Portraits

Forensics coach John Nash was interviewd for a story aobut the team winning its 3rd National Champioship. 

History professor Heather Bailey's research into the 19th Century Russian Orthodox church and its influence on geopolitical relationships with France have earned her the university's highest distinction for faculty members. She is the 2024 University Scholar.

Mary Jo Ondrechen,(Mohawk Nation),  professor of chemistry and chemical biology, received an award from the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. The AISES Professional Awards are granted to five individuals annually, one per category: Ondrechen has received the Technical Excellence Award. When she helped found the AISES program Lighting the Pathway to Faculty Careers for Natives in STEM, it was out of a desire to give back. 

Terry College of Business Online MBA graduate Justin Bridges poses for photos at the Jackson Spalding offices ahead of his convocation ceremony on Thursday, May 08, 2025 in Athens, Ga. 

The new director of  the Soil, Water and Forage Analytical Laboratory, Dr. Bee Chim, poses for a photo holding soil in front of a wall of soil samples in the SWALF Labs on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.

Kun Wang, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics, with secondary appt in the Department of Chemistry along with students Shaocheng Shen, left,  a graduate student earning his doctorate in chemistry and Mehrdad Shiri, right,  pose for a picture in the knights Physics Building.:  Professor Wang is holding a replica of the molecule thay created.   The team has created the world's most electrically conductive molecule reported to date, opening new possibilities for constructing computing devices at the molecular scale. This work has addressed a three-decade long challenge in the field. This breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize molecular computing and quantum device development—an ambitious goal that has long been pursued in these fields. .Their recent work, which represents a key breakthrough in the field, is soon to be accepted by the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), one of the most prestigious journals in chemistry and materials science which has published many Nobel Prize level researchers. Our collaborators at Georgia Institute of Technology are also likely to issue a press release.

Transfer student, Sam McFarland '25, rediscovers his passion for storytelling and film. 

On the hilltop, McFarland connected with Bella Harris ‘23, who was the current president of Topper Radio, the student-run radio station. He told Harris about his interest in film and she connected him with Professor of Journalism and Digital Media Jena Heath.

Next thing, Heath was in McFarland’s inbox notifying him about an internship as a Camp Counselor at the Austin Film Festival. Here, he helped a group of young filmmakers create a movie in a week, reigniting his passion for film. 

Around this time, Heath and colleagues created a new interdisciplinary major in the School of Arts and Humanities, Digital Storytelling and Content Creation. This was the hands-on kind of storytelling McFarland was craving and opened the door to festivals, internships and countless experiential learning opportunities in the entertainment business. 

“Digital storytelling is just everything I'm interested in, so I don't mind absolutely packing my schedule with it,” McFarland said.

Transfer student, Sam McFarland '25, rediscovers his passion for storytelling and film. 

On the hilltop, McFarland connected with Bella Harris ‘23, who was the current president of Topper Radio, the student-run radio station. He told Harris about his interest in film and she connected him with Professor of Journalism and Digital Media Jena Heath.

Next thing, Heath was in McFarland’s inbox notifying him about an internship as a Camp Counselor at the Austin Film Festival. Here, he helped a group of young filmmakers create a movie in a week, reigniting his passion for film. 

Around this time, Heath and colleagues created a new interdisciplinary major in the School of Arts and Humanities, Digital Storytelling and Content Creation. This was the hands-on kind of storytelling McFarland was craving and opened the door to festivals, internships and countless experiential learning opportunities in the entertainment business. 

“Digital storytelling is just everything I'm interested in, so I don't mind absolutely packing my schedule with it,” McFarland said.

Dechen takes a moment to listen to her favorite tunes and do some light reading.

A Harper welding student smoothes out the edges on their latest project.