At the frontier of stem cell biology, our team uses human pluripotent stem cells to model the peripheral nervous system and the adrenal gland. We aim to uncover the disease mechanisms underlying diseases that affect those tissues in human patients. From conditions like Familial Dysautonomia to diabetic peripheral neuropathy to adrenal gland insufficiency, our lab’s […]
October 23, 2025
GlycoCURE Discovery
GlycoCURE Discovery is an interdisciplinary VIPR team focused on harnessing drug discovery and glycobiology to develop new disease models and therapeutic approaches for treating rare disease, with particular focus on congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDGs). Approximately 30 million individuals in the United States are living with a rare disease, which by definition have a prevalence of […]
December 2, 2024
WeatherRisk
This VIPR team is an interdisciplinary group that examines the risks posed by severe and extreme weather to communities and vital systems. These risks include, but are not limited to, high winds, extreme heat, flooding, drought, and wildfires. The team investigates the interconnected effects of these events – particularly compound and cascading hazardous weather – […]
December 2, 2024
SPREE: Social Psychology of Research Experiences and Education Team
The SPREE team studies undergraduate research experiences, including the impacts of embedding research into courses and expanding the pool of research undergraduate research mentors to include graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. This team designs and conducts qualitative and quantitative studies to understand how different forms of research experiences influence students’ educational and career trajectories—for example, […]
December 2, 2024
Project MACAW: Managing Avian Collisions At Windows
This team will identify hotspots and timing of lethal bird collisions with windows on the UGA campus. Students will: uncover the ecological and design drivers of collisions; assess knowledge and educate UGA students, staff, and faculty about the issue; develop monitoring protocols; and propose innovative solutions to prevent collisions by engaging with multiple stakeholders at […]
December 2, 2024
MIA Search and Recovery Technologies: Lost and Found
This VIPR team will enlist undergrads and grad students in the ongoing search and recovery efforts of Missing in Action military service members. There are currently over 80,000 MIA U.S. military service members whose remains have not been recovered. Over the past three years, the University of Georgia has partnered with external stakeholders involved in […]
December 2, 2024
Metabolomics & Systems Biology VIPR Team
Systems Biology is big data in biology. It often refers to large “omics” datasets that are modeled and analyzed for biological insight. Increasingly, machine learning and AI are important tools in this analysis. The Edison lab specializes in metabolomics, which is one of the major components of systems biology. These technologies are important in many […]
December 2, 2024
Luminous Room Documentary Film Production Group
This team will produce one short documentary film during a year-long cycle. This includes interviewing, collecting b-roll and archival footage, scripting storylines, forging graphics, editing, and exhibiting the final product. Topics are likely to follow themes of conservation/science and arts/culture. Each project will have a meaningful budget, and the team will have access to a […]
December 2, 2024
Humanities in Public Life: A Multilingual Inquiry
This team will investigate how the humanities shape public life by analyzing cultural narratives, speech, and multilingual discourse in the U.S. Drawing on mixed methods from linguistics, literature, theater, and language studies, we aim to produce research-based insights into how humanistic practices contribute to civic dialogue, identity formation, and social cohesion. Our goal is to […]
December 2, 2024
Engineering Resilient Plants VIPR Team
This team will offer students an experiential learning opportunity in plant genome editing to create resilient plants. Through active participation in research, students will engage in the full pipeline—from experimental design to data collection, and statistical analysis. The team will employ hands-on lab projects with cutting-edge theory, helping students build critical skills in plant biology, […]
December 2, 2024
Developing Techniques & Devices for AI Enabled Earth-Observing Small Satellites VIPR Team
With the proliferation of satellites in space, low Earth orbit traffic becomes “jammed”, making it necessary to be more efficient in space-based data collection and downlink. From the perspective of Earth observers, the way to accomplish this efficiency goal is twofold: 1) Use small satellites (CubeSats), which have shorter mission lifetimes and more easily satisfy […]
December 2, 2024
CoolDawgs: Wearable Sensors-enabled Heat Stress Tracker and Alert System for Pets
Extreme heat is a leading cause of weather-related illness and death among pets and domestic animals. This project aims to design, develop, and evaluate wearable multi-sensor devices, along with companion mobile apps, to continuously monitor animals’ heat stress and notify owners when the risk becomes dangerously high. The system will be tailored to each individual […]
December 2, 2024
Applied History Lab
This multidisciplinary team will work collaboratively to produce a multimedia web project for UGA’s new Applied History program. The team will produce original content and solicit content from relevant Applied History courses to create articles, blogs, newsletters, podcasts, and videos that demonstrate the value of “thinking in time” and show how the analysis of historical […]