National Play Outside Day happens a dozen times a year — it's that important. The next occurrence is August 7, and as the summer season winds down, it's a good time to make a habit of active play as a family.

August 3 is National Georgia Day, and University of Georgia horticulture professor Bodie Pennisi wants the state’s gardeners to learn more about the native plants that make up Georgia’s landscapes.

Agriculture and science educators from around the state participated in the University of Georgia's 2021 Avian Academy program to learn about the state's No. 1 industry through hands-on labs led by teaching faculty in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Georgia placed first among nine states that competed in the National 4-H Forestry Invitational from July 26 through July 28. Teams from Tennessee and Louisiana placed second and third, respectively. Florida, Indiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia also competed in this year’s Invitational.

The research, led by College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences doctoral candidate Mary Lewis and horticulture professor Matthew Chappell, focused on breeding a milkweed plant with commercially desirable traits that would support pollinators.

Like people, plants face challenges from microbial pathogens throughout their lifespan. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has provided Li Yang, an assistant professor of plant immunity at the University of Georgia, with the Maximizing Investors’ Research Award (MIRA) totalling $1.75 million to continue his research on the molecular mechanisms of age-related resistance in plants.

When students begin seeking internships, they look forward to gaining firsthand experience in their chosen fields and seek opportunities that will help further their education and develop future job skills. Some may get stuck making coffee, sorting files or answering phones, but for three University of Georgia interns, the summer internship experience has been much more engaging.

With homework, activities, increased screen time and other demands, it’s harder than ever to make sure children get enough sleep. But it’s vital to their development. Sometimes behavior problems seem to come out of nowhere, but often it’s as simple as sleep deprivation, said Diane Bales, an associate professor of human development with the University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences and UGA Cooperative Extension.

When you buy something at the store, you have a pretty good idea of what you’re getting no matter where you buy it — a Coke is a Coke, Oreos are Oreos — and whether you buy them in Atlanta or Seattle doesn’t really change what you get. Farmers are in a similar position when they choose what to plant, but in the burgeoning field of industrial hemp, it turns out that things are much more complicated.