News Stories - Page 3

Kristen Dunning gathers with family and friends at UGA's Studio 255 to watch her appearance on Shark Tank's season 15 premiere. CAES News
Georgia MBA student strikes a deal on Shark Tank
When Kristen Dunning, a University of Georgia MBA student and founder of Gently Soap, launched her sensitive skincare brand in 2021, she made a goal to appear on Shark Tank in 2025. She marked that goal off her bucket list two years early. Dunning appeared this weekend on the season 15 premiere of the popular business pitch show, landing a deal with Candace Nelson, founder of the Sprinkles Cupcakes bakery chain.
According to Georgia Organics, “Land Steward award winners not only foster a better environment through the soil, but through their larger community through leadership, education, and outreach.” CAES News
Growing interest in regenerative agriculture is driving research to restore the Earth
Increasing populations and changing climate conditions will require both innovative and ancient growing methods to feed the world. Regenerative agriculture, a movement both burgeoning and broad, is underpinned by the public’s growing awareness of how land stewardship and agricultural production contribute to the fate of our planet.
Virtual CAES service-learning course encourages a conservation mindset and meaningful engagement with community partners CAES News
CAES service-learning course encourages a conservation mindset
“I had no idea that any of this was out there.” This is the refrain that Bodie Pennisi and Kris Braman hear over and over when students at the University of Georgia enroll in the online course they developed to enlighten students to the wide world of biodiversity, pollinators and their role in protecting both. Co-taught by Pennisi, a professor in the Department of Horticulture, and Braman, head of the Department of Entomology, the official title of the course is “Discover the Wonderful World of Plants and Pollinators and Your Place in It.”
Grapes grow under protective netting at Stonewall Creek Vineyards in Tiger, Georgia, a host of CAES' Winegrowers of Georgia Internship. (Photo by Chamberlain Smith/UGA) CAES News
UGA Extension welcomes new viticulture specialist
Georgia’s steadily growing wine industry has a new advocate with the hire of a new University of Georgia Cooperative Extension viticulture specialist to support the more than 85 vineyards throughout the state. Sarah Lowder joined the Department of Horticulture in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences this spring as the state viticulturist, a position dedicated to providing the best methods for the cultivation and harvest of wine grapes in Georgia.
University of Georgia develops techniques, tools and best practices for sustainable blueberry production amid climate change. CAES News
UGA develops tools and best practices for sustainable blueberry production amid climate change
For Zilfina Rubio Ames, blueberry research begins after the plant is bred and in the ground. An assistant professor of horticulture in the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and a small-fruit specialist with UGA Cooperative Extension, Rubio Ames endeavors to better understand blueberry plant physiology and how it can be manipulated to increase production efficiency.
Fiscal year 2022 saw 60 new products released based on UGA research. (Photo by Chamberlain Smith/UGA) CAES News
UGA again leads the nation in new products based on research
The University of Georgia once again ranks No. 1 among U.S. universities for number of commercial products to market based on its research, according to an annual survey conducted by AUTM. For eight straight years, UGA has placed in the top two and has never appeared out of the Top 5 in the 10 years the survey has been reported by AUTM.