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Student News
Betsy MacMillan
In addition to her numerous college related activities, Betsy served as a team captain for Athens Heart Walk. Her team raised $1600 for the American Heart Association. Additionally, she was the co-chair for the Commissioner of Agriculture Forum last March. Betsy has held several part-time jobs while in college. She worked for the Georgia Agribusiness Council, the North Region Agricultural Education Office, CAES Office of Academic Affairs, and she is currently employed as an intern at the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Environmental law and political science are topics of special interest for Betsy. After college graduation, she hopes to work for a company involved with developing and marketing alternative fuel technologies or attend law school.
Peter Norris
After college graduation, he worked as a computer programer in San Diego. During what Peter terms his “quarter-life crisis,” he quit his job, bought a 1965 VW bug and started restoring it. He took the “bug” on a 9-week road trip across America–ostensibly to investigate graduate schools. One of the places he stopped was Athens, Georgia, which he greatly enjoyed. After his Athens visit, he had hopes of attending UGA for his graduate studies, but circumstances dictated that he attend San Diego State University. For the past seven years, Peter has worked for BellSouth in Atlanta as an instructional designer and webmaster. He was laid off in May, and he is using his severance package to finance what he terms “his mid-life crisis,” another degree. After completing his M.S., Peter plans to work for a governmental or private organization whose mission is to assist the people of sub-Saharan Africa. By 2010 there will be 24 million AIDS related orphans in Africa. This projection and the plight of refugees in Darfur provide his motivation for returning to school. He realizes how privileged he has been and feels a deep responsibility to share his privileges with those less fortunate. He has not yet settled on a thesis project, but plans to incorporate his interest in either the provision of safe drinking water or education of the orphaned generation in Africa. Peter is active in a number of community outreach organizations. He is a board member and treasurer for BikeAthens, and program coordinator for its Bicycle Recycling Program. The program obtains used bicycles from the community and police impound and restores them to a reliable and safe condition before giving them away. Peter is also on the Housing and Transportation sub-committee of Partners for a Prosperous Athens and a member of the Red Cross Disaster Action Team, which responds to single family fires and mass causality incidents. In addition, he is a member of the Citizen’s Emergency Response Team which is a federally sponsored initiative to train citizens to provide basic local emergency response when first responders are not available. In his leisure time, Peter enjoys riding his bicycle, barbequing and pottery. Once yearly, he takes a self-supported bicycle tour. Last year he spent 6 days riding through the Kentucky Bluegrass region. He rides his bike to school every day and uses it for most of his errands. He stated, “I have not bought gasoline for my car since the first of August.” On the subject of barbequing, Peter remarked, “BBQ is one of the truly regional foods of America. While in Texas, I came to appreciate their BBQ which is entirely different from Southern and mid-Atlantic styles. I like to have friends over for an afternoon of cooking and conversation.” When he has the time, Peter makes “simple wares” on his pottery wheel. He started “throwing pots” as an undergraduate for a “desperately needed easy A.” He got hooked and even tried to make a living as a potter. He realized quickly that a lot of talent is needed, but the rotation of the wheel and focus required in the process is meditative for him. Alumni News
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Betsy MacMillan is a third year environmental economics and management major from McDonough, Georgia. She is president of Sigma Alpha Professional Agricultural Sorority and has also served as Sigma Alpha = s Webmaster and Philanthropy Chair. She has received several awards from Sigma Alpha and enjoys serving this organization. She is a College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) Ambassador, a member of the Georgia Young Farmers Association, the Agricultural and Environmental Economics Club and an intramural softball team. Betsy is in the UGA Honors Program, and has been on the Dean = s List or a Presidential Scholar every semester. She is a winner of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) Outstanding Achievement Award. Also, she was awarded the CAES Cordelia Anne Ellis Scholarship for the current academic year. 
Peter Norris, a first year M.S. student in Environmental Economics from San Diego, California, is currently serving as the Computer Liaison for the Graduate Student Association. He holds a B.S. in computer science from Texas A&M University and an M.A. in instructional technology from San Diego State University. 
Brian Athon is an environmental scientist employed by Hodges, Harbin, Newberry, and Tribble, Inc. in Macon, Georgia. His work involves permit preparation and review, regulatory compliance, and environmental monitoring for waste management facilities throughout the Southeast. This work requires that he have a knowledge of NPDES, Title V, Clean Water Act, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ wetlands, and state solid waste regulations. Brian constantly learns new things in his work. He meets new people and makes new contacts regularly, and his training as an environmental scientist offers great potential for long-term career development.
Dr. Curt Lacy won the 2006 Educational Aids Blue Ribbon Award presented by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). The award was in recognition of a Fact Sheet co-authored by Dr. Lacy which was displayed among other entries at the ASABE International Meeting held in Portland Oregon. These awards are presented annually in recognition of “outstanding effort and achievement in the development of noteworthy educational aids.” The competition encourages industry and public service professionals to strive for excellence in extension activities through the interchange of ideas on successful methods and techniques.