A new study found that the brain’s ability to process sound starts to slow as early as middle age.

The research, led by Vishakha Rawool, Ph.D., CCC-A, associate dean for research in ������Ƶ’s Waters College of Health Professions (WCHP) and professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences, offers insight into a common frustration for many adults: being able to hear sounds clearly but struggling to follow fast conversations, especially in noisy environments.

To understand what happens inside the brain’s hearing pathways, researchers compared two age groups: young adults between ages 18 to 27 and middle-aged adults between 45 to 59.

The team measured how quickly the brain and the ear work together using a middle-ear reflex that automatically contracts when it hears loud sounds. By tracking how this reflex responded to a rapid series of clicks, they determined how efficiently the brain’s auditory system processed sound.
“We wanted to catch the very first signs of change,” Rawool said. “By the time someone has significant hearing loss, they may already be dealing with social isolation, anxiety or difficulty at work.”
The results showed that the middle-aged group’s brain response was slower than that of the younger adults. This difference suggests that the brain’s “hearing speed,” or how rapidly it can process fast sounds, naturally begins to decline when a person reaches middle age.

“Using an objective measure that is not affected by cognitive decline, the results show that the central auditory system starts to slow down by midlife,” stated Rawool. “This slowing may require greater listening/cognitive effort, perhaps unconsciously, while listening to fast speech, reverberant speech and speech in noisy surroundings.”

The study also affirmed that this slowdown was not related to the ability to hear sounds, but instead it was linked to changes in how the brain itself processes sound. According to Rawool, loss in hearing speed can leave people feeling as though they are trying to read a sentence with missing letters.
“We need to stop thinking of hearing health as something that only matters when you’re 70,” Rawool said. “We should be checking in on ‘hearing speed’ in our 40s and 50s.”
Rawool and her team hope that publishing this research will lead to training programs or therapies that strengthen the brain’s auditory processing in adults ages 45 to 59, potentially helping to reduce listening fatigue and communication difficulties later in life.

The research also suggests the need for creating the best listening environments, such as quiet spaces with low reverberation, for all listeners to reduce fatigue.
“If you feel exhausted after a long day of listening, it’s not just in your head,” she said. “Your brain may simply be working harder—and that’s something we can begin to address.”
The study was partially supported by West Virginia University’s Grace Clements Communication Sciences & Disorders Research Endowment Award.

The full article is available in the International Journal of Audiology:

Students from ������Ƶ and the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) gathered Nov. 17 on the Armstrong Campus for the second annual Community Engaged Research Conference.

This event is a chance for student researchers from both institutions to showcase their individual work and the partnership between Georgia Southern and MCG, which has expanded since MCG established its Savannah campus in July 2024.

While students’ perspectives take center stage, the conference also emphasizes collaboration between academia and community. A group of clinicians from , and joined MCG students to host a panel discussion titled “Uninsured and Underinsured Populations – Access to Specialty Care.”

 Student-led oral and poster presentations were featured, along with an awards ceremony recognizing select students for outstanding work in both categories.

Oral presentations were divided into separate sessions titled “Bench to Bedside” and “Connecting Clinic and Community.”

Rachelan Boss, a senior majoring in health science and minoring in public health, and Taryn Black, a senior biochemistry major, won the award for best student oral presentation in the second session. Black and Boss weren’t the only Georgia Southern students to receive recognition. Md Didarul Alam, a master’s student in electrical and computer engineering, won the student’s choice award for the best poster under the mentorship of Mohammad Ahad, Ph.D.

The conference’s second year saw increased participation. The number of presentations was doubled, with Georgia Southern students leading 59 of the total 118.

The importance of this data point was not lost on Georgia Southern Faculty member and Conference Chair, Shainaz Landge, Ph.D.

“This event is a major springboard for research at our University,” Landge said. “Seeing more of our students participate shows our growth and underscores MCG’s value as both a collaborator and a leader in medical research. Collaboration drives progress, and we’re seeing that in real time. MCG is a world-class institution, and we’re privileged to have a campus in our region.”

Dr. Elizabeth Gray, dean of MCG’s Savannah campus, also sees benefits in the relationship between the two schools.

“This conference highlights not only the power of joint engagement but also the promise it holds for future collaborations between our institutions,” she explained. “Research can open the door to innovation and expand community involvement.  With participation from across all four years of medical students, we were able to showcase research focused on the real needs of our community.” 

Both Landge and Gray believe the partnership between Georgia Southern and MCG will continue to grow in scope and impact. They say the same is true of the Community Engaged Research Conference.

When residents of Brunswick, Georgia, raised concerns about their water, the community found an unexpected group of champions at the intersection of science and faith.

