgia (UNG) graduate Alyssa Mulcahy will spend the 2024-25 academic year in Japan through the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program.

University of North Georgia (UNG) senior Daniela Zavaleta won the prestigious 2024 Undergraduate Scholarship Award from the Association for Supply Chain Management's (ACSM) Atlanta chapter.

Just days away from graduating from the University of North Georgia (UNG), Katelynn Fry learned her design had been selected for a challenge coin.

For the spring 2024 semester, the University of North Georgia (UNG) awarded about 1,700 degrees and certificates to graduates. Many of the graduates participated in the spring 2024 commencement ceremonies held May 2-3 at the Convocation Center at UNG's Dahlonega Campus.

University of North Georgia (UNG) President Michael P. Shannon recognized students who achieved a 4.0 GPA during the spring 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.

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

In a ceremony held May 2 by the University of North Georgia, 52 graduating cadets were awarded commissions as second lieutenants.

UNG students who showed promise, demonstrated creativity, displayed excellence, served others and exceeded all expectations had their moment in the spotlight during the annual Student Honors and Awards Day events held April 9-11.