Seven College of Sciences faculty members from five schools are winners of annual awards from Georgia Tech’s Center for Teaching and Learning.
The Center for Teaching and Learning, part of the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Faculty Development, enhances the learning and teaching environment at Georgia Tech by encouraging a fully engaged, sharing community with communication networks, resources, and innovative programs for faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students. It recognizes tenured and non-tenured faculty with end-of-school-year awards honoring the work and innovation Georgia Tech educators bring to their classrooms.
This year's list includes a pair of School of Mathematics educators: Stephanie Reikes, a lecturer in the School of Mathematics, is the winner of Georgia Tech’s 2021 Undergraduate Educator Award. Professor Dan Margalit is one of two winners of the 2021 Eichholz Faculty Teaching Award.
2021 Undergraduate Educator Award
Stephanie Reikes, School of Mathematics
Reikes’ award was offered for the first time in 2009, recognizing the outstanding contributions that non-tenure track faculty make to student education. It reflects Reikes’ unique role at Georgia Tech, with responsibilities in the School of Mathematics and the Tutoring & Academic Support unit at Georgia Tech. She is responsible for teaching all of the Institute’s pre-calculus mathematics courses, including Support for College Algebra, College Algebra, and Pre-Calculus. She specializes in working with student of all backgrounds, including at-risk students, students with disabilities, and student-athletes.
In addition to leading improvements in this challenging area, she has strengthened the cooperation and collaboration between Tutoring & Academic Support and the School of Mathematics, and introduced an innovative Learning Assistants program. She also directs the Math Lab.
2021 Eichholz Award Faculty Teaching Award
Dan Margalit, School of Mathematics
The Eichholz Award, which includes a $3,000 prize, was established in 2005 through a gift from School of Mechanical Engineering's Regents’ Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Eichholz. It was created to reward senior faculty members who made a long-term contribution to introductory undergraduate education and were outstanding teachers for students taking freshman and sophomore core courses. It was recently broadened to recognize faculty at any point in their careers who excel in teaching core and general education courses, and who help students establish a solid foundation for their education at Georgia Tech.
Margalit’s math research lies at the intersection of low-dimensional topology and geometric group theory. He focuses on mapping class groups of surfaces, also called the the symmetries of surfaces. The author/editor of three books, Margalit hosts several workshops and discussion groups centering not just on topology and the advanced geometry he teaches, but mentorship and support for undergraduate and graduate students.
CTL/BP Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award ($3,000 each award)
Young Jang – School of Biological Sciences
This award, offered through the joint support of the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and BP America, provides Georgia Tech with the opportunity to highlight the excellent teaching and educational innovation that junior faculty bring to campus.
Jang, an assistant professor, researches stem cell biology and its impact on the aging process. Jang’s lab uses multi-disciplinary approaches to study muscle stem cell biology and develops bioactive stem cell delivery vehicles for use in regenerative medicine.
Faculty Award for Academic Outreach ($3,000)
Chandra Raman – School of Physics
This award rewards faculty members for productive academic outreach in which they go beyond their normal duties to enrich the larger educational community with their subject matter knowledge. Initiatives may involve furthering the learning of K-12 students, teachers, or other educational stakeholders in Georgia.
Raman, a professor, lists Bose-Einstein condensation and quantum atomic sensors as his research interests. His lab is an experimental atomic physics group that prepares atomic vapors from room temperature down to the microKelvin temperature regime, and seeks to exploit their unique capabilities for applications in quantum photonics, sensing, and many-body physics.
Innovation in Co-Curricular Education ($3,000 shared--$1,000 each)
Paul Verhaeghen—School of Psychology
This award is open to full-time faculty of any rank who increase student learning outside the traditional curriculum and help Georgia Tech achieve its strategic goal of graduating global citizens who can contribute to all sectors of society. Initiatives may involve formal or informal out-of-class learning experiences that engage undergraduate and/or graduate students in opportunities to develop respect for other cultures, explore the leadership qualities and ethical behaviors necessary to contribute to society, and/or build on their innovative and entrepreneurial talents in order to have a positive impact on local, state, national and/or international arenas.
Verhaeghen, a professor, researches cognitive aging and working memory in the School of Psychology. He has also conducted scientific research into mindfulness meditation, and has published a book on his findings, “Presence: How Mindfulness Shapes Your Brain, Mind, and Life.” In late 2020 he was awarded a two-year, $200,000 grant from the Mind and Life Institute.
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award ($3,000 shared--$1,500 each)
Michael Evans, Carrie Shepler, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
This award, offered in 2018-2019 for the first time, provides Georgia Tech with the opportunity to acknowledge the value of scholarship of teaching and learning articulated by Boyer’s Scholarship Reconsidered (1990), and exemplified by the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. This award is intended to encourage and support the work of faculty whose scholarship focuses on the instructional mission of the institution.
Evans is a senior academic professional who serves as the Freshmen Chemistry Laboratory Coordinator. As he writes in the Chemical Education section of his biographical profile, “Our advanced labs have focused on how to keep students engaged and allow them to see the relevance of lab work to their career paths.”
As Director of Instructional Activities and Student Experience in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Shepler’s responsibilities include co-chairing the Freshman Chemistry Committee, providing administrative supervision and support, planning of assessment and feedback, pedagogical development, and coordination and training of teaching assistants in the freshman program in addition to teaching freshman program courses. Shepler also serves as an academic advisor.
Before beginning her undergraduate degree on campus — majoring in biomedical engineering with a minor in leadership studies and a certificate in cognitive psychology — Brady Bove was unsure what her time at Georgia Tech would be like. Growing up in Franklin, Tennessee, Bove says she didn’t even consider applying to the Institute until her mother encouraged her. From there, she joined a campus tour and was quickly drawn to the collaborative and innovative atmosphere — and decided to attend.
Since then she has earned a major, minor, and certificate across the College of Engineering, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, and College of Sciences, respectively. She also just completed her senior BME Capstone project on an all-female team working on the National Security Innovation Network’s X-Force Fellowship.
And although her last year before graduation was unexpectedly altered by the pandemic, Bove made good use of a hybrid schedule and some extra time to write and publish a collection of poems that seeks to show the joy of human connection — an especially relevant theme in a year that lacked a lot of direct human contact.
“I am passionate about helping people — about forming connections with those around me,” she shares about her poetry book, “A Day of Humanity,” which she published last summer. “I am passionate about showing people that they are not alone.” Bove gathered “touching stories from a wide variety of people — stories of anxiety, of love, of childhood pains, of friendship” for the book, which features 56 poems across a trio of themes: morning, day, and night.