Supported with training and tools from ������Ƶ’s Institute for Water and Health (IWH), 12 local community leaders — pastors, commissioners and other residents — became citizen scientists, testing and protecting the waterways that sustain their neighborhoods. They then invited their congregations and the broader community to follow their lead.

That innovative, community-led initiative, Safe Water Together for Brunswick, has earned the P3 Social Impact Award, one of the nation’s highest honors for public-private partnerships. The award, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Partnerships, Concordia and the University of Virginia Darden School recognizes collaborations that improve lives and communities worldwide. Winners were announced in October in New York City.

“Safe Water Together for Brunswick demonstrates the power of communities participating in solutions,” said IWH Director Asli Aslan, Ph.D. “By training local residents to monitor and protect their waterways, we are building trust in data, supporting watershed management programs, and creating a model that can be adapted in other cities facing water challenges. This award recognizes what can happen when science, education and community leadership come together.”

The project began when Glynn County Commissioner Allen Booker approached Aslan about residents experiencing water quality problems.

“It is common in the region to use the waterways for fishing and crabbing,” Aslan said. “Even though there were signs not to fish, people still would do so, not knowing the consequences.”

Located on Georgia’s coast, Brunswick is home to four Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-designated Superfund sites, which are federally recognized areas contaminated with hazardous substances that require long-term cleanup to protect public health and the environment. With limited access to resources, residents often had more questions than answers.

The COVID-19 pandemic heightened risks.

“People were fishing and crabbing in surface waters marked with warnings,” Aslan said. “For many, it became their main protein source. That’s when we realized that this had to be a community-led solution.”

Georgia Southern spearheaded Safe Water Together for Brunswick in September 2023 in collaboration with Rebuilding Together Glynn County and funding from Georgia Tech’s Partnership for Innovation (PIN) Community Research Grants Program. Over the course of a year, IWH faculty and students in public health and education collaborated closely with community leaders to build a citizen science-based water quality monitoring program.

“This PIN grant opportunity builds the capacity of our community and empowers neighborhoods in our community so that our families can improve their quality of life,” Booker said.

The pastors completed the state’s Adopt-A-Stream program training, earning certification as official volunteers for water quality monitoring. Rebuilding Together Glynn County Community Development Corporation became the center of action, housing a new community-owned water testing lab, built and equipped through the grant.

“We use the principles of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), a fundamental public health intervention method in our framework,” Aslan said. “CBPR principles include collaboration, community ownership, mutual learning and empowerment. This project gives downtown Brunswick residents the tools and training to research environmental conditions and broader impacts by building capacity and scientific literacy. Public health research often struggles with mistrust of science and academia. By involving community members as partners from planning through dissemination, CBPR fosters trust, transparency and mutual respect.”

“So it’s more powerful if it’s not an academician like myself telling the community, from outside, not even living in their community, what’s right and what’s wrong. It should come from their trusted members, in this case the pastors, so there’s more buy-in. It was phenomenal to see people of all ages eager to learn in the classroom how to properly collect water samples, analyze them and interpret the data. They were involved from the very beginning — for example, leading sample site selection because they know where people actually fish. We were in this together from start to finish.”

Six students from Georgia Southern and the College of Coastal Georgia participated in the project, two of whom were funded by PIN as summer interns, gaining hands-on experience in public health communication, environmental analysis and community engagement.

“Multidisciplinary students from biology, public health and environmental sciences were engaged with the community researchers from day one,” Aslan said. “They practiced field sample collection and laboratory analysis alongside a community member. They also developed soft skills such as explaining complex analytical procedures in plain language. They built a story map, conducted interviews for assessment and developed videos. This experience positions them well for the next steps in their careers as environmental health scientists.”

Alice McCloud, a master’s student in environmental public health, described the impact of working on this initiative.

“This project was especially meaningful because it took place in my hometown,” she said. “Being able to engage directly with my own community made the work feel personal and impactful. I loved getting to know our volunteers, our citizen scientists, and training them in water-quality testing while learning alongside them. This experience taught me that the success of a project isn’t just about what you do, but who you do it with. I’ve been honored to participate in the PIN program for two years now, and it has motivated me to continue pursuing meaningful, community-centered projects like Safe Water Together.”

Taryn Black, an undergraduate biochemistry student, highlighted the importance of community collaboration:

“This project was an incredible experience that allowed me to develop skills in both public health and laboratory work,” she noted. “Throughout every stage, I witnessed genuine community engagement, which really moved me. Collaborating with local pastors to empower the community to learn and understand more about their water quality was very powerful. Being able to connect with individuals at fishing and kayaking sites, share information about the project, and discuss recent results showed me how impactful and relevant the project was.”

