Featured Post from Georgia Southern University

Summertime is tick season…and Georgia Southern University has just the expert who can help with your coverage

Jul 23, 2019

1 min

Lorenza Beati



Ticks…for most the word conjures up fears of Lyme disease, pets getting sick or having to twist those tiny bugs off your dog or yourself after a day in the fields or countryside.


But at Georgia Southern University, our experts have taken a certain shine to the usually awful arachnid. In fact, just recently, Jackson Tomlinson, a graduate student in the Department of Biology was rewarded with the discovery of two species of ticks that are entirely new to science. It’s an astounding find and there are more details in the articles attached below.


Are you a reporter covering ticks or looking to learn more about them?


There are a lot of questions to be asked:


  • What dangers and diseases do they carry?
  • Are ticks regional and how many different species are there?
  • Is there really a tic that makes people allergic to red meat?


If you need to get to the bottom of what makes tick…tock – well then let our experts help.


Lorenza Beati's research focuses on the study of the taxonomy, evolutionary relationships, and population genetics of arthropods, in particular hard-ticks. She’s also the Curator of the U.S. National Tick Collection. Lorenza is available to speak with media – simply click on her icon to arrange an interview.



Connect with:
Lorenza Beati

Lorenza Beati

Curator of the U.S. National Tick Collection, Associate Professor

Lorenza Beati's research focuses on the study of the taxonomy, evolutionary relationships, and population genetics of arthropods.

Hard-TicksEcology of the Swiss AlpsSystematic BiologyArthropod DiversityPopulation Genetics of Arthropods
Powered by

You might also like...

Check out some other posts from Georgia Southern University

2 min

Georgia Southern professor re-elected to board of world’s largest scientific society

Professor of chemistry and chair of the Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry and Physics Will Lynch, Ph.D., has been re-elected to the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) board of directors. This marks his second three-year term on the board. With ACS serving as the largest science organization in the world, Lynch says the society’s work impacts lives every day. “We support the scientific enterprise by advocating for everything from research funding to laboratory safety,” said Lynch. “That work strengthens scientific integrity that ACS champions and ultimately shows up in the things that people rely on daily. Bottled water, medicines, cellphones and computer screens all come from chemistry. Many people do not realize how deeply science shapes their world.” With a budget of nearly $900 million and a global community of over 200,000, planning is essential to the success of ACS. Lynch is proud to have chaired the committee that created the society’s next five-year strategic plan. He hopes that his work will continue to put the society’s vast resources to use helping advocate for scientists around the world. “My focus now is implementing ACS’ strategic plan, which envisions a world built on science and setting up the indicators to measure our success,” said Lynch. “We want to make sure we support chemists whether they are in academia, industry, government labs or retired.” Serving in a leadership role for a world-renowned scientific organization is part of Lynch’s calling to help others. He began his service with ACS over 40 years ago when he volunteered at a regional meeting while pursuing his bachelor’s degree. He started making connections immediately and grew his professional network from the local to the national level. Forming friendships in the scientific community and witnessing the ways their work changed lives inspired Lynch to continue to grow his own knowledge so he could do more for others. “Getting to do research as an undergraduate pulled me in, and I knew that chemistry was where I could make a difference. I realized I had a path to help society through science and I never looked back.” Looking to know more about Georgia Southern University or connect with Will Lynch? Simply contact Georgia Southern's Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.

1 min

“Designing Her Own Future: A Georgia Southern MBA Story”

After earning her Master of Business Administration from Georgia Southern University, one graduate is charting a path that blends creativity with business discipline. With a background in dressmaking, she entered the MBA program already skilled in her craft, but looking to strengthen the operational side of her work. “So much goes into dressmaking,” she explained. “From developing the pattern to the fabric you use, getting the right measurements, and so on. You have to make sure your stitches are clean, that the zipper is sitting properly.” While her technical skills were well developed, she quickly recognized that sustaining and growing her work required more than creative talent alone. “I didn’t have that business background,” she explained. “So I wanted to find a university program that could teach me how to structure and operate my business efficiently. So I started doing my research.” That search led her to Georgia Southern’s MBA program, where she immersed herself in coursework focused on strategy, leadership, and practical decision-making. Through the program, she gained the tools to think more systematically about her business—learning how to plan, organize, and scale her operations with confidence. Her experience reflects how graduate business education can empower entrepreneurs and creatives alike, transforming passion into sustainable practice and helping graduates design futures that work both artistically and professionally. Want to learn more about Georgia Southern's Master of Business Administration program? Simply contact Georgia Southern's Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.

3 min

Georgia Southern University computer science professor awarded NSF grant to advance protein imaging research

Proteins, often called the building blocks of life, play a central role in drug development. When scientists develop new treatments, they must understand how drugs interact with proteins involved in disease mechanisms and with proteins in the human body that influence drug response. Scientists commonly use cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) 3D imaging data to study proteins. While recent advances have enabled higher-resolution images that are easier to analyze, medium-resolution images—which are more difficult to interpret—are still the most common for larger protein complexes. Salim Sazzed, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the computer science department of Georgia Southern University’s Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing, has been awarded a two-year National Science Foundation grant of about $175,000 to lead a groundbreaking project to develop novel Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques for determining protein secondary structures from medium-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) images. Improved modeling from medium-resolution images will help researchers study more proteins efficiently, giving new insights into diseases and potentially guiding the development of new treatments and future drugs. At its core, this research will combine biology and machine learning to study protein structures. The multidisciplinary approach and potential impacts on public health are what most excite Sazzed. “The impetus behind this research is the positive impact on public health and possibly contributing to the biomedical workforce,” he said. “Seeing biology and computer science combine for that kind of impact is incredibly moving.” As the Principal Investigator (PI) for the project, Sazzed will use his expertise in deep learning computer models to focus on a major challenge in structural biology: identifying the two main secondary structures of proteins—the alpha helix and the beta sheet. These structures are critical for a protein’s overall shape and function, but in medium-resolution cryo-EM images they often appear indistinct or lack clear detail, making them particularly difficult to analyze. Sazzed’s research will focus on two main goals. First, he will quantify the variability of alpha helices and beta sheets in medium-resolution images, comparing them to idealized structures. Second, by integrating this structural variability with the image data in a deep learning model, he will aim to generate more precise and accurate representations of protein secondary structures. “When we feed this information into a deep learning model along with the image data, the model should be able to determine protein secondary structures more precisely,” Sazzed elaborated. Sazzed believes students will greatly benefit from this multi-disciplinary approach. In addition to a Ph.D. student, several undergraduate students will be directly engaged in the research. A full-day workshop will also be organized, allowing Georgia Southern students from diverse disciplines to participate. This initiative will build on Georgia Southern’s strong tradition of involving undergraduates in research and will support the University’s recent focus on biomedical and health sciences. “There are many different knowledge areas coming together in this work,” Sazzed said. “It involves computer science, biology, chemistry, and even public health. I look forward to students following the research and exploring these different fields themselves.” Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering & Computing Interim Associate Dean of Research, Masoud Davari, Ph.D., echoes this sentiment and emphasizes its importance to the University’s research profile. “Sazzed’s interdisciplinary research, which bridges the gap between biology and computer science, will foster multidisciplinary research in our college—as it is cutting-edge and potentially groundbreaking in drug development to impact people’s lives nationally and globally,” Davari said. “It’s also well aligned with the college’s strategic research plan—as we make the move to R1 status to be aligned with ‘Soaring to R1,’ which is among the transformational initiatives for the University.” Looking to know more about Georgia Southern University or connect with Salim Sazzed — simply contact Georgia Southern's Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.

View all posts
Powered by