Now, as she gets ready to turn a tassel and begin the next chapter of her life, Bove reflects on the spirit of connection and community at Tech, where she says she’s found a home in many ways — on campus and in the classroom, where she’s met peers and professors who have challenged and encouraged her — and through a number of clubs and organizations where she’s made friends and relationships for life. Bove met her husband, Alejandro Muñoz, B.S. MSE 2019, while they were both studying at Georgia Tech.
“I've grown in every single dimension of my life — emotionally, mentally, spiritually, intellectually,” she says. “I met my husband here. I met lifelong friends here. I've fallen in love with the sound of the Whistle on a sunny fall day. I love Tech.”
Bove recently joined us virtually for a Q&A on her time as a student and what’s next:
So, how have your initial expectations of Georgia Tech compared to your actual experience?
I honestly wasn’t quite sure what to expect out of Georgia Tech when I first enrolled in 2016. I had never heard of Tech until my mom introduced me to it during my college search. I fell in love with the collaborative and innovative atmosphere and decided that I would call GT my home for the next four (which then turned to five) years. I still am surrounded by collaboration and innovation, but I found Tech to be so much more than that, too. I think the biggest shock was the level of success and experience each student brought to the table, and the way everyone really pushes you to be your best.
What is the most important thing you've learned at Georgia Tech?
The most important thing that I’ve learned here is the power of asking for help. Georgia Tech is a hard school that really pushes you. One of the ways I think it pushes you is to leave your comfort zone and lean on those around you. It is easy to “stay still” in your frustration and run around a problem over and over in your head without going anywhere — but what is more fruitful is to turn to the person next to you and work together to move forward. That was a really important lesson that allowed me to really engage with my studies.
What is your proudest achievement at Georgia Tech?
Georgia Tech has helped me grow so much and become proud of who I am and what I have done. I am especially proud of my senior design project. I worked with a team of four other amazing female biomedical engineers. We started our project in the summer as a part of the National Security Innovation Network’s X-Force Fellowship. We were partnered with the Army Rangers and were tasked with investigating traumatic brain injury in the military.
This was an exciting project because it allowed me to incorporate some of the insights from my psychology courses as we spent an entire summer conducting interviews and performing a literature review. During the fall semester, we took our findings and designed a “blast attenuator” device for a mortar weapon system that would direct the damaging blast away from the brains of the service members firing the weapon. This design will hopefully be further refined by future teams.
We also designed an experiment to measure the physiological and cognitive effects and the exact magnitude of the mortar weapon systems’ blasts upon firing. We were able to travel to Fort Benning to conduct this experiment.
We have won two presentation awards for our work at different conferences and now are working on a research article to publish our findings. I am especially proud of this project, not because of the awards that we have won or for the possibility of having my name in an established research journal, but because my team worked well together and because we are making a real impact in the lives of those who serve us.
Which professor or class made a big impact on you?
A class that made a huge impact on me was The Art of Telling Your Story (BMED 4000), taught by Janece Shaffer, Joe Le Doux, and Cristi Bell-Huff. This class was so impactful because it showed me that the science world doesn’t have to be 100% technical — and that soft skills, like effective communication, are essential. After taking and being inspired by the connections formed in this class, I have been a teaching assistant for it for the past two semesters. Each semester I learn something new from the instructional team and from the students in the class. I have a passion for sharing stories, as a poet, and love being a part of this course.
What is your most vivid memory at Georgia Tech?
I have had so many amazing memories at Georgia Tech! One of my most vivid memories at Tech is actually one from my first semester. I was in a freshmen lounge with a few other people from my Classical Physics I course.
We had a test that week and were trying to work through some problems that we didn’t understand. The white board was covered with acceleration and velocity equations, and across the room was an older student who didn’t appear to be paying any attention to us. After some time, we looked up from the problem we were working on to realize he had left. We continued to discuss the best equation to use for the problem we were working on.
About thirty minutes later, we heard the door to the lounge creak open and then quickly shut. One of the people with me walked over towards the door to investigate. On the floor sat a bright blue box scribbled on with Sharpie: “Because every 1st year studying on Friday night deserves a donut! #stayhype.” Inside were a dozen Sublime Doughnuts.
In this moment, I fell in love with Georgia Tech even more. It showed me that we are all looking out for each other and willing to help and support each other, any way we can. Georgia Tech is full of caring, smart, and passionate people — and that is why I love it.
Where are you headed after graduation?
After graduation I am getting married to another Tech graduate, Alejandro Muñoz, and we are moving up to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. I will be joining 3M as an optimized operations engineer.
At Georgia Tech, I fell in love with learning, and I wanted to be sure my future job would provide continuous education opportunities. I am excited for my role at 3M since I will be joining their Optimized Operations Developmental Program. This will allow me to grow and expand upon the lessons I have learned at Tech. I also hope to continue writing and sharing poetry.
Are you joining Commencement festivities?
I will be attending Commencement! I am most looking forward to walking across the stage, and feeling the peace that I have actually done it come over me. My family and fiancé will be in the stands — and I know how proud they are of me.
Jessica Kilpatrick chose to attend Georgia Tech because she knew that “it would prepare me for my future and get me to the next step.” Now graduating with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and minor in health and medical sciences from the Institute, with plans to attend the Emory University Physician Assistant Program in the fall, Kilpatrick says she feels confident that her time at Georgia Tech has prepared her for the next phase of her life.
Kilpatrick shares that on campus as an undergrad, she found a healthy balance between academics, career preparation, and social time. She kept focus on her classes — while making time to play volleyball and spend time with her friends, boyfriend, and nieces.
She also worked as a student assistant trainer and currently serves in the coveted role as head student athletic trainer for Georgia Tech Football, which she notes as her favorite activity so far at Georgia Tech. “Being able to work with a team I grew up cheering for has been surreal, and I am sad that my Saturdays on Grant Field have come to a close.”
As she prepares for the semesters and new adventures ahead, Kilpatrick plans to celebrate her graduation by attending this spring’s Commencement ceremony with her family. “I am most looking forward to getting my degree and completing one of the hardest things I have ever done,” she adds.
Kilpatrick recently joined us virtually for a Q&A on her time as a student and what’s next:
So, how have your initial expectations of Georgia Tech compared to your actual experience?
Before coming to Georgia Tech, I was worried about the rigor and difficulty of classes. I thought that there would not be much time to do things that I enjoy, but I was wrong. I found that, to do well and maintain my mental health, I had to go out and enjoy things. It has been those moments with friends that have really grounded me, and kept me at a level needed to succeed at Georgia Tech.