Since its launch, the project has created a lasting impact. Local residents continue to collect and analyze samples, with data shared directly with Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources to strengthen regional monitoring efforts.

“We are still continuing in close collaboration with the community,” Aslan said. “When a fish kill occurs, residents are now equipped to collect samples and run water quality tests in the lab we helped establish. And when additional analyses are needed, we provide advanced testing and high-quality data. It is a partnership for many years to come.”

Behavioral change is also emerging.

“When people see their pastor or commissioner collecting samples or hear results firsthand, they change how they fish and become more mindful of posted warnings,” Aslan said. “That’s science translated into trust, and trust translated into action.”

Interest in the Brunswick model is spreading. Other universities and local governments have reached out to learn how to replicate the project’s community-first approach.

“Access to safe water is a global challenge,” Aslan said. “It unlocks economic development, improves health, and gives people a shot at a quality life. What we are doing in Brunswick shows how science, education, and community trust can come together to protect our waterways and the people who depend on this beautiful resource we are privileged to have in Georgia. At the IWH, our flagship program, Safe Water Together, will continue to support communities through impactful research and educational initiatives.”

Kamran Kardel, Ph.D., associate professor of manufacturing engineering in the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing, is leading a multidisciplinary research team to help regional logistics companies increase efficiency.

Funded through the college’s Remotely Operated Warehouse Services (ROWS) Laboratory, with seed money from , the team is composed of Kardel, Ryan Florin, Ph.D, assistant professor of computer science and students. 

Kardel and his team are using the software to build simulations, known as “digital twins,” that replicate warehouse operations like picking, packing and shipping. The ROWS Laboratory will serve as a development site, allowing the simulations to be thoroughly tested and validated before being presented to third parties.  

To ensure optimal accuracy and responsiveness, the simulations will include IoT data. The IoT refers to a network of physical devices located within and around the warehouse, such as mobile robots, sensors and cameras, that collect and share real-time data over the internet.

The ultimate goal is to provide industry partners with simulation capabilities using AnyLogic Software and Internet of Things (IoT) integration.

This industry collaboration also provides important professional development for the students working on the project. 

“I have a few students, both undergraduate and graduate, who are going to be involved in this project from beginning to end,” said Kardel. “Several of them have mentioned to me that this is their first time with direct access to the industry and potential employers.”

Continuing the theme of collaboration, the project could result in shared postdoctoral positions with Ireland’s South East Technological University in its . While still in its early stages, Kardel hopes this partnership will give this research an even larger scope.

“The Lean Industry 4.0 Lab has a lot of experience in IoT,” Kardel explained. “By joining Ph.D. programs, hopefully we can work together and improve logistics here in our region and in Ireland.”

Ultimately, Kardel hopes this research can give companies a leg up in an increasingly digitized world.

“As far as automation, for companies in southeast Georgia and South Carolina, I would say it’s becoming more common,” he said. “It’s still a mixed bag, though some warehouses are fully automated, some are not. The work we are doing can help companies remain competitive.”

Twelve outstanding active faculty members from ������Ƶ were featured on . This annual list features scientists whose work has had the highest citation count and citation impact in their fields within a given year.

This year’s Georgia Southern honorees represent a diverse range of disciplines, from physics and chemistry to epidemiology and business. Ten of the 12 faculty members were also featured on last year’s list. 

Vice President for Research and Economic Development David Weindorf, Ph.D, P.G., is among them and takes pride in seeing so many familiar names, and a couple of new ones, included. 

“Seeing names from so many different disciplines, both old and new, speaks volumes about our growth and consistency,” said Weindorf. “I’m so thankful for these faculty who relentlessly pursue excellence and truly embody growing ourselves to grow others in research.”

The complete list of Georgia Southern faculty featured includes the following:

Xiao-jun Wang, Ph.D., professor of physics, College of Science and Mathematics

“My work centers on creating advanced luminescent materials for energy-efficient lighting and sensing technologies,” Wang explained. “What drives me is the excitement of uncovering how materials behave — and finding logical, scientific explanations for what we observe.” He added that he has always loved Albert Einstein’s quote, “The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible.” . 

Arda Yenipazarli, Ph.D., professor of operations management, Parker College of Business

“I’ve always been drawn to complex, high-stakes corporate scenarios where decisions leave lasting societal and environmental footprints,” said Yenipazarli. “My research helps firms make more strategic, profitable and responsible choices about their supply chains and operations–in environments defined by volatility, competition, regulation and shifting market forces. I believe that thoughtful, analytically grounded research can empower better decisions and drive meaningful, lasting impact–for business, for society, and for the planet.” .

