Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Tech - School of Psychology

This year, a record 49 graduate students and postdocs received the Tech to Teaching certificate and 68 participants received the CIRTL certificate. The Center for Teaching and Learning has awarded 114 Tech to Teaching certificates and 170 CIRTL certificates since 2016.

Two months after a rapid evolution to remote learning and teaching, College of Sciences students, faculty, and graduate teaching assistants share perspectives, challenges, surprises, and what they’ve learned together — apart.

Election to the Academy is among the highest honors a scientist can achieve.

She helps 55 researchers in two College of Sciences schools get funding for their projects. Stacey Bass wins a top award for Georgia Tech staff members because of her grants administration work.

An assistant professor in the School of Psychology will get more than $2 million in National Institutes of Health grants for two research proposals that focus on the brain's decision-making abilities, and on a promising treatment for neuropsychiatric disorders. 

Georgia Tech’s Spring 2020 Commencement Ceremony is postponed until… well, we don’t know just yet. Once we receive updated guidance on large gatherings, we will choose a date for our traditional, in-person ceremony — complete with all the pomp and circumstance (and gold and white balloons) graduating Yellow Jackets have come to expect! So, stay tuned for that announcement.

School of Psychology assistant professor Dobromir Rahnev is one of two Georgia Tech winners of the Office of Naval Research's Young Investigator Program Awards. Rahnev will research how the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps can use technology and science to update and enhance job skills training.

Undergraduates in Georgia Tech's College of Sciences are recognized for taking part in research studies that might be offered only to graduate students at other institutions. The students studies complex problems in math, biochemistry, psychology, and physics. 

Calling all passionate CoS staff and faculty! Teach Explore Living Learning Communities sections in GT 1000 this fall.

Calling Georgia Tech students, faculty, and researchers to collaborate with Oak Ridge National Lab!

Thousands of people focused on the future of Georgia Tech by helping us complete phase one — visioning and drafting — of Georgia Tech’s strategic planning process. Now, the process moves into the goal-setting phase that will include an opportunity for review and input from the Georgia Tech community.

A Georgia Tech graduate and former employee of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, currently working with the Atlanta BeltLine development project, is returning to campus to take on a new role: College of Sciences Communications Director.

The College of Sciences had abundant reasons to celebrate in 2019. It started the year by honoring a 150-year-old icon that remains relevant in labs and classrooms.  

They chose to study at Georgia Tech. Once here, they discovered that the academic rigor and leading-edge science research they’ve heard so much about is true – and demands their best. Some found Tech overwhelming at times, but all succeeded.

To celebrate the International Year of the Periodic Table, Tech students, faculty, and staff talk about their favorite elements. For December, we have Henry "Pete" La Pierre, from the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry.  

Harshavardhan Murali, a third-year physics Ph.D., wins quiz 7 of ScienceMatters Season 3.

Lucrezia De Pascalis, a fourth-year chemistry Ph.D. student, wins quiz 10 of ScienceMatters Season 3.

Aditya Tapshalkar, a third-year computer science major, wins quiz 9 of ScienceMatters Season 3.

"The essence and beauty of science is that it is a collective effort that spans generations," College of Sciences Dean Susan Lozier said in remarks at the grand opening of the 'ASTOUNDING ELEMENTS' exhibit at the Georgia Tech Library. 

On Monday, Nov. 11, 2019, the planet Mercury will pass across the disk of the sun. This planetary transit is rare, occurring only around 13 times each century. “This will be the last such event visible from Georgia Tech until 2049,” says James Sowell, director of the Georgia Tech Observatory.

To celebrate the International Year of the Periodic Table, Tech students, faculty, and staff talk about their favorite elements. For November, we have Johannes Leisen, from the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry.  

Georgia Tech is a new participant in the University System of Georgia (USG) STEM IV initiative, which was launched on October 29-30, in Athens, Georgia.

“ASTOUNDING ELEMENTS,” an exhibit in Crosland Tower opening on Nov. 7, celebrates elements – real and fictional – and looks back at some events and artifacts from activities led by the College of Sciences.

Six College of Sciences alumni share their memories of life at Georgia Tech, the lessons they learned that they applied in their careers, and what they would tell current students about how to make the most of their time in the College of Sciences.

Fourth-year aerospace engineering Ph.D. student Venkata Ramana Makkapati wins quiz 4 of ScienceMatters Season 3.

First-year biochemistry major Baylor Reini wins quiz 3 of ScienceMatters Season 3.

Mathematical concepts that have been around for centuries could help NASA save on fuel for future trips to the solar system's outer planets and moons, thanks to research from School of Mathematics Professor Rafael de la Llave.

Aerospace engineering Ph.D. student Vinodhini wins quiz 2 of ScienceMatters Season 3. 

The College of Sciences held its annual summer dinner on Sept. 18, hosted by Susan Lozier, the new dean and Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair of the College of Sciences. The gathering has become a tradition for welcoming new members; recognizing excellence in research, instruction, and service; and affirming the College’s special community of scholars.

School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Assistant Professor Chris Reinhard studies the early Earth in the hopes of learning clues about potential Earths outside our solar system.

Season 3 of the College of Sciences podcast ScienceMatters debuts with