David K. Thomson, a recent doctoral graduate in history, is recognized for his groundbreaking scholarship on financing of the American Civil War, which cost the federal government $3.2 billion.
Thomson traveled across the U.S. and globally to understand the role of finance in securing victory for the Union cause. His dissertation uncovers the degree to which Wall Street, investment banking and the democratization of the sale of financial instruments all trace their roots to the Civil War, and lay a foundation for the rise of the U.S. as a dominant player in global finance in the 20th century.
His manuscript documents not just the financial history of the bond drive but also the social history of those who sold the bonds and the thousands of ordinary citizens who were persuaded to invest in the debt of an imperiled nation.
Thomson is currently an assistant professor at Sacred Heart University, Connecticut.
Alexandra Scharf, a recent doctoral graduate in bioengineering and large animal medicine and surgery, is recognized for her research in MRI-based molecular and cellular imaging and the application of this technology to cell-based, regenerative therapies.
Scharf has been instrumental in developing techniques using equine and ovine models of tendonitis to elucidate the contribution of cell therapy to the overall soft tissue healing process. Specifically, using iron particle labeling techniques, she has been able to trace the cells in the tendon for up to two weeks from injection.
This work has led to a series of remarkable opportunities to perfect the delivery, understand the therapeutic benefits, and the predictability of outcomes following cellular treatment of injured soft tissues.
Scharf is now pursuing her veterinary degree in large animal medicine at UGA.