Allen Amason, Ph.D., professor of management, Parker College of Business

“I study the connections between strategy, strategic decision-making and organizational performance,” Amason explained. “I wanted to understand why some firms succeed where others do not. My motivation remains the same today as it was then — to help organizations and managers perform better.” .

Isaac Chun-Hai Fung, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health

“It is my great privilege to work with a network of excellent students, colleagues and collaborators,” Fung said. “We study how to mitigate the impact of epidemics on human societies and harness the advances of digital technologies to promote health.” .

Lance Durden, Ph.D, professor emeritus of biology, College of Science and Mathematics

“I study ectoparasites (lice, fleas, ticks and parasitic mites) of humans and animals, including species of medical and veterinary importance and the pathogens they can transmit,” said Durden. “I have authored about 400 peer-reviewed publications, including eight books or monographs and 29 invited book chapters. I am currently working on the 4th edition of a widely used textbook in North America and Europe entitled Medical and Veterinary Entomology and am driven by a fascination with the natural world and a desire to improve human and animal health.” .

David C. Weindorf, Ph.D, P.G., vice president for research and economic development, College of Science and Mathematics

“I study and classify soils to better understand how we can use and protect them,” Weindorf said. “ My research is mostly centered on applications for proximal and remote sensors for soil characterization; I’ve been involved in everything from taxonomic soil classification to environmental soil science and disaster response work, ensuring that soil is safe and healthy. What drives me is helping people help the land — because a healthy world starts with healthy soil.” .

José A. Jiménez, Ph.D., assistant professor of physical and materials chemistry, College of Science and Mathematics

“My research interests are mainly in glass science, nanomaterials, optical materials, thin films, and energy-relevant materials such as solar cells and Li-ion batteries”, Jiménez noted. “I’m passionate about learning through experimentation and gaining insights into the physical principles that explain material properties.” .

Masoud Davari, Ph.D., interim associate dean for research and professor of electrical and computer engineering, Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing

“I’m passionate about innovating power and energy systems,” Davari shared. “My research focuses on designing control methods based on artificial intelligence and reinforcement learning to enhance performance under challenging conditions and on developing resilient-by-design systems to strengthen cybersecurity. The National Science Foundation has continuously supported this research through multiple projects totaling nearly $1.2 million.” .

Haijun Gong, Ph.D., associate professor of manufacturing engineering, Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing

“My research focuses on 3D printing metals and high-performance polymers for lightweight design and optimization,” Gong said. “I’m passionate about advancing cost-effective additive manufacturing technologies and materials that drive the next generation of advanced manufacturing.” .

Dmitry Apanaskevich, Ph.D., professor of biology and entomology, College of Science and Mathematics

“My major research interest is the systematics of hard ticks (family Ixodidae),” Apanaskevich said. “This includes their taxonomy, phylogenetics, host-parasite relationships and geographic distribution. I love discovering new species and solving complex, often confusing questions along the way. That’s what drives my passion.” .

Bryan Riemann, Ph.D., professor of sports medicine, Waters College of Health Professions

“My research examines how biomechanical and neuromuscular factors shape human movement, with the goal of improving performance and developing more effective approaches for injury prevention and rehabilitation,” Riemann explained. “This work spans diverse populations, including both trained and untrained, across the lifespan.”

The late James E. Keirans, Ph.D, former curator of the U.S. National Tick Collection at the Institute of Arthropodology and Parasitology at ������Ƶ

Keirans earned his doctorate in medical entomology in 1966 and devoted his career to the study of ectoparasites. He became one of the world’s foremost experts on tick biology and taxonomy. In 1990, he became curator of the U.S. National Tick Collection at the then newly formed Institute of Arthropodology and Parasitology at Georgia Southern in Statesboro. He retired in 2005. .

“See a gap, fill a gap.” That’s how Jeffrey Klibert, Ph.D., associate director of clinical training in ������Ƶ’s Doctor of Psychology (PsyD), described the inspiration behind a project designed to extend behavioral health services in rural areas.

Filling gaps is something Klibert said has always been a challenge in behavioral health care. This challenge became steeper in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When COVID hit, we saw some really alarming rates of people seeking services, and there just weren’t enough providers to meet that need,” Klibert said. “We saw waitlists that were six months, eight months, sometimes a year long.”

Waitlists of this length are a common occurrence in Georgia’s rural areas, where resources are scarce and reported health outcomes are among the worst in the state.

Klibert, along with colleagues Lindsey Stone, Ph.D., and Thresha Yancey, Ph.D., and students, is working to improve the situation across 14 rural counties in Georgia, thanks to the renewal of a research and training grant from the .

