Jennifer L. Gay, a faculty member in health promotion and behavior in the UGA College of Public Health, has been named a 2018-2019 University of Georgia Public Service & Outreach Fellow.

Since the 1920s, UGA Public Service and Outreach has been the University’s ambassador to every corner of the state, translating the land-grant mission into programs and initiatives aimed at improving communities and the daily lives of Georgians.

As a Fellow, Gay will work with PSO’s Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant to study how physical fitness can be used to promote human health and healthy ecosystems.

As an accomplished researcher in the area of physical activity and public health, Gay will apply her expertise in how built environment and social contexts influence physical activity to study how litter and debris influence physical activities in public areas.

She will also identify ways to link physical fitness to activities on Georgia’s coast, such as citizen science, ecotourism and volunteer opportunities, as well as quantify the type and amount of physical activity that individuals engage in during Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant programing.

In addition, Gay will help develop educational materials linking physical activity to individual well-being and healthy ecosystems. This relationship between coastal conservation and human health is known as the “blue gym.”

Launched in 2011, the Faculty Fellows program provides professors with an opportunity to enhance their course curriculum and conduct their research in connection with UGA’s public service and outreach initiatives.

Original news release can be found on UGA PSO News.

Posted October 5, 2018.