ROME, Ga. -- A Berry College student placed third in this year's Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics Contest.

Senior Alyssa Hollingsworth received $1,500 for her essay, "Naan in the Afghan Village." She will also get an opportunity to meet the prize's namesake, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel.

Hollingsworth lives in Hampton, Va., and is majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing. Her winning story is about a trip she took to Afghanistan in 2011. She traveled to the Middle Eastern country to visit her sister, who works for an organization that specializes in health classes and community development for Afghan women.

"I was so honored to receive this award," Hollingsworth said in a statement, adding that Berry visiting assistant professor Abigail Greenbaum proved invaluable in helping her craft the story.

The Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics challenges college students to write stories and essays on timely ethical issues.

ROME, Ga. -- An associate professor of geology at Berry College has received the prestigious Fulbright Research Award to study in Africa.

Tamie Jovanelly will spend a year in Uganda, working on her research in field-based forest hydrology. She will use the Fulbright and a grant from the National Geographic Society Conservation Trust to collect and study baseline water in four forest reserves for Lake Victoria.

Jovanelly will work in Africa with Acworth resident and Berry senior Hanna Jackson, who won an International Programs Summer Research Grant from the college. Jackson will also use her time in Uganda to host water preservation workshops for locals.

Lake Victoria is the world's second-largest freshwater body of water and the chief reservoir of the Nile River.

Students at North Heights Elementary enjoyed the nice weather Friday as they were able to learn about Earth day and in the process, meet the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Champ.

Always ready for a scratch behind the ears from the kids, Champ and his handler Deputy Jimmy Allred taught the children about Champs importance to the Sheriff’s Office and his duties as a K-9 Officer.