Stone and Yancey will supervise the trainees, while Klibert will oversee the entire program.

The grant enables quantitative and qualitative research to increase access to behavioral health care in rural areas, while also providing Georgia Southern’s fourth-year PsyD students with hands-on training through local care providers. The ultimate goal is to develop more efficient and effective models for interprofessional, team-based care in areas of the state where it is most needed.

“Everybody sees the need. We just need the glue to link everybody together,” Klibert said. “That’s what the program is trying to be. It’s trying to build those bridges to create a more comprehensive system of care.”

Students will provide a range of services in collaboration with local care providers, including psychological assessments and therapy for individuals and families.

Alex Cudd, a fourth-year PsyD student who joined the program in August, calls the experience “invaluable” and hopes to join the 94% of program alumni who currently provide care in rural settings.

“In just a few months, I’ve learned so much about providing well-rounded care,” Cudd said. “I know I’ll carry this training into my career.”

, a resiliency- and recovery-based behavioral health agency serving Bulloch, Candler and Emanuel counties, is among the local providers partnering with Georgia Southern.

“All the interns we’ve had from Georgia Southern understand the concept of recovery, are trauma-informed and very effective at delivering services,” said CPGA CEO David Crooke. “It’s been mutually beneficial. We are helping them further their education, and they quickly become important members of our team due to the breadth and depth of their knowledge.”

Klibert notes that the grant’s initial four-year term brought significant improvements in local healthcare networks and enhanced communication between providers, something he sees as an investment in lasting success.

“We’re doing some exciting stuff, but at the end of the day, we are very aware of making sure what we’re doing sticks and that we have the resources to continue care after the grant ends,” Klibert said.

When Professor Worlanyo Eric Gato, Ph.D., watches his students walk through the iron gates of Cape Coast Castle for the first time, he doesn’t say much. He doesn’t have to.

“They feel it,” he says. “You can see it in their faces.”

That moment — walking the same stone floors where generations of enslaved Africans once stood — is just one of many that define ������Ƶ’s Study Abroad Program in Ghana, a three-week immersive experience blending public health research, cultural engagement and emotional growth. Led by a multidisciplinary team of faculty from the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (JPHCOPH), the College of Science and Mathematics (COSM) and the Institute for Water and Health (IWH), the program gives students more than academic insight. It gives them perspective.

Originally founded by the late Evans Afriyie-Gyawu, Ph.D., the Ghana Study Abroad Program has evolved into a high-impact educational model under the direction of JPHCOPH faculty members Bettye Apenteng, Ph.D., and Samuel Opoku, Ph.D., along with Gato. Their shared mission is clear: foster cultural awareness and empower students to address complex global health challenges — starting with those rooted in Ghana’s communities.

Real research, real impact

The program’s 2025 cohort took part in a collaborative research project centered on occupational and environmental exposures, particularly in illegal mining zones in Ghana’s Ashanti Region. Funded by Georgia Southern’s Internal Seed Funds, the IWH and the Office of Research and Economic Development, the project explored the relationship between water and soil-borne contaminants and chronic health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and metabolic syndrome.

“This wasn’t a simulation, this was the real thing,” said Nick Guerra, a graduate student studying public health. “We were in the field, collecting water samples, interviewing residents and working side by side with Ghanaian students.”

Their findings were sobering. Water samples from community wells revealed contamination by fecal bacteria. Soil tests uncovered dangerously high levels of heavy metals — arsenic, lead, copper, mercury — linked to illegal mining activities. And medical surveys showed widespread hypertension, often undiagnosed or untreated.

What made the work even more meaningful was its collaborative nature. Georgia Southern students were paired with their counterparts at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), building not only research teams but friendships.

“We taught each other,” said Tia Taylor, another graduate student in the public health program. “We shared techniques, ideas and stories. They were just as curious about us as we were about them.”

For Gato, the partnerships are central to the program’s success. “It’s not just about coming to Ghana and collecting data,” he said. “It’s about mutual exchange — of knowledge, of culture, of purpose.”

Learning beyond the classroom

Beyond the data and research, the students’ most lasting lessons often came from unexpected places: dinner tables, prayer circles and dirt roads deep in rural Ghana.

One night, when their van got stuck on an unpaved road, a group of local young men came to the rescue. 

“There was no tow truck, no roadside assistance,” Gato recalled. “Just kindness. The kind of kindness that stays with you.”

Hospitality became a theme. Students dined with host families, learned about traditional dishes and participated in household prayer rituals. They shared laughs, tears and silent moments of awe.

