April 2, 2008

Brenau to Grow Grad Programs, Enrollment
Brenau University trustees last week affirmed a strategic plan to transform the university – adding doctoral and other graduate programs and designing shorter paths to achieve them. Brenau would expand coed evening/weekend and online programs at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, doubling enrollment to about 5,000 students by 2025 and growing graduate enrollment to 50 percent of total students from the current 25 percent. The Women's College would be limited to about 1,000 students. Brenau will make a separate decision on whether to establish a medical college no sooner than this fall.

What Makes a Good Funeral?
In recent generations, many new ways of ritualizing death have emerged. What are the meanings of different types of Christian funerals and memorial services? A seminar this weekend at Columbia Theological Seminary will examine the impact of the funeral industry, the rise of cremation and the emergence of open-mike services, as well as changing attitudes toward the body, funeral sermons and the goals of a "good funeral." More >

Tech, Saint Joseph's Join Forces
Georgia Tech and Saint Joseph's Health Systems will collaborate to move new treatments, therapies and products to patients more rapidly. Saint Joseph's physicians and researchers will work with Georgia Tech faculty and students in areas ranging from heart surgery to facilities design. The health system will also relocate and expand its research facilities at Technology Enterprise Park adjacent to the Tech campus. More >

Touching Brains and Teaching Neuroscience
Brain art, mind-boggling games and even touching real human brains are in store for kids of all ages who attend Brain Expo at Zoo Atlanta Saturday. The largest public education event of its kind in the country, the expo explores neuroscience topics as part of the educational mission of the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience . This consortium of Georgia State, Emory, Georgia Tech, Morehouse, Morehouse School of Medicine, Clark Atlanta and Spelman fosters partnership among neuroscience researchers, helps improve K-12 science teaching, and boosts awareness of neuroscience.

Fixing Atlanta's Traffic
Atlanta's traffic will be the subject of a freshman Oglethorpe University course aimed at stimulating student civic engagement. Oglethorpe faculty won a National Science Foundation award to increase interest in math and science by teaching them in the context of a real public problem. A series of public lectures and discussions at Oglethorpe this week is exploring why and how to redesign academic courses to enhance student engagement.

Arts Gathering at Agnes Scott
About 175 art students and faculty from 10 colleges around the Atlanta region came together last weekend at Agnes Scott College . The "Collage 2008" event showcased the work of exceptional young artists and allowed attendees to share research and see their peers' work. More than 60 students exhibited. More >

China Challenges U.S. in Tech Innovation
China – on Georgians' minds as the state opens a trade office in Beijing today – may soon rival the United States as the principal driver of the world's economy, the first time in nearly a century that two nations have competed for leadership. Georgia Tech 's " High Tech Indicators" study predicts that China will soon pass the United States in the ability to develop basic science and technology, turn those developments into products and services, and market them to the world. More >

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Photo credits: Brenau University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia Department of Economic Development, Georgia Institute of Technology, Oglethorpe University, University of West Georgia.