What is the most important thing you've learned at Georgia Tech?
The most important thing I have learned while at Georgia Tech is that academics are not everything. It is important to join clubs, stay active, and do things you enjoy. During my first year, I found a group of friends who loved to play volleyball, so twice a week we would go out and play.
This not only would give me a break from my work, but it would also lower my stress and allow me to be more attentive once I started studying again. It is important to find people who share similar interests as you and help you relax, but also encourage you to focus on school when needed.
What is your proudest achievement at Georgia Tech?
My job with the football team is my proudest achievement. In the spring of my first year, I started working as a student athletic trainer with the team. Since then, I have transitioned into the role of head student (athletic trainer), obtained over 2,000 hours of experience, and earned over $20,000 in scholarships.
While working alongside some talented athletes has been amazing, I am even more blessed for the training I have received from the athletic training staff, and the connections I have made that will further advance my medical career.
Which professors or class made a big impact on you?
Dr. Meghan Babcock has by far been my most influential professor, and she has served as my academic advisor for the past two years. Every time I stepped into her classroom or office, or even saw her around campus, she spoke to me by name and asked how things were going. For a professor to care that much for her students was amazing, and it was comforting to know that I could go to her if I ever needed help. Because of her attentiveness and care, she will always be someone I remember.
As far as classes go, Chemistry 1212 had the biggest impact on me. Throughout high school, I made all A’s, but I knew that at Georgia Tech, that was likely going to end, and I was prepared for it. During the fall of my second year, Chem 1212 broke my perfect record. And the grade? 89. Although I knew my perfect record would eventually end, it was still a humbling experience and again proved to me that academics are not everything. You do not have to be perfect to be successful.
What is your most vivid memory at Georgia Tech?
During my first semester, I ended up with pneumonia and was having some bad reactions. But it was a hell week, and I would not let little ole pneumonia stop me. Well, it ended up stopping me anyways. I was in a study session for a calculus test that was coming up, and my throat was swelling up on me. I had to rush out of the study session, walk 20 minutes to my dorm, and finally get to the hospital.
While it was happening, I could not help but see the humor in the situation. I did not listen to my body telling me it needed to rest, so it made the decision for me. At this point I was not fully sold on the idea that "school isn’t everything," but that experience definitely pushed me to start realizing that my health is important too.
What is one piece of advice would you offer a current student?
Don't let academics get in the way of forming friendships. There is definitely a balance, and schoolwork should not be neglected — but you will regret not spending time with your friends when given the chance. Go to sporting events, go to SCPC (Student Center Programs Council) events, take advantage of your time on campus, because those are the memories you will keep.
Where are you headed after graduation?
I am very excited to say that I will be heading to Emory University to join their Physician Assistant Program. My job with the Georgia Tech Football team, balance of life and school, and help from professors like Dr. Babcock all helped me get to this point — and I definitely owe Georgia Tech big time for how it has set me up for success.
In her time at Georgia Tech, Maria Zulfiqar made sure to make each moment count. As a transfer student from Georgia State University with the Arts and Sciences Transfer Pathway, Zulfiqar entered campus determined to make the most of the diversity of research opportunities, clubs, and classes the Institute offers.
Majoring in psychology while pursuing a research option, Zulfiqar knew that her course load would be challenging. However, she did not let that deter her – in fact, she embraced the struggle, and challenged herself to graduate a full two years earlier than initially planned.
“I am the first person in my family’s history to obtain a college degree in the United States, the first woman to ever obtain a college degree at all in my family — and I’m doing it two years early, with highest honors,” she notes. Zulfiqar, who is Pakistani, grew up in Alpharetta, Georgia, and was born in Mississauga, Canada.
Outside of the classroom, Zulfiqar runs a calligraphy business called Maria Calligraphia, and is involved in the Georgia Tech Muslim Student Association (GTMSA). She adds that, after graduation, she will miss “the community — from friends in GTMSA, to those in research with me, to people in my classes.”
Zulfiqar recently joined us virtually for a Q&A on her time as a student and what’s next:
So, how have your initial expectations of Georgia Tech compared to your actual experience?
Coming to Georgia Tech as a transfer student, I expected to not be able to keep up with the minds of everyone else on campus. I remember speaking to a few friends at our FASET — all of us were scared to see if we'd be able to adjust to the rigor here. I thought of challenges as enjoyable at the time, but I was afraid to be ambitious.
However, just being in the Georgia Tech community and attending my first semester of classes made me truly enjoy challenges — and I found myself getting more and more ambitious.
Eventually, I approached my advisor and told her that I wanted to graduate two years earlier than everyone else my age. While I was advised against it at the time, I continued to push forward, through challenge after challenge. If anything, I've learned that I'm more capable than what I initially thought, and that chasing challenges and ambition make environments like Georgia Tech all that more rewarding.
What is the most important thing you've learned at Georgia Tech?
Growing up, I always assumed that knowledge was exemplified by how you did on tests. However, my time at Georgia Tech has taught me that just the journey of obtaining knowledge itself is truly eye opening. Being surrounded by innovative students, detailed researchers, and engaging professors has helped me learn to see that we can gain knowledge from everything and everyone around us — so it's definitely worth it to enjoy the journey.
What is your proudest achievement at Georgia Tech?
My proudest accomplishment by far has to be completing the Research Option here at Tech. Over two years, I have taken special classes, planned a research project, implemented it, and then presented my findings at the Undergraduate Research 2021 Symposium and submitted my thesis.
I've learned a lot about research during this process, and it's helped me grow as a writer and a student. While it was most certainly arduous and stressful at times, I feel like the Research Option gave me a plethora of experiences that have prepared me not only for grad school, but also for entering the world of research myself.
Which professor or class made a big impact on you?
Some of the professors I've enjoyed most at Georgia Tech are Dr. Emily Weigel in the School of Biological Sciences and Dr. Randall Engle in the School of Psychology. I've been able to participate in three different research studies and activities through working with them, and have gained a lot of experience and knowledge I'd like to carry with me after graduation.
Some classes that I've really enjoyed have been Learning & Memory with Dr. Thackery Brown, Neuroethics with Dr. Scott Moffat, Personality Theory with Dr. Keaton Fletcher, and Cognitive Psychology with Dr. Richard Catrambone. All of these classes were not only fascinating content-wise, but also encouraged me to challenge my way of thinking and learn a lot about different aspects of research and the field of psychology as a whole.