“These interactions humanized the experience,” Gato said. “Ghana became more than a destination — it became a network of relationships.”

Taylor agreed. 

“Their warmth was overwhelming,” she said. “Their faith, constant. It made me want to pray more, to be more grounded. It changed the way I see people — and myself.”

Cultural immersion meets academic rigor

In classrooms and research sites alike, students embraced a multidisciplinary lens. Their work spanned biochemistry, environmental science and public health — and was guided by faculty from three academic units. Each stop on the itinerary was carefully chosen, from university campuses to cultural landmarks, to create a holistic picture of health in Ghana.

Aslan, who led the environmental assessment and coordinated teams of students from both KNUST and Georgia Southern during the research leg, carried both personal and scientific aspirations into the study.

“Thirteen years ago, when I began my journey at Georgia Southern as a new faculty member, we launched a water quality and health assessment with the late Dr. Afriyie-Gyawu,” Aslan said. “That project produced an impactful research paper with students — one that still receives high citations today. Now, years later, to be collaborating with an exceptional team of new research partners from KNUST on such a cutting-edge project is beyond exciting. This project is a testament to IWH’s commitment to advancing global water initiatives, as our center continues to make a meaningful impact in Georgia and around the world.”

For Guerra, that meant recognizing how social and economic conditions shape public health outcomes. 

“Some of the people we interviewed looked decades older than they were,” he said. “It hit me — poverty and limited access to health care age you.”

Taylor, whose background is in health leadership, said the trip helped her mature both personally and professionally. 

“It’s one thing to read about global health challenges in a textbook,” she said. “It’s another to sit with someone, hold their hand and ask about their blood pressure.”

Growing the pipeline

The program’s future is just as ambitious as its present.

In its next phase, the Ghana Study Abroad Program plans to expand its reach to students from Georgia Southern’s Africana Studies Program and institutions across south Georgia, broadening access to underrepresented populations. New research partnerships with the University of Cape Coast and the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho, Ghana, will allow for more geographically diverse studies. The goal, according to Gato, is to build a sustainable pipeline for interdisciplinary, international collaboration.

“This is more than a trip. It’s a launchpad,” he said.

With strong institutional support from the Director of the IWH and faculty member within JPHCOPH Asli Aslan, Ph.D., the Dean of JPHCOPH Stuart Tedders, Ph.D., and Vice President for Research and Economic Development David Weindorf, Ph.D., the program exemplifies Georgia Southern’s commitment to global engagement. Even the logistical hiccups — missed flights, shifting hotel reservations, slow internet — became part of the learning process.

“We adapted,” Gato said. “We smiled through it. And we came back stronger.”

Advice for other faculty

When asked what he’d tell faculty thinking about launching their own global experiential learning program, Gato’s answer is simple: know your “why,” build your team and lead with gratitude.

“Let your local partners lead,” he said. “Listen more than you speak. And always thank the people who make the experience possible — from bus drivers to tour guides to the students themselves.”

A lasting legacy

For some, like Taylor, the trip was a connection to ancestral roots. For others, like Guerra, it was a journey into a future career in global health. And for faculty like Gato, it was another step in a long walk toward transformative education — one that transcends borders, disciplines and expectations.

“Everything we teach in a lecture hall comes alive in Ghana,” he said. 

Caleb Hartshorn, a public history graduate student, has been pursuing his dream job of being a paleontologist for as long as he can remember. However, after taking a brief field school excursion to the desert, he learned one very painful lesson:

“Paleontology mostly happens in the desert, and the desert and I do not get on well,” he quipped. “The sand and the sun did an absolute number on me over the course of two weeks, and I realized that was not the program I wanted to do.”

Yet, the Columbus, Georgia, native had no interest in abandoning his dreams. Instead, he sought new ways to seek his passions. He was always fascinated by history, but was fueled by the “aha!” moments of discovering history in the field.

That’s what led him to research at Georgia Southern. Hartshorn and his mentor and professor, , are diving into the fascinating world of maritime archaeology on Ossabaw Island, off the Georgia coast. Hartshorn’s research, part of his master’s degree program, focuses on uncovering the history of this island, particularly its 18th and 19th-century past. 

Hartshorn’s work includes archaeological surveys, archival research and the development of an ArcGIS Map, which is a geographic information system. The project, conducted in collaboration with the Ossabaw Island Foundation, aims to catalog remnants of the island’s history, including Colonial-era structures and even modern debris. By mapping the locations of these findings, Hartshorn is laying the groundwork for future researchers.

“The idea is that this map will serve as a springboard for later projects in the area,” he said. “Ten years from now, if somebody else is out there, they can just add on to what’s been put in there.”

