Jorge H. Atiles (Assistant Professor, Housing and Consumer Economics and Extension Housing Specialist) received the Gamma Sigma Delta Distinguished Extension Award April 3. He also has received a contract for radon education from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency. Atiles also has been appointed to the Athens-Clarke County Affordable Housing Committee.

Dr. Clifton Baile (Professor, Foods and Nutrition and Animal Science) has been awarded the Community Award by the Georgia Biomedical Partnership for his work in attracting biotechnology researchers and businesses to Athens.

Judy Bland (Tift County Extension Agent), Jessica Norris (Houston County Extension Agent), and Sharon Gibson (FACS Regional Educator) were part of a team that received the Dean Don Felker Award from the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. They were recognized for their work on a project featuring a poverty simulation for high school students that enabled the students to understand the challenges of living on limited resources and to develop empathy for fellow students who come from low-income households.

Patrice Dollar (Family Financial Management Specialist) is leading a collaboration with the Georgia Consortium for Personal Financial Literacy on a program to encourage low-income households to become monetary savers. The project, called “Georgia Saves,” is training “wealth coaches” to work with the target audiences.

Helen Epps (Professor, Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors) has been named Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher of the Year for 2002-03. She was chosen from faculty selected for the honor by their departments, including: Maureen Davey (Assistant Professor, Child and Family Development); Joan Fischer (Professor, Foods and Nutrition); and Teresa Mauldin, (Associate Professor, Housing and Consumer Economics).

An essay by Dr. Epps has been published in O, Georgia! an annual statewide writing competition that chooses the best entries for an anthology. Epps’ essay, “Round Trip,” focuses on insights she developed during a week spent building homes for the needy in Mexico.

Janine Freeman (Foods and Nutrition-Extension) received the Distinguished Service Award from the Diabetes Care and Education Practice Group of the American Dietetic Association at their annual meeting in Philadelphia in October 2002. This is the highest honor bestowed by the Diabetes Practice Group.

Jan Hathcote (Associate Professor, Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Research) has been elected as a director for the International Trade and Finance Association for 2003-05. This professional organization focuses on the economics of the textile and apparel industries from a global perspective and is comprised of members from around the world.

Philip Holtsberg (Interim Director, Housing and Demographics Research Center), Anne Sweaney (Professor, Housing and Consumer Economics), and Casey Gordon (Computer Services Specialist) have developed a new website for the Housing and Demographics Research Center: http://hdrc.fcs.uga.edu. The site provides information on the work of the HDRC, a summary of the workforce housing study, and links to appropriate sites.

Marilyn Hughes (Research Scientist, Foods and Nutrition) has completed requirements for her PhD in Nutrition at Auburn University.

The McPhaul Child Development Center has received a $90,000 contract from the Georgia Child Care Council to provide training and technical assistance for child care professionals in Region 5 Resource and Referral Area. Funding from the grant will also help develop the competencies of child care providers who can make reasonable accommodations for children with special needs in home- and center-based child care settings.

Rebecca Mullis (Professor and Department Head, Foods and Nutrition), James Hargrove (Associate Professor, Food and Nutrition), Joan Fischer (Associate Professor, Foods and Nutrition), and Mary Ann Johnson (Professor, Foods and Nutrition) have received $1.4 million in funding for several projects proposed as part of the Georgia Cancer Initiative. Many of the projects combine behavioral and biological sciences.

Ligaya (Lily) Paguio (Associate Professor Emerita, Child and Family Development) has been awarded a Rotary Grant for University Teachers for 2003-04. Beginning October 2003 until February 2004 she will be working at the University of the Philippines’ Laguna Campus and Quezon City Campus. This program is designed to promote international understanding and development through advanced education in developing countries and aims to establish ties between educational institutions leading to the exchange of ideas and information around the world.

Wendy Parent (Program Specialist, Institute for Human Development and Disability) is the principal investigator for a $3 million grant to implement employment supports for persons with disabilities.

Bill Quinn, (Professor, Child and Family Development) is a co-principal investigator on a research team including faculty in the College of Education, working on intervention models to prevent school violence. The multi-state project is funded by the Centers for Disease Control, Violence and Injury Prevention. The project has been extended for two years in the amount of $5.4 million.

Connie Rash (Assistant Director, Student Services) worked with three fellow cancer survivors to create, “My Journey,” a journal that is being given to cancer patients at Hematology and Oncology of Northeast Georgia. The journal contains a range of information, including side effects of treatment, a page for contact information, a list of likely questions, and pages to chronicle how patients feel on any given day.

Anita Smith (Public Service Associate, Child and Family Development) has been named Educator of the Year by the Georgia Association on Young Children. The award is presented for strong commitment and dedication to students, colleagues and the early childhood community.

Zo Stoneman (Director, IHDD) is co-principal investigator for a grant funded by the Biomedical and Health Sciences Institute and the Shepherd Center titled, “Sibling Relationships of Youth with Spinal Cord Injury.”

Charles Yang (Professor, Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors) has been selected by the Fiber Society, as a Fiber Society Lecturer for 2003. He will present his lecture at Cornell University, University of California-Davis, and Auburn University. The Fiber Society is a scientific organization dedicated to fiber physics and chemistry. Lecturers are individuals who have made significant contributions to science, engineering and technology of the fiber-based products industry.