Human skin expert to give Ritter Lecture
Elaine Fuchs, one of the world’s top experts on the science of human skin, will be the featured speaker in the Ritter Lecture Series on Sept. 23. Fuchs will speak at 4 p.m. in room 404E of the biological sciences building. The event is open free to the public.
Fuchs is the Rebecca C. Lancefield Professor and head of the Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biology and Development at Rockefeller University. Her research on skin demonstrates how the focus on a single tissue can provide insight into general problems in cell and developmental biology and ranges from identifying and working out the mechanisms of action of transcription factors to learning the causes of tumors and other diseases of the skin.
She is the winner of numerous awards for her work. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has served as president of the American Society of Cell Biology.
The Ritter Lecture Series was established in 1999 in honor of the late Hope T.M. Ritter Jr., a UGA professor and later a professor emeritus of cellular biology. The series focuses on bringing a distinguished lecturer to UGA. The series is supported by the Ritter Lecture Series Fund created with contributions from family and friends of Ritter on the occasion of his 80th birthday. Ritter died in 2007.
Former gymnast to get Hartman Award
Dr. Kathy McMinn, the former gymnast who was the first UGA athlete to be named All-American four consecutive years, is the 2008 recipient of the Bill Hartman Award.
Named for the late long-time kicking coach and chairman of the Georgia Student Educational Fund, the Hartman Award is one of the highest honors given to a former UGA athlete. Presented annually since 1992, the award recognizes former UGA athletes who have demonstrated excellence in their profession and/or in service to others with 20 or more years of superior performance after graduation. Only former varsity athletes who have received a baccalaureate degree from UGA can be considered for the award. McMinn, a pulmonary and critical care specialist at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta, will be presented with the award at the Sept. 27 football game versus Alabama.
College of Education alumnus wins Dissertation of the Year award
College of Education alumnus C. Ryan Akers received the Southern Association for College Student Affairs Dissertation of the Year award for 2008. This is the second consecutive year a UGA student has received this honor.
Akers, who is now a research associate and instructor at Mississippi State University, earned his doctorate in counseling and student personnel services. His dissertation, “Evolution of Emergency Operations Strategies: Structure and Process of Crisis Response in College Student Affairs,” was written under the guidance of his committee chair Diane L. Cooper, a professor in the department of counseling and human development services.
The idea for his dissertation started well before Akers began thinking about graduate school. During his undergraduate study at Delta State University, seven members of the campus community lost their lives. After entering graduate school, Akers was also influenced by the Texas A&M bonfire tragedy; Sept. 11, 2001 and hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Watching the impact these tragedies had on college campuses sparked Akers’ research interest, which he later formed into his award-winning dissertation.
Akers has bachelor’s degrees in biology and psychology from Delta State University and a master’s degree in counselor education from Mississippi State University.