What is your most vivid memory at Georgia Tech?
My most vivid memory has to be the day that it was announced campus would be shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was the same day at the Georgia Tech Muslim Students Association's Culture Fest event, and I recall sitting on the third floor of the old student center with friends as the club prepared for the event. Everyone wore matching shirts, we set everything up outside the Campanile, and there was a lot of great food!
The event itself ended up becoming our last memory at Tech before we all went home for virtual semesters, but it was a great way to celebrate our last day of fully in-person classes, even though we didn't know it at the time.
Where are you headed after graduation?
I'll be attending Augusta University in the fall to get my master's degree in clinical psychology. I aim to one day complete my Ph.D. and then to be both a professor and a clinical researcher. It's also a goal of mine to help amplify South Asian voices, and conduct research about the South Asian diaspora, in particular.
How will you celebrate graduation?
I plan to attend Commencement!
In a fiscal year indelibly marked by the pandemic, College of Sciences researchers and students maintained high research standards despite the obstacles and restrictions of Covid-19. The result was a high rate of research study submissions during FY21 (July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021) at Georgia Tech — with some significant funding wins for the College of Sciences.
“Students used their creativity to imagine new experiments, data analyses, and modeling studies that were feasible despite our facilities being shut down fully last spring and partially throughout summer, fall, winter, and spring of 2021,” says Julia Kubanek, vice president for Interdisciplinary Research (VPIR) at Georgia Tech. “Because of the safety and effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines, we are now in a position to return more fully to lab- and field-based research. It’s energizing to once again learn from each other in collaborative research settings and to meet in person to discuss results and plan new projects.”
Kubanek, a professor in the School of Biological Sciences and the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, who served as associate dean of Research for the College of Sciences until assuming her new role as VPIR on July 1, 2021, says Georgia Tech faculty have been “heroic” in juggling remote and hybrid teaching, and remote student mentorship, while protecting health and safety in their labs. “Each faculty-led team of trainees and researchers has had to decide what works for their own projects, deferring some collaborative field and lab experiments that were unsafe during the year because we couldn’t work shoulder-to-shoulder,” she says. Faculty remained in close contact with sponsors like the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, which made accommodations for project timelines and experimental design.
Faculty and students were also involved in quick pivots of their research so they could study the pandemic. Research teams launched entirely new initiatives focusing on pandemic response, vaccine development, antiviral drug discovery, Covid-19-related testing, and modeling of disease transmission.
“Students and postdoctoral researchers in the College of Sciences got to play critical roles in these projects, which brought new meaning to us regarding Georgia Tech’s mission to improve the human condition,” Kubanek says.
Here are some major research funding grants approved for the schools during FY21 in the College of Sciences, along with coordinating principal investigators and funding sources:
Modeling SARS-CoV-2, Interventions, and Impacts on Healthcare Resources (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
Joshua Weitz, Patton Distinguished Chair in the School of Biological Sciences and co-director of the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Quantitative Biosciences, is a key researcher in Georgia Tech’s response to the novel coronavirus. Weitz co-led development of a modeling tool early in the pandemic for estimating risk to those attending events of various sizes in all U.S. counties.
Exploring a Reservoir Within a Greenland Glacier, and Plumbing the Uncertainties of Sea Level Rise (Heising-Simons Foundation)
Winnie Chu, an assistant professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, is studying the Helheim Glacier, which could lead to more clues about climate change’s impact on losses to Greenland’s ice mass.
Neha Garg Receives NSF CAREER Award to Fight Coral Reef Disease (NSF)
Garg, an assistant professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has won an NSF CAREER award to study Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, which has already infected more than 20 species of corals off Florida’s coast.
Topology Between Dimensions Three and Four (NSF)
Led by Jennifer Hom, associate professor in the School of Mathematics
Program of Research on Multimodal Human-Machine Interfaces (Toyota Corp)
Led by Bruce Walker, professor in the School of Psychology and School of Interactive Computing
The Challenge of Predicting Rainfall in a Changing Climate (NSF)
Jie He, assistant professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, has received an NSF CAREER award to unlock the uncertainty in rainfall predictions.
Giant Polymer Brushes: How Fluid-Like Hyaluronan Brushes Minimize Biofilms Adhesion (NSF)
Led by Jennifer Curtis, associate professor in the School of Physics
Characterization and Recovery of Critical Metals from Municipal Solid Waste (U.S. Department of Energy)
Led by Yuanzhi Tang, associate professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
GLACIOME: Developing a Comprehensive Model of the Coupled Glacier-Ocean-Melange System (NSF)
Led by Alex Robel, assistant professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences; learn more about Robel's recent research here.
Reposition and Optimization of Deferiprone for Breast Center Therapy (NSF)
Led by Adegboyega "Yomi" Oyelere, associate professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Yuhong Fan, associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences and Georgia Research Alliance Distinguished Scholar
Breaking the Chain: Disrupting Guinea Worm Disease Transmission (The Carter Center)
Led by Jeannette Yen, professor in the School of Biological Sciences
Georgia Tech is a major partner in a new National Science Foundation (NSF) Artificial Intelligence Research Institute focused on adult learning in online education, it was announced today. Led by the Georgia Research Alliance, the National AI Institute for Adult Learning in Online Education (ALOE) is one of 11 new NSF institutes created as part of an investment totaling $220 million.
The ALOE Institute will develop new AI theories and techniques for enhancing the quality of online education for lifelong learning and workforce development. According to some projections, about 100 million American workers will need to be reskilled or upskilled over the next decade. With the increase of AI and automation, said Co-Principal Investigator and Georgia Tech lead Professor Ashok Goel, many jobs will be redefined.
“There will be some loss of jobs, but mostly we will see individuals needing to learn a new skill to get a new job or to advance their career,” said Goel, a professor of computer science and human-centered computing in Georgia Tech’s School of Interactive Computing (IC) and the chief scientist with the Center for 21st Century Universities (C21U). “So, how do you help 100 million workers reskill or upskill in 10 years? Because AI is in part responsible for this need, it is our belief it should also be responsible for finding a solution.”
That is the goal of this project, which will be led by principal investigator Myk Garn, assistant vice chancellor for New Models of Learning at the University System of Georgia and senior advisor to the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA).
“Online education for adults has enormous implications for tomorrow’s workforce,” Garn said. “Yet, serious questions remain about the quality of online learning and how best to teach adults online. Artificial intelligence offers a powerful technology for dramatically improving the quality of online learning and adult education.”