One of the highlights of his research, on display in a new exhibit, “A Maritime Legacy,” in the Learning Commons on the University’s Armstrong Campus through May, is the immersive experience of working in a place untouched by human hands for generations. 

This hands-on experience not only deepened his understanding of the island’s history but also brought history to life in a way that textbooks never could.

“You get maybe 20 or 30 feet out into the woods and it looks like no one’s ever been there,” he reminisced. “Just a completely empty forest. You’re driving along a little trail, but sometimes there’s no trail, then you’ll take a turn and find a pile of shells. It just looks like a regular pile of shells, but when you look closer, you can see some of them were used as tools by people who were in this same spot two or three thousand years ago just going about their daily lives, walking possibly the same trail you’re walking now. It really puts into perspective just how long this island has been inhabited.”

Knoerl praised Hartshorn’s dedication, noting his talent for combining fieldwork with meticulous archival research.

“Ossabaw Island is like a lot of the Georgia Sea Islands,” he said. “These were enclaves for enslaved communities. There’s so much of Georgia’s history, including the development of the Gullah Geechee culture, that took place on those islands. It’s an understudied area, and so we’re happy to have this opportunity to record and preserve as much of that history as we can to study it and to share that with as many people, because it’s such an amazing part of Georgia’s history.”

For Hartshorn, the experience has been a dream come true, combining his love of history with archaeological exploration. His passion for finding forgotten stories buried in the ground, untouched for centuries, makes his work both meaningful and transformative for Georgia’s historical narrative.

Cemil Yavas knows firsthand the devastation that earthquakes can bring to communities, which led him to research how to predict the phenomenon for many years. 

“My interest in earthquake prediction research stems from a deeply personal experience,” Yavas said. “I was in Istanbul during the devastating Aug. 17, 1999, earthquake, a disaster that claimed nearly 18,000 lives and left hundreds of thousands homeless. Among those affected were some of my closest friends. The chaos that followed—limited resources, strained rescue efforts, and the haunting sound of people trapped beneath rubble—left a lasting impression on me.”

Cemil Yavas, collaborating with Yiming Ji, Ph.D., Lei Chen, Ph.D., and Christopher Kadlec, Ph.D., faculty and researchers in the Department of Information Technology at the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing, has used his personal motivation to build upon previous research and enhance earthquake prediction models.

Using groundbreaking machine-learning algorithms and neural network techniques, they can now predict the highest magnitude of potential earthquakes in Los Angeles from as long as a month out with 97.97% accuracy.

“The inspiration for this research stemmed from the urgent need to improve earthquake prediction accuracy for seismically active urban areas like Los Angeles,” Yavas said. “Earthquakes pose significant risks to densely populated regions, impacting public safety, infrastructure and the economy.”

In a joint 2023 report by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, earthquake damage was estimated to cost the U.S. nearly $14.7 billion annually, with California shouldering nearly two-thirds of that burden, at around $9.6 billion annually. 

Yavas and his mentors are optimistic that innovation in prediction techniques, such as machine learning, specifically neural networks — a program that aims to mimic the human decision-making process — can mitigate its destructive effects. Using a layered, connected structure similar to the neurons in our brains, the network can detect patterns, weigh options, and arrive at conclusions.

These technologies may not typically be top of mind when studying and predicting earthquakes. According to Ji, seismology was solely the domain of geography and the other earth sciences until recently.

“At its core, machine learning involves teaching computers to find patterns in data, often revealing insights that may be too subtle or complex for humans to detect easily,” Ji said. “In seismology, this means we can analyze vast amounts of earthquake data—from ground vibrations to atmospheric conditions—and uncover patterns that might hint at when and where future earthquakes are likely to happen. 

“By feeding seismic data into machine-learning models, we enable these systems to ‘learn’ from past earthquakes and make predictions about the magnitude and likelihood of future seismic events,” Ji continued.

This isn’t the team’s first time tackling earthquake prediction. They used similar techniques in previous research and achieved an accuracy rate of 69.14%. Subsequently, their work expanded to include other seismically active sites like Istanbul and San Diego, where their results improved drastically. They scored rates of 91.65% and 98.53%, respectively.

Their years of experience and previous attempts only enhanced their current research.

“Our team officially came together to focus on this research over the past year, but the journey began much earlier,” Chen said. “We each have a substantial background in machine learning. Before starting this project, we independently explored methods for earthquake prediction, gaining insights that ultimately contributed to our collaborative approach. This research represents a culmination of those years of groundwork, enriched by the collective expertise we’ve each brought to the table.”

