Georgia State University College of Arts and Sciences

We LOVE celebrating Black History Month with The Center for Studies on Africa and Its Diaspora at GSU each year at the CSAD Global Read-A-Thon! It's wonderful to connect with authors and readers across the globe through literature and stimulate cross-cultural connections. This year's Read-A-Thon kicks off Wednesday, February 26 with the theme "ROOTS: The Journey of Us." Join readers around the world as they explore stories that focus on the migration journey.

Learn more: https://t.gsu.edu/4aYqdZ6

Congratulations to all of our Graduate Conference for Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity award winners! The work you do across your various disciplines truly inspires!

General Awards - Oral Presentations:
- First Place — Deena Byfield (Anthropology)
- Second Place — Elizabeth Haseltine (Psychology)
- Third Place — Abbaas Alif Mohamed Nishar (Computer Science)

General Awards - Poster Presentations:
- Second Place — Wisdom Akanmisikum (Geosciences)

General Awards - Creative Expressions:
- Artistic Performance — Angie Melissa González Chaverra (Africana Studies)

Global Engagements Awards - Poster Presentations:
- First Place — Cayden Samuels (Biology)

Sustainability Awards - Oral Presentations:
- $100: Isaac Gemedi (Geosciences)

Sustainability Awards - Poster Presentations:
- $100: Cayden Samuels (Biology)
- $100: Hamida Akter (Geosciences)
- $100: Segun Aderibigbe (Biology)

Exciting news! Associate Professor of English Dr. Paul J. Voss is now the proud owner of the world's largest marble bust of English playwright and poet William Shakespeare! The 1500 pound bust, which was previously displayed in the Paterno Library at Penn State University, traveled 767 miles to reach Dr. Voss and now resides in his backyard Roman Garden. Read about the epic journey of this traveling sculpture: https://t.gsu.edu/3CN3v9y

GSU English Major

🌟 Major congratulations to GSU Physics and Astronomy PhD student Karina Kimani-Stewart for winning the prestigious Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Student Award at the American Astronomical Society annual meeting in Washington, DC! Her presentation, "Is M Dwarf Rotation Rate a Clue to Planetary Presence?" truly impressed.

👏 We also celebrate PhD student Melanie Sloneker for receiving an Honorable Mention for her outstanding research on "Constraining the Multiplicity Properties of the Local Galactic Halo." Bravo to both Karina and Melanie—your hard work and dedication shine brightly in the field of astronomy! 🌌✨

Black History Month events are in full swing at Georgia State University! Learn how to participate below!

Looking for ways to celebrate Black History Month at Georgia State University? Check out the link for a list of all the events happening this month: https://t.gsu.edu/47W35qU

Check out Dr. Candace Kemp in studio with Rose Scott on WABE's Closer Look! Listen to her episode below!

We're excited to highlight Improving Care Through Improv, an innovative program that enhances communication in dementia caregiving. This unique collaboration brings together gerontologist educators from Georgia State University Gerontology Institute and improv actors/educators from Dad’s Garage Theatre in partnership with Improving through Improv, to help care partners use improvisation techniques like the “yes, and…” approach to foster more empathetic and responsive interactions.
Our own Dr. Candace Kemp joined Dr. Ted Johnson from Emory University and Amanda Lee Williams of Improving through Improv and Dad’s Garage on WABE’s Closer Look with Rose Scott to discuss how this creative approach is making a difference in dementia care. We’re proud to collaborate with Emory University Georgia Gear team, Improving through Improv, and Dad's Garage in supporting caregivers and enhancing quality of life.

A huge thank you to Rose Scott and the WABE team for a thoughtful and engaging conversation!

🎧 Listen to the full interview here: https://t.gsu.edu/3X28ytI

Kudos to Political Science professor Dr. Ryan Carlin who was named the 2025 US Chair by the US Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina! In this role he will teach a summer school course on US politics at one of Argentina’s most prestigious universities, Universidad de San Andrés, meet with the cultural attaché, and do more forms of cultural outreach. Congratulations Dr. Carlin!

Political Science at Georgia State University

The Department of English is accepting applications for the Frantz Fanon Book Awards. Learn about the application process below!