To do that successfully, the education must be personalized and scaled to unprecedented levels. Educating 100 million people in online environments will, of course, require far more time and energy than in-person educators can offer their students. That is where AI comes into play.
Researchers will build new AI techniques that can adequately and efficiently train other AI agents to interact with humans in a classroom setting, similar to the virtual teaching assistant Jill Watson that Goel has used in his online computer science classes for the past five years. This will help satisfy the scalability requirement.
“That’s the fundamental advancement in AI,” Goel said. “A human can train an AI agent in just a few hours how to teach other AI agents on how to interact with humans on various subjects.”
To satisfy the need for personalized AI, researchers will train machines to have a mutual theory of mind with their human counterparts. In other words, there will be a greater understanding by both machine and human of the others’ needs, knowledge, and expectations.
“Our vision is to develop AI agents that achieve a mutual understanding of learning expectations, outcomes, and methods between students and teachers,” said Alex Endert, an assistant professor in Georgia Tech’s College of Computing who will help the team analyze and understand data from the project. “Along with my students, I look forward to developing visual analytic interfaces that serve that purpose to foster trust and interpretability of AI for this domain.”
Ultimately, the hope is that education becomes more available, affordable, achievable, and, thereby, equitable. Such an expansive project, understandably, requires the expertise of many kinds from many people. In addition to Endert and Goel, who will be executive director of the ALOE Institute, there will be a host of faculty at Georgia Tech will participate.
Senior Georgia Tech members of the ALOE team include Stephen Harmon (Industrial Design and C21U), Michael Hoffmann (Public Policy), David Joyner (Online Master of Science in Computer Science), Ruth Kanfer (Psychology), Brian Magerko (Language, Media, and Culture), Keith McGreggor (IC and VentureLab), Chaohua Ou (Center for Teaching and Learning), and Spencer Rugaber (Computer Science).
Other partners in the ALOE Institute include Arizona State University, Drexel University, Georgia State University, Harvard University, the Technical College System of Georgia, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, IMS Global, Boeing, IBM, and Wiley.
Georgia Tech is a key partner in two additional institutes in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Institute of Food and Agricultures, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology Directorate, and the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. Georgia Tech will lead the AI Institute for Advances in Optimization (AI4Opt) and the AI Institute for Collaborative Assistance and Responsiveness Interaction for Networked Groups (AI-CARING), the latter of which is led by College of Computing Associate Professor Sonia Chernova to support aging-related issues.
The thrill of victory may be experienced a bit differently for athletes competing at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics, thanks to Covid-19 requiring performance to empty stands.
To maintain health and safety standards, the International Olympic Committee officials will not allow spectators this summer, but will pipe in recorded crowd sounds from previous Olympics for some events.
How will that impact the athletes? Does hearing the cheers from partisan crowds — or just those appreciating the best in global athletic achievement — impact sports performance?
A Tufts University professor recently told ABC News that “[t]here haven't been studies done during the pandemic on elite athletes and their performance with or without fans,” but that science already knows performing in front of people can be “physiologically arousing,” speeding up heart rates and helping to focus attention.
“Humans naturally process the sounds around us, pretty much all the time,” says Bruce Walker, a professor at Georgia Tech in the School of Psychology and the School of Interactive Computing. “We don’t have ‘earlids,’ after all. However, our normal attentional mechanisms allow us to focus on, or disregard, certain sounds around us.”
Whether or not sounds make a difference in performance depends on the athlete and the sport, Walker explains. For some athletes, noises are distracting, so ignoring crowd sounds is part of their training and skill. “This is especially common when the activity or sport involves precise or fine motor movements,” he says. A golfer preparing to putt, or a shooter staring down a target — with gold medals on the line for both — can be distracted by a sudden outburst from the crowd.
“For these athletes, the absence of fans and the sounds they make can be a blessing. It is easier to concentrate on performing, which may help some athletes perform at their peak. We may even see some new records in certain sports.”
For other athletes, perhaps sound or noise of any kind can be a beneficial distractor. The “white noise” of the crowd prevents them from overthinking moves or performances, Walker says. “It can keep the athlete from ‘getting into their own head.’ If the stands are silent, the athlete may tense up, just from psychological causes.”
Then there’s communication, which is key in team sports. Athletes need to communicate with coaches, and with their teammates across the field, track, court, or pool. “Of course, elite athletes are very much used to finding non-verbal ways to communicate with teammates in the presence of even deafening crowds. However, without crowd noises to get in the way, non-verbal methods can be supplemented with words, chirps, yells, whistles, and more. The outcome can be better team cohesion and coordination.”
For teams that do not practice together regularly — consider the USA Basketball team, adding professionals who until recently may have been focusing on the NBA playoffs — these added ways to connect during the game can prove beneficial. “You may see, for example, more intricate passing or complex multi-person plays, when supported by verbal comments or cues.”
A final and perhaps most important influence of sounds is motivational, Walker says. “The cheering fans pump up the athletes, and the roar from the stands can push adrenaline and grit, and help athletes squeeze just a little bit more out of their tired bodies. It is easier to ‘leave it all on the field’ when there are hundreds or thousands screaming for you or your team.”
And if the athletes end up with medals, “they also look forward to standing on the podium in front of all those fans, sharing the sounds of their national anthem played over the loudspeakers, sung proudly by their nation's fans.”
For decades, the Georgia Institute of Technology has focused on advancing artificial intelligence through interdisciplinary research and education designed to produce leading-edge technologies. Over the next five years, Georgia Tech will make a substantial investment in AI that includes hiring an additional 100 researchers in the field, further solidifying its standing as a leader in the teaching and discovery of machine learning.
Today, Georgia Tech received two National Science Foundation (NSF) Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes awards, totaling $40 million. A third award for $20 million was granted to the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA), with Georgia Tech serving as one of the leading academic institutions.
“It is essential that we bring together our best minds to ensure that AI delivers on its promise to create a more prosperous, sustainable, safe, and fair future for everyone,” said Ángel Cabrera, president of Georgia Tech. “These NSF awards recognize Georgia Tech’s vast expertise in machine learning and AI and will help us further develop our resources and amplify our impact in these crucial fields.”
Chaouki T. Abdallah, executive vice president for Research at Georgia Tech, concurred, citing major efforts under development to help create a more robust and inclusive future of AI, both on campus and beyond.
“We are incredibly grateful to the NSF for their investment and excited for the opportunities made possible because of this research,” he said. “At Tech, our mission is to advance technology and improve the human condition, catalyzing research that matters. We invested in a unified approach to interdisciplinary research aligned with industry relevance and societal impact, and these awards demonstrate a clear return on that strategy.”
Collectively, NSF made a $220 million investment in 11 new NSF-led Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes.
“I am delighted to announce the establishment of new NSF National AI Research Institutes as we look to expand into all 50 states,” said National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “These Institutes are hubs for academia, industry, and government to accelerate discovery and innovation in AI. Inspiring talent and ideas everywhere in this important area will lead to new capabilities that improve our lives, from medicine to entertainment to transportation and cybersecurity, and position us in the vanguard of competitiveness and prosperity.”
Led by NSF, and in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Google, Amazon, Intel, and Accenture, the National AI Research Institutes will act as connections in a broader nationwide network to pursue transformational advances in a range of economic sectors, and science and engineering fields — from food system security to next-generation edge networks. In addition to Georgia Tech and GRA, the University of California San Diego, Duke University, Iowa State University, North Carolina State University, The Ohio State University, and University of Washington are the lead universities included in the 11 AI Institutes.
The AI Institutes at Georgia Tech
The three newly established Institutes will address societal challenges, including home care for aging adults; energy, logistics, and supply chains; sustainability; the widening gap in job opportunities; and changing needs in workforce development.
NSF AI Institute for Collaborative Assistance and Responsive Interaction for Networked Groups (AI-CARING) will seek to create a vibrant discipline focused on personalized, collaborative AI systems that will improve quality of care for the aging. The systems will learn individual models of human behavior and how they change over time and use that knowledge to better collaborate and communicate in caregiving environments. Led by Sonia Chernova, associate professor of interactive computing at Georgia Tech, the AI systems will help a growing population of older adults sustain independence, improve quality of life, and increase effectiveness of care coordination across the care network.
“The AI-CARING Institute builds on our existing strengths in AI and in technology for aging. It will create not only novel solutions, but a new generation of researchers focused on the interaction between the two,” said Charles Isbell, dean and John P. Imlay Jr. Chair in the College of Computing. “Our aim is to build cutting-edge technologies that improve the lives of everyone, and I can’t think of a better example than AI-CARING.”
NSF AI Institute for Advances in Optimization (AI4Opt) will revolutionize decision-making on a large scale – fusing AI and mathematical optimization into intelligent systems that will achieve breakthroughs that neither field can achieve independently. Additionally, it will create pathways from high school to undergraduate and graduate education and workforce development training for AI in engineering that will empower a generation of underrepresented students and teachers to join the AI revolution. Led by Pascal Van Hentenryck, A. Russell Chandler III chair and professor in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech, AI4Opt will tackle use cases in energy, resilience and sustainability, supply chains, and circuit design and control.
“AI4Opt, with its focus on AI and optimization, will create new pathways for novel tools that allow better engineering applications to benefit society,” said Raheem Beyah, dean of Georgia Tech’s College of Engineering and Southern Company Chair. “This will allow engineers to build higher quality materials, more efficient renewable resources, new computing systems, and more, while also reinforcing the field as a career path for diverse students. The new institute complements the College’s commitment to the integration of AI in engineering disciplines.”
NSF AI Institute for Adult Learning and Online Education (ALOE) will lead the country and the world in the development of novel AI theories and techniques for enhancing the quality of adult online education, making this mode of learning comparable to that of in-person education in STEM disciplines. Together with partners in the technical college systems and educational technology sector, ALOE will advance online learning using virtual assistants to make education more available, affordable, achievable, and ultimately more equitable. This Institute is led by the GRA, with support from Georgia Tech and the University System of Georgia (USG). Ashok Goel, professor in the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech, will serve as executive director.
“Online education for adults has enormous implications for tomorrow’s workforce,” said Myk Garn, a GRA senior advisor, assistant vice chancellor for New Models of Learning at the USG, and ALOE’s principal investigator. “Yet, serious questions remain about the quality of online learning and how best to teach adults online. Artificial intelligence offers a powerful technology for dramatically improving the quality of online learning and adult education.”
The Future of AI at Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech is poised to strategically reimagine the future of AI. Currently, 66% of Georgia Tech undergraduate computer science students have an academic concentration in Intelligence, focusing on the top-to-bottom computational models of intelligence. The College of Computing’s recently launched Ph.D. program in machine learning pulls from faculty in all six colleges across the Institute, and many new courses are being developed that teach AI as a tool for science and engineering. Georgia Tech is exploring the potential creation of a school or college of AI within the next five years, further building on its expansive AI and machine learning footprint. The NSF AI Institutes awards will enable all AI-related academic programs to scale and further differentiate Georgia Tech as a leader in AI education.
Additionally, the awards will expand and complement ongoing AI research efforts at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). In the last fiscal year, GTRI received millions of dollars in research awards from the Department of Defense and other sponsors for AI-affiliated research, and currently, many GTRI researchers are focused on AI-affiliated projects.
“As part of Georgia Tech, GTRI will greatly benefit from the advances in AI that will be achieved as a result of these NSF-funded Institutes, helping us further excel in our aim to deliver leading-edge AI research that benefits national security,” said Mark Whorton, GTRI’s chief technology officer. “GTRI is one of the nation’s leading institutes of applied research for national security specifically because of our deep engagement and close affiliation with the academic units of Georgia Tech. AI is a tool we use in conducting larger research objectives, and we believe strongly that these AI Institutes will enable GTRI to put more research into practice.”
“Georgia Tech has for decades now been pursuing new AI technologies, and now leads the way in AI that is responsible to the needs of the humans who use it,” Isbell said. “We have also worked hard to expand access to AI, especially for underrepresented groups. These Institutes will build on that history, expanding both our ability to create new technologies and to train the next generation of innovators. I look forward to watching them grow and develop.”
About the Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a top 10 public research university developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees. Its nearly 40,000 students, representing 50 states and 149 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online learning. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society.
About the National Science Foundation
The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments, and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2021 budget of $8.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities, and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.
About the Georgia Research Alliance
The Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) helps Georgia’s university scientists do more research and start more companies. By expanding research and entrepreneurship capacity at public and private universities, GRA grows the Georgia economy by driving more investment in the state, developing a high-tech workforce, and strengthening Georgia’s reputation for innovation. For 30 years, GRA has worked in partnership with the University System of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Economic Development to create the companies and jobs of Georgia’s future. Visit GRA.org for more information.