The project, partially funded by the and supported by the  Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing, allowed the foursome to build upon momentum. They adopted a comprehensive data set that included all earthquakes since 2012 and used well-established variables in earthquake prediction. 

Eventually, they developed a feature matrix and evaluated 16 different machine-learning and neural network algorithms for their accuracy in determining the highest magnitude of potential earthquakes within 30 days. The “Random Forest” model emerged as the top performer, achieving an accuracy level of 97.97%.

in the multidisciplinary journal Nature.

Though the research is restricted to the Los Angeles area, according to Kadlec, it can potentially improve prediction methods in other areas.

“While we trained our initial model on data specific to Los Angeles, the techniques and methodologies we developed are versatile,” Kadlec said. “With localized data—such as geological, atmospheric, and seismic information from other regions—our model could be adapted and retrained to forecast earthquakes elsewhere.”

He added something indicative of the team’s larger purpose. 

“Ultimately, our goal is to make machine learning a central tool in earthquake forecasting and to inspire continued advancements in AI applications for natural disaster preparedness worldwide,” Kadlec said. “This research is just the beginning, and we hope it motivates others to push even further in developing tools to keep communities safe.”

Growing up in India, Surjith Krishna was intrigued by the tall buildings surrounding him.

“I had a passion for civil engineering from an early age,” he said. “I was really fascinated by the tall infrastructure that was in my area. I admired the brains behind those structures.”

Later, Krishna worked as a land surveyor, however, over time, his interests evolved. With a newfound interest in ecology, he moved from looking up at buildings to looking down at water for inspiration.

Globally, two billion people, or 26% of the population, do not have safe drinking water, and there is imminent risk of a global water crisis, according to a 2023 report from UNESCO.

“Water is becoming one of the most scarce commodities,” he said. “Everybody needs water to live. Not having clean water causes deadly human diseases like liver damage and skin irritation. This issue has to be eradicated as soon as possible. So that is my primary goal.”

Eutrophication, a major environmental issue, occurs when excessive nutrients in water lead to harmful consequences, including algae blooms. These blooms can result in ecosystem damage, human health issues and increased water treatment costs. 

Krishna, a civil engineering student at ������Ƶ, is part of a team of student researchers funded by a (EPA) to find practical solutions for cleaning water systems. The team is developing a biofilter for water streams which will use algae and other organic elements to absorb these nutrients. 

Krishna’s involvement, as well as that of many other students, is an aspect of the project that Principal Investigators Kamran Kardel, Ph.D., associate professor of manufacturing engineering in the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing, and Francisco Cubas Suazo, Ph.D., associate professor of Civil Engineering and Construction, are particularly excited about. 

Cubas Suazo, who teaches a watershed management class, said he and Kardel intentionally designed the project to prioritize student participation.

“I see a lot of students interested in trying to solve this problem,” said Cubas Suazo. “It was very important to us to design this project to involve as many students as possible, both undergraduates and graduates, so that they can take part in a real-world solution. We also have a lot of students living in rural areas who can provide different perspectives to help us inform our approach.” 

The biofilter is a 3D-printed cube with void spaces to promote biofilm growth, allowing algae to flourish and effectively capture phosphorus and nitrogen as runoff water flows through. Though the exact dimensions of the filter are still being finalized, the project has already garnered significant attention for its potential impact on water quality.

“This biosystem is acting like an agent for us,”said Kardel “They can do the phenomenon for us and improve the quality of the water that targets runoff from the urban and agricultural watersheds.”

The use of 3D printing is also garnering attention. Brennen Smith, a construction engineering major preparing to graduate this December, believes that the mainstreaming of 3D printers is a game changer for this industry and many others.

“You can make whatever shape you want,” he said. “The resources needed are relatively low, the material is pretty cheap and with 3D printers’ axis system, you are able to produce a model to fit any mold. 3D printers have made engineering concepts as a whole easier to produce as models.”

Kardel and Cubas Suazo added that the ease and flexibility of 3D models are especially important in this context because they allow the filter to employ a higher surface area-to-volume ratio. This means more algae can grow in a smaller area, increasing the biofilter’s efficiency and effectiveness.

“The idea of 3D printing in manufacturing is not necessarily new, but in the past, maybe the resources weren’t there to apply it to biofilters,”said Kardel. “We’ve found that this technology is the only way to maximize that high surface area-to-volume ratio critical to a biofilter’s success.”

Furthermore, the professors noted that the ease of use afforded by 3D-printed materials will make maintenance and upkeep much easier, preventing the clogging and decay currently seen in biofilters.

Though still in its early stages, Kardel noted that the project could have broader applications for water treatment in urban and rural settings.