Office of the Provost - Georgia State University

A Dynamic University on the Rise

Risa Palm, Ph.D.

NEWS AND EVENTS

Brennen Dicker Appointed as New Executive Director of Creative Media Industries Institute

Brennen Dicker, a film and video professional with 20 years of experience, has been named executive director of Georgia State University’s Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII). CMII is a cross-college disciplinary institute, affiliated with the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of the Arts.

Dicker’s appointment as executive director of the CMII is part of Georgia State’s efforts to fulfill its strategic plan, aimed at elevating the university’s reputation for excellence and innovation in research, scholarship and creative endeavors. He joins Georgia State as a strategic hire under the Next Generation Program.

The CMII aligns with a strategic goal to highlight the arts and media, and to use the university’s strengths to create opportunities for exploration of the intersections among creativity, technology and entrepreneurship as metro Atlanta’s media industries in film, television, gaming and more form a vital part of the regional economy.

Research Excellence: Social Media Campaigns Spur Growth in a Brand of E-Cigarettes

Reports that use of electronic cigarettes is declining may not have accounted for explosive growth in sales of the JUUL device, a novel product that has benefited from social media marketing campaigns to reach young consumers, according to a study led by researchers at Georgia State University’s School of Public Health.

Existing surveys and other techniques designed to monitor use of traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes don’t ask specific questions that might capture the use of JUUL and other newer devices, the researchers said in an article in the journal Tobacco Control.

Results of the study are published in an article titled “Vaping versus JUULing: how the extraordinary growth and marketing of JUUL transformed the U.S. retail e-cigarette market.” Dr. Jidong Huang, associate professor of health management and policy at Georgia State, is the lead author.

CENTRAL TO A NATIONAL AGENDA

The strategic plan is a guide for the university as it enters its second century and charts a path to becoming one of the nation’s premier public research institutions. It is broad and deep in its goals and initiatives and will take the university to the next level.

THE STRATEGIC PLAN

CENTRAL TO A NATIONAL AGENDA

STUDENT SUCCESS

A NATIONAL LEADER

Georgia State is a national model for student success. We harness the power of data to help our students earn their degrees. We have had one of the most dramatic increases in graduation rates in the country and we have closed the achievement gap, proving that students from all backgrounds can succeed at the same rate.

STUDENT SUCCESS

A NATIONAL LEADER

FACULTY EXCELLENCE

THE CAMPAIGN FOR GEORGIA STATE

We pursue a dynamic vision built on the hard work, dedication and achievement of people who have propelled Georgia State to where it is today. Our research is broad and deep, addressing critical societal issues and pushing the boundaries of knowledge. We continue to rise to national prominence, bringing in scholars from around the world to open new pathways of discovery and creativity. Our capital campaign is focused on continuing to keep Georgia State’s excellent faculty burning bright.

FACULTY EXCELLENCE

THE CAMPAIGN FOR GEORGIA STATE

RESEARCH

A LEADING RESEARCH UNIVERSITY

Georgia State is one of the nation’s premier urban public research universities, solving global challenges in human health. Researchers at Georgia State use the university’s state-of-the art facilities and work across disciplines to address critical quality of life issues, such as cancer, obesity, inflammation, vaccines, child and adult literacy, and public health issues related to smoking, among others.

RESEARCH

A LEADING RESEARCH UNIVERSITY

DIVERSITY

THE INSTITUTIONAL ADVANTAGE

The university’s Diversity Strategic Plan sets forth a course of action that advances the university into the ranks of great public research universities. The institution must become a leader in leveraging every aspect of campus diversity among our constituent groups of faculty, students and staff.

DIVERSITY

THE INSTITUTIONAL ADVANTAGE

NEWS AND EVENTS

The Future of Work, Technology and Education: Digital Literacy At Georgia State

The world is changing at an unprecedented rate. Computers are being integrated into devices ranging from stoplights to smart speakers. Sensors collect immense amounts of data providing insights into everything from our health to what motivates us. Robotics and 3D printing are reshaping manufacturing processes. Renewable energy and artificial intelligence are reinventing industries from transportation to telecommunication.

These fast-paced changes are ushering in what many refer to as a Fourth Industrial Revolution, profoundly altering how we live, work and interact. This oncoming revolution makes it imperative that educational institutions consider how best to prepare students with an understanding of the complex impact these technologies have. How can automated decision-making be implemented ethically? How can students be ready for a world in which their co-worker could be a machine? At Georgia State, our goal is to ensure every student is ready to flourish in this world of the future.

While digital skills are a crucial piece of educating students for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we cannot lose sight of the human element and the increasing importance of collaboration, communication and compassion as technology advances. Several years ago, Georgia State started a digital literacy initiative, incorporating digital competencies into class activities in the university’s core curriculum. Learn more about how Georgia State’s digital literacy efforts have blossomed by clicking the link.

Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Neuroscience Institute

Georgia State University is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Georgia State Neuroscience Institute, among the first such centers in the country as an independent neuroscience department or institute. Having become one of the most interdisciplinary research centers at the university, faculty represent 17 departments.

Their research — an estimated 500 publications in peer-reviewed journals — has made the Institute a leader in the fields of behavioral neuroscience, neuroinflammation and sex differences in the brain.

Among their biggest discoveries is that serotonin, long believed to decrease aggression, has the opposite effect in women. Faculty in the Institute have also revealed that women metabolize morphine differently from men and thereby require higher doses for pain relief. More recently, NI researchers found that social stress — such as discrimination — alters bacteria in the gut. Looking ahead, the faculty anticipate a new focus on translational research.

Read more about the founding of the institute by clicking the link.