CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 12/09/19

Triple Dawg Bethany Harris lands job at Callaway Gardens

By Sharon Dowdy

Griffin, Georgia, native Bethany Harris has found the perfect job using her entomology and horticulture education from the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). As assistant director of education at Callaway Gardens, Harris truly works out in the field, overseeing the butterfly center and educational gardens, managing over 200 volunteers, and teaching workshops for the public.

A 2009 graduate of Griffin Christian High School, Harris earned a bachelor of science degree in environmental resource science in 2013, a master of science degree in entomology in 2015 and a doctoral degree in horticulture in 2018, all while taking most of her upper-level courses on the UGA Griffin campus.

“My degrees exposed me to working with pollinators and butterflies, so this job is a perfect fit for me,” said Harris. “In addition to the butterfly center, we have an outdoor butterfly garden and my research at UGA centered around native pollinators and butterflies.”

Harris said her doctoral work with CAES horticulture Professor Bodie Pennisi at UGA-Griffin exposed her to many horticultural concepts that she brings to her new role.

At Callaway Gardens, she hopes to reestablish an insect zoo and is working with her UGA colleagues in the UGA Department of Entomology to make that a reality. She also plans to establish a honeybee colony at Callaway with the help of a volunteer beekeeper.

To learn more about the degrees offered at UGA-Griffin, go to www.griffin.uga.edu.

Sharon Dowdy is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Authors:
Sharon Dowdy
Experts/Sources:
Bodie Pennisi
Bethany Harris' UGA degrees exposed her to working with pollinators and butterflies, so her job as assistant director of education at Callaway Gardens is a perfect fit. “In addition to the butterfly center, we have an outdoor butterfly garden and my research at UGA centered around native pollinators and butterflies," she said.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
TiftonCampusSunset2 CAES News
CAES Transfer Pathways Program expands enrollment access for rural students 11/12/24 Emily Cabrera
The Transfer Pathways Program is opening new doors for rural students who dream of attending the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). In partnership with Wiregrass Georgia Technical College and Southern Regional Technical College, students who complete required coursework at these institutions can transfer to CAES to complete bachelor’s degrees in one of three majors — agribusiness, agricultural education, and agriscience and environmental systems. 
GMREC CAES News
North Georgia hub fueling agricultural research at UGA 11/06/24 David Mitchell
Research in the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences runs the gamut — from plants, animals and dairy science, and crop and soil sciences to entomology, food science and technology, and more. It’s an expansive agenda, too broad to be housed on the university’s 760-acre main campus. For that, CAES turns to its eight off-campus research and education centers located all over the state.
University of Georgia startup CytoNest Inc. released its first commercial product this year, a fiber scaffold that optimizes cell manufacturing and tissue engineering. (Photo by Lauren Corcino) CAES News
UGA again ranks No. 1 in new research-based products 11/04/24 Brandon Ward
The University of Georgia once again ranks No. 1 among U.S. universities for the number of commercial products to market based on its research, according to an annual survey conducted by AUTM. For nine straight years, UGA has placed in the top two and has never appeared out of the Top 5 in the 11 years the survey has been reported by AUTM. UGA industry partners and startups released a record 66 new products developed from the university’s research in fiscal year 2023, on which the AUTM report is based.
University and state leaders cut the ribbon during the Science and Ag Hill dedication ceremony. (Chamberlain Smith/UGA) CAES News
UGA dedicates first phase of Science and Ag Hill modernization 11/01/24
The University of Georgia held a dedication ceremony on Oct. 30 to celebrate the completion of the first phase of renovations to modernize research and instruction facilities and infrastructure on UGA’s Science and Ag Hill. This area of campus, located just south of Sanford Stadium, includes buildings dedicated to a variety of scientific disciplines such as biology, physics, geology and agricultural sciences.
CAES doctoral students Sofia Varriano and Leniha Lagarde follow farmer Clay Brady to the pasture where many of his chickens are kept. CAES News
UGA researchers study how free-range chickens influence farm sustainability 10/31/24 Maria M. Lameiras
Researchers in the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are studying how pastured and free-range chickens impact ecosystems on integrated crop-livestock farms. Supported by a $749,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, entomology doctoral student Sofia Varriano and her thesis advisor, agroecologist and systems biology Professor Bill Snyder, are testing the promise of integrated crop-livestock agriculture to increase the sustainability of smaller farms.
Combining data collection and analysis with plant pathology, precision agriculture and robotics, the UGA team will build a photographic library of the foliar symptoms caused by onion diseases and other physiological disorders, feed them into the AI software, and use machine learning to identify the diseases based on pattern and color recognition from the images. CAES News
UGA uses AI, robotics to improve Georgia’s Vidalia sweet onion crop 10/23/24 Jordan Powers
A multidisciplinary team of UGA researchers aims to enhance the competitiveness of Vidalia onion growers in Georgia by providing them with the ability to confidently detect onion diseases early, enabling them to make management decisions on their crop at a critical time. These abilities, researchers say, should result in increased yield and quality of marketable onions and an overall increase in efficiency and productivity.