An anonymous donor is allowing the Department of English to offer five scholarships in the amount of $800 each to English majors, with the intention that these funds be used to buy their books for the coming year. English majors who are in good standing and who will be enrolled next fall may apply for the award by sending a brief essay (not more than 400 words, please) to the chair of the awards committee, Renée Schatteman ([email protected]), describing both your need and merit: the financial difficulties of the student will be a primary factor. Please submit this by Friday Feb. 21st. Essays will be judged by a committee made up of faculty members. The prizes will be announced and awarded at our annual Majors’ Day celebration on Thursday March 27th.

The award is made to honor the spirit and the legacy of Frantz Fanon, a writer, philosopher, and revolutionary whose work profoundly affects contemporary studies in literature, culture, and politics. It celebrates Georgia State University’s students of African-American origin, but students of all ethnicities are invited to apply.

(Previous winners of this award are not eligible.)

The Creative Media Industries Institute has become a founding member of the Immersive Experience Alliance and will do a panel on XR education at SXSW 2025. Learn more below!

CMII joins forces with leading universities in the Immersive Experience Alliance! Together, we’re driving innovation and taking XR education to the global stage at ! https://cmii.gsu.edu/2025/02/03/cmii-becomes-founding-member-of-the-immersive-experience-alliance-announces-sxsw-2025-panel-on-xr-education/

Kudos Yulduz!

Entrepreneurship & Innovation Institute is now accepting applications for the Main Street Entrepreneurs Seed Fund! Apply: eni.gsu.edu/msesf

Georgia State University’s Entrepreneurship & Innovation Institute is now accepting applications for the Main Street Entrepreneurs Seed Fund, a six-month accelerator offering $350,000 in grants to support resource-constrained entrepreneurs.

https://t.gsu.edu/413lzW5

The third annual CSAD Global Read-A-Thon kicks off Wednesday, February 26, and we're thrilled to celebrate with this epic livestream event! Join The Center for Studies on Africa and Its Diaspora at GSU as they honor literature through the exploration of stories that center migration and the journeys of those who have moved across towns, countries, and oceans. This year's theme is "ROOTS: The Journey of Us." Learn more about it: https://t.gsu.edu/4aYqdZ6

The Gerontology Institute at Georgia State University's annual Barbara Payne Lecture is taking place at Dad's Garage this year! The Improv theatre will work in collaboration with Gerontology professor Dr. Candace Kemp to explore how improv can help improve care. Grab your free tickets: https://t.gsu.edu/3Q1IQkX

Chemistry professor Hamed Laroui is reframing how students learn with an innovative four-step approach that centers the skills of decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithm design. His methodology, which has proven to reduce failure rates among students, was the subject matter of his recent talk at TEDxUniversityofAlgiers. Learn more about his transformative STEM education method here: https://t.gsu.edu/3CJ9igf

Save the date! The Center for Studies on Africa and Its Diaspora at GSU is promoting literacy and stimulating global cross-cultural connections through their 2025 Global Read-A-Thon this Black History Month. Join them on Wednesday, February 26, from 1 p.m.–5 p.m. This year's theme is ROOTS: THE JOURNEY OF US, and it is also a signature event for International Education Week!

The first issue of Beyond Bars: A Journal of Literature and Art is officially out! The journal, produced in collaboration with Georgia State University students, professors, Incarcerated writers, and the nonprofit Common Good Atlanta, provides those who have been incarcerated the opportunity to share their voices as co-editors, artists and contributors. Read more: https://t.gsu.edu/4gH222B

GSU English Major

In light of increasing wildfire threats, Computer Science professor Dr. Xiaolin Hu and collaborating researchers in Kansas have developed a virtual simulation system that allows communities across the country to plan and conduct safer controlled burns, aiding in wildfire prevention. This breakthrough tool not only helps reduce hazardous vegetation but also empowers users to create effective burn plans tailored to their specific locations.

💡 Imagine: You can select any area in the U.S., analyze its fire risk, and design a burn strategy—all from your computer!

Try out this innovative technology: https://t.gsu.edu/3EkVbhK

Read our story with Dr. Hu: https://t.gsu.edu/3OU3GC4

Georgia State University Department of Computer Science

Recently, Georgia State University unveiled a new exhibition dedicated to the life of civil rights Icon Lonnie C. King Jr. The exhibition, done in collaboration with the GSU Library's Special Collections and Archives and the Honor's College showcases the papers of the civil rights leader and is available to view now until Feb. 28 at the Auburn Avenue Research Library, located at 101 Auburn Ave. NE, Atlanta.

Learn more: https://t.gsu.edu/4jCwiOK