(Media release from Georgia Highlands College):
Following the success of a science-based cross-curriculum research project at Lake Allatoona, Georgia Highlands College (GHC) has received a $5,000 PIN Award from the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation (PIN).
“The project met two major criteria – the first was our work with the Lake Allatoona Association, a local nonprofit organization,” Division Chair for the School of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Erin Shufro said. “The second was the fact that our research project is very student-driven, which was a major criterion of the award.”
Half of the award will go to students in the Lake Allatoona Research Group, and the other half will go to the Lake Allatoona Association.
Shufro said the award provides important recognition for GHC students and their efforts in the research project.
“They’ve put in so much work, and what many people don’t realize is that they are 100 percent volunteers,” Shufro said. “The students don’t get course credit for this research. Instead, they do it for the love of science. To see them recognized for their hard work means so much to me.”
The Lake Allatoona Research Group began in the fall of 2020 and has had more than 60 students from across numerous programs participate. This semester there are 12 active students in the group.
Students participating in the group complete an analysis on the amount of dissolved oxygen, conductivity and pH of the water as well levels of coliform bacteria.
Recognition Webinar
The Partnership for Inclusive Innovation seeks to celebrate efforts that move public innovation forward through teamwork. PIN Awards recognize communities and student collaborative teams who are making an impactful and transformative difference in local Georgia communities.
Please join the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation for a #SMARTer Together webinar this Thursday, Feb. 24 at noon to celebrate the partnership’s inaugural PIN Award winners. In addition to Student Team Research Award Winner GHC, the event will feature Community Research Award Winner Augusta University’s Happy Hands Project, which gamified hand hygiene through a 3D printed, designed, programmed and cost-effective hand sanitizer unit called “Happy Hands.”
According to its webpage, “The Partnership’s #SMARTer Together webinar series aims to challenge us beyond the immediate crisis and onto a newer state where we have another chance to build strong community-research partnerships for good. By focusing on complex, societal problems that communities all over Georgia and the rest of the world face, we aim to provide innovative research and create partnerships to empower all.”
PIN is a public-private partnership that guides efforts to help foster access, growth, entrepreneurship, and innovation throughout the state, with the ultimate goal of achieving inclusive innovation throughout Georgia. The organization aspires to define Georgia’s entrepreneurial identity as a national leader in technology research, development and implementation.
Click here to register for the free webinar.