Contact: Georgia Parmelee | georgia.parmelee@gatech.edu | 404.281.7818
The College of Sciences is pleased to announce the appointment of Tansu Celikel as the new chair of the School of Psychology, effective fall 2021.
“By all accounts, Dr. Celikel will be bringing an abundance of enthusiasm, creativity, and vision to his role as chair,” says Susan Lozier, dean of the College of Sciences and Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair. “I am looking forward to working with him to advance the teaching and research missions across the School of Psychology and the College.”
“I am overjoyed to join the College of Sciences,” Celikel says. “Serving the Georgia Tech family as the next chair of the School of Psychology is an immense privilege. With its embedding in the College in a world-class technical university, our School of Psychology is in a prime position to advance the institutional mission of improving the human condition.”
Meet Tansu Celikel
Celikel received his Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience at La Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA) in Italy. After conducting postdoctoral research at the University of California, San Diego and the Max-Planck Institute for Medical Research, he set up his first laboratory at the University of Southern California in 2008.
Four years later, Celikel moved to the Netherlands to establish the Department of Neurophysiology at the Radboud University, where he has since served as professor and chair. Celikel is also the director of the Donders Institute, a preeminent interdisciplinary institute in Europe devoted to the advancement of brain, cognitive, and behavioral sciences to improve health, education, and technology.
“Modern psychology is a multidisciplinary science,” Celikel explains. “It investigates mental processes and behavior to address human challenges — whilst human-made intelligent technologies increasingly shape our experiences and behavior.”
“The rapid pace of development in robotics, computing, bioengineering, and neurotechnology is on the verge of ushering us into a new era,” he points out. “In our lifetimes, we will witness the emergence of augmented humans who will use embodied and wearable technologies to improve how we sense, perceive, infer, learn, decide, act, and interact — including in aging.”
Furthermore, Celikel says that “fundamental research on the mechanisms of cognition, principles of information processing, and organization of behavior will give rise to cognitive computing for the next-generation artificial intelligence” will guide that emergence. “The teamwork between the machine and humans will redefine the workplace, transforming humans’ creativity, interactions, adaptability, and resilience,” he adds.
“With competitive research programs in cognition and brain science, cognitive aging, engineering psychology, industrial and organizational psychology, and quantitative psychology, the School of Psychology is well-positioned to take on these and many other challenges as we partner with other great Schools at Georgia Tech and beyond,” he notes.
NeurotechEU roadmap
Celikel is already building a roadmap to tackle these challenges and will arrive at Tech this fall equipped with leadership experience in developing vision, kindling the interests of stakeholders, and creating common academic and scientific goals. Celikel conceived and led the establishment of the European University of Brain and Technology (NeurotechEU), funded by the European Union. He is also the chair of its Board of Governors.
“The European University Initiative by the European Commission aims to transform universities,” Celikel says. “By bringing together eight universities and more than 250 partners in public and private sectors, NeurotechEU creates joint education, research, and innovation programs on Brain and Technology,” he explains.
“By pooling the educational and training capacity of its partners, and via its digital university, NeurotechEU will offer new learning opportunities,” he shares. “It will increase accessibility and inclusivity of advanced education — NeurotechEU research excellence centers and the Neurotech Graduate School are designed to maximize the synergy among our partners. They are currently being established under the Neurotech Research and Innovation (NeurotechRI) program, funded in part by Horizon 2020.”
Cognitive architectures
Celikel’s own research group studies cognitive architectures “as we observe, model and control the brain and its behavior,” he explains.
“Our earlier work exclusively focused on animals to shed a mechanistic light on how sensory information is translated into action — and how experience alters this transformation and behavior throughout the lifespan.”
Celikel and his colleagues have identified fundamental mechanisms through which “self-centered and world-centered representations of the world in the brain are formed, stored and modified in an experience-dependent manner.”
To extend this research, his group has worked to develop “new technologies and computational methods that allow precise quantification of sensory input to the brain and behavior in millisecond resolution.” Using some of these methods, he notes, “we have recently established quantitative behavioral, neural and computational read-outs of perceptual learning.”
“Our experiments have shown that, within 90 milliseconds in rodents, or 230 milliseconds in humans,” he shares, “the brain collects the sensory information from the periphery, creates a percept of the stimulus, builds a memory trace and the associated expectations, generates a motor plan, and executes it while keeping track of the ‘error’ in the computation given its previous experiences. We are now developing methods to control every step of perceptual learning in rodents and humans.”
The ultimate goal of Celikel’s research is to identify the cognitive architectures of behavior to develop efficient, modular, and adaptable control solutions. “To test our algorithms,” he explains, “we create computational and in silico networks, and simulate behavior.”
From cutting edge robotics research — to excellence in core curriculum
These algorithms are also used to control robotic devices, for example by the iNavigate consortium, which is also led by Celikel and funded by the European Commission. “iNavigate is a unique training and exchange grant that brings together 50 research groups across academia and industry, to learn how we navigate our environments, in order to develop control algorithms for autonomous devices,” he shares. “We believe it provides a roadmap to translate fundamental insights on the organization of behavior and cognitive computations into actionable control solutions, including for the emerging field of cognitive robotics.”
Beyond academic leadership and research, Celikel has also taught courses in biology, physics, engineering, social sciences, and medical school programs in the Netherlands and the US. He has served on and chaired several committees that have shaped educational programs at the bachelor’s and graduate levels, and he has led several European Union training grant initiatives.
“The School of Psychology has a tradition of excellence also in education and training,” Celikel adds. “I am looking forward to working with our students, staff, faculty, administration, and alumni to build on this excellence.”
About the School of Psychology at Georgia Tech
The School of Psychology at Georgia Tech places strong emphasis on scientific research and discovery. Faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students alike engage in an array of wide-ranging topics related to the field of psychology, with research organized into five program areas: cognition and brain science, cognitive aging, engineering psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, and quantitative psychology.
The School fosters and maintains strong research and educational interactions across the College of Sciences and with fellow scientific and technological disciplines on campus, such as the GVU, Human-Computer Interaction Program, Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, and Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI); as well as with collaborative partnerships with a number of institutions including Zoo Atlanta, Emory University and the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory, and the Center for Research and Education for Aging and Technology Enhancement (CREATE) at Georgia Tech, Florida State, and the University of Miami.
About the College of Sciences at Georgia Tech
The College of Sciences cultivates curiosity, encourages exploration, and fosters innovation to develop scientific solutions for a better world. Our connected community of scientists and mathematicians collaborates across disciplines and challenges to achieve excellence in science, teaching, and research. Working across six internationally ranked schools with the brightest young minds in our fields, we mentor future leaders to identify and push the frontiers of human knowledge, imagination, and innovation.
We nurture scientifically curious students by offering diverse educational and research experiences. As an internationally recognized, preeminent institution in the sciences and mathematics, we help students build empowering foundations in the sciences and mathematics — educating and preparing the next generation of scientists who will create the technologies of the future.
Most of the disciplines within our six schools — Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology — are ranked in the top 10%. We organize ourselves in multidisciplinary research neighborhoods to promote broad exchange of ideas. We also offer exciting opportunities for students to engage in research, and train with top professors in chosen fields.
Our internationally recognized senior faculty and an extraordinarily talented group of junior faculty are genuinely concerned about undergraduate and graduate education, and they bring the excitement of new discoveries in the research laboratory to the classroom. The quality of the faculty and the curriculum, combined with new state-of-the-art facilities and a low student to faculty ratio, ensure the excellent educational opportunities available to our students.
About Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a top 10 public research university developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.
The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees. Its nearly 40,000 students, representing 50 states and 149 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online learning.
As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society.
Held outdoors at Harrison Square this week, the inaugural September Sciences Celebration highlighted excellence in research and teaching across the College of Sciences, while also giving guests a chance to welcome new faculty and meet the donors and alumni who support the awards program.
The honors for seven faculty members and a student in the School of Mathematics were originally to be presented in fall 2020, but the recognition event was postponed due to the pandemic. The annual awards for faculty development and a scholarship are funded through the generosity of College of Sciences alumni and friends.
Here are the 2020-2021 College of Sciences awards and recipients, as shared by the College of Sciences Office of Development:
Cullen-Peck Fellowship Awards
This gift from alumni couple Frank Cullen (’73 Math, MS ’76, ISyE, PhD ’84 ISyE) and Elizabeth Peck (Math ’75, MS ’76 ISyE) is meant to encourage the development of promising mid-career faculty.
- Jennifer Curtis, associate professor, School of Physics. Curtis, who has a joint appointment in the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, is the primary investigator for the Curtis Lab, which researches the physics of cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions, in particular within the context of glycobiology and immunobiology.
- Steve Diggle, associate professor, School of Biological Sciences. Diggle, also a member of Georgia Tech’s Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection, was recently selected to be a 2021 American Society of Microbiologists Distinguished Lecturer. Diggle researches cooperation and communication in microbes and how these are related to virulence, biofilms and antimicrobial resistance.
- Chris Reinhard, associate professor, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Reinhard’s research explores the ways in which Earth's biosphere and planetary boundary conditions act to reshape ocean/atmosphere chemistry and climate, how these interactions have evolved over time, and how they might be engineered moving forward. Reinhard has also been active in the Georgia Tech Astrobiology community.
Gretzinger Moving Forward Award
This award, named for Ralph Gretzinger (’70 Math) and his late wife Jewel, recognizes the leadership of a school chair or senior faculty member who has played a pivotal role in diversifying the composition of tenure-track faculty, creating a family-friendly work environment, and providing a supportive environment for early career faculty.
- Raquel Lieberman, professor, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Lieberman, principal investigator in the Lieberman Lab, researches protein folding and misfolding, particularly when it comes to proteins that are linked to early-onset, inherited forms of glaucoma. A second major project involves the study of membrane-spanning proteolytic enzymes that are related to those involved in producing amyloid-beta associated with Alzheimer disease.
Frances O. Hite Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship is established in memory of Frances Orr “Fran” Hite (1950-2019), B.S. Mathematics, Vanderbilt University, by Bruce Hite (’72 Building Construction.) The endowment fund provides scholarships to women studying mathematics at Georgia Tech.
- Esther Gallmeier, 4th year student, School of Mathematics. Gallmeier is the first recipient of the Hite Memorial Scholarship. Gallmeier attended Oak Ridge High School in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and decided to attend Georgia Tech based on the experiences of a friend who attended the School of Mathematics. "He loved it here," she says. "Also, Georgia Tech is incredible at providing opportunities for undergraduates in research and internships. We are definitely well-connected with companies from all over."
Eric R. Immel Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching
The Immel Memorial Award, supported by an endowment fund given by Charles Crawford (’71 Math), recognizes exemplary instruction of lower division foundational courses.
- Chris Jankowski, Director of Graduate Advising and Assessment and Assistant Director of Teaching Effectiveness, School of Mathematics.
Jankowski mentors postdoctoral faculty in teaching during their first year, and participates in organizing and running professional development events for them. He also provides a broad range of administrative duties for the graduate program, including serving on the Graduate Committee, writing annual student evaluations, and handling comprehensive exams.
Leddy Family Dean’s Faculty Excellence Award
This award was established by Jeff Leddy (’78 Physics) and Pam Leddy to support a faculty member at the associate professor level with proven accomplishments in research and teaching.
- Stefan France, associate professor, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
France is the principal investigator for the France Laboratory, which researches synthetic organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, natural products chemistry, and methodology development. That research is primarily motivated by the interest in developing new synthetic methodologies that can be applied toward the construction of complex natural products and pharmaceutically-interesting compounds. France also led efforts for Georgia Tech to join the American Chemical Society’s Bridge Program, which works to bring more underrepresented minorities into higher education chemistry and biochemistry graduate courses.
Faculty Mentor Award
The annual College of Sciences Award for Faculty Mentorship, supported by Georgia Tech’s ADVANCE Program, is presented to exemplary senior faculty who provide crucial services by helping new faculty advance in their careers, as they learn to balance their roles as researchers, teachers, and advisors to their own graduate students and post-docs.
- David Sherrill, Regents’ Professor, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Sherrill, who was chosen as a 2014 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, researches computational chemistry and is the new Director of Georgia Tech’s Center for High Performance Computing. Sherrill has developed new models in quantum chemistry, with a particular focus on biophysics, drug docking, and molecular crystals.
New College of Sciences Faculty
(Joined in 2020 and 2021)
School of Mathematics:
Cheng Mao
Rebecca George
Anton Bernshteyn
Benjamin Jaye
Hannah Choi
School of Chemistry and Biochemistry:
Anh Le
William Howitz
School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences:
Wing (Winnie) Chu
Pengfei Liu
Samer Naif
Karl Lang
Frances Rivera-Hernández
Shelby Ellis
School of Physics:
Itamar Kimchi
Emily Alicea-Muñoz
School of Psychology:
Hsiao-Wen Liao
School of Biological Sciences; Neuroscience:
Christina Ragan
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