Five University of Georgia faculty and staff members are being honored for their commitment to public service and outreach. Phillip Brannen, professor and UGA Cooperative Extension specialist in the plant pathology department in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, has been named a Walter Barnard Hill Fellow for Distinguished Achievement in Public Service and Outreach. Jacob Price, a senior public service associate and Lowndes County Extension coordinator, received the Walter Barnard Hill Award.

Sitting in his office at the Edgar L. Rhodes Center for Animal and Dairy Science at the University of Georgia, Lohitash Karumbaiah reflects on his path from working in the agricultural biotechnology industry in India to his current role researching ways to help the brain heal itself after traumatic brain injury and disease. “I’ve always had a deep sense of adventure and a desire for purpose, and I think my journey to where I am now reflects that quite well. Getting out of my comfort zone has been a huge part of my story,” said Karumbaiah.

Sometimes at work, it’s not just a case of the Mondays. The level of dissatisfaction employees have with their job can last beyond the start of the week. New University of Georgia research has found that employers and policymakers might want to start paying attention because employee happiness contains critical economic information. Susana Ferreira, professor of agricultural and applied economics in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, used an empirical model to relate job satisfaction, wages and work environment.