Unsung Heroes Some classes are easier to translate into virtual instruction than others. The department of plant biology's Plant Taxonomy course is in the “not easy” category. Unsung Heroes Mason McNair, a graduate teaching assistant, and fellow TA Mark Zenoble, were given the task of creating and presenting content for the lectures and laboratory sessions under the supervision of two professors, the official instructors of record for the course. McNair and Zenoble made the best of remote learning conditions during COVID by recording lectures, photographing step-by-step plant dissections at home with a cutting board and microscope, and making videos in the greenhouse and herbarium. Read more about how this week’s Unsung Heroes kept students passionate about plants during the pandemic.
Health & Wellness Finish Strong Summer and Fall semesters are right around the corner. Your commitment to health and safety protocols over the last academic year has allowed us to continue to teach, conduct research and serve the state of Georgia, and we thank you. But our work isn’t done.
As we get closer to crossing the pandemic finish line, remember that the following health and safety guidelines remain a priority, even as more members of our community become vaccinated.
Vaccinate With every person we vaccinate, our community becomes safer and stronger. All adults over the age of 16 in Georgia are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination. The University Health Center (UHC) is issuing invitations for appointments to our faculty, staff and students in accordance with the volume of vaccine received each week. Vaccines are only given by appointment, and we are being very careful to ensure that no vaccine is wasted. We will abide by CDC and GDPH guidelines for administration until everyone who wants a vaccine gets a vaccine. To learn more about vaccines and UGA’s process for administering them, visit the UHC’s FAQs.
DawgCheck All faculty, staff and students should continue to self-monitor for any symptoms of COVID-19 and use DawgCheck every day before coming to campus, even if they’ve been vaccinated. Remember that every member of the UGA community is required to use DawgCheck to report a positive COVID-19 test.
Get Tested We are still learning about how effective COVID-19 vaccines are at reducing the spread of the disease and how long they are effective, so participation in surveillance testing still plays an important role in preventing further spread. If you experience symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you’ve been around someone who is sick, you should get tested and stay home. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of the free surveillance testing that continues to be offered at Legion Field and pop-up locations. Testing at Legion Field can be scheduled here. Walk-up appointments can usually be accommodated at Legion Field, and pop-up saliva testing does not require pre-registration.
Stay Safe In the coming weeks and months, we also must continue to wear our face coverings, maintain social distancing, wash our hands frequently and use hand sanitizer, even as vaccines become more prevalent. Adherence to these health and safety protocols has served our campus community well and has helped us to have a positive outlook for Fall Semester.
We are Georgia Strong, Dawg Strong, and we will Finish Strong. Resources for Student Wellbeing As we near the end of another tough semester and head into finals and final projects, we encourage you to assure students that UGA has many resources to support them. Please take a moment to check in with your students and ask if they need any support. You may refer to them to the following resources:
For a more comprehensive listing of resources, please visit UGA’s Student Resources for Wellbeing or the UGA Mental Health Initiative. Surveillance Testing Continues at Legion Field Free asymptomatic-only testing is available for all UGA community members at Legion Field. You may schedule an appointment or walk in Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. The Legion Field site testing schedule will follow the University of Georgia calendar for closure. Remember to bring your UGA ID.
***Participants will receive a 25% off coupon valid at any UGA retail dining location, courtesy of the President’s Venture Fund. Remember to Check Your Symptoms Before Coming to Campus
Instruction Reminder: Instructional Break Thursday, April 8 Thursday, April 8 will be an instructional break for students. Based on recommendations from the Educational Affairs Committee, “No mandatory assignments shall be scheduled for completion during these instructional break days, either for course work or extra-curricular or co-curricular activities. It is strongly recommended that assignments and examinations not be scheduled for the day after the instructional break days.”
Outreach: PSO and Extension Call the Georgia Center for Virtual or Hybrid Meeting Needs The UGA Center for Continuing Education can handle your meeting or conference through a virtual or hybrid format if meeting in person is not an option.
The Georgia Center provides a professionally trained team to work with you during format development and delivery to help you best meet your objectives; a technical team assigned to work with each of your speakers; trained moderators to assist with interactive sessions; and the ability to pre-record content as well as record live sessions. Call 706-542-2654 or email the Georgia Center to learn more. Breakfast and Family Dinner To-Go at the Georgia Center The Georgia Center is serving Breakfast on the Run with curbside service from 7:30-9:30 a.m. each weekday. Breakfasts are $5 plus tax.
Also, Bulldog Bistro chefs are preparing Take Home Family Meals for $35. The meals, which feed four to five people, include a choice of an entrée, salad, two side dishes and buttered rolls. The menu changes weekly. Have feedback? To suggest additional topics for future email digests, complete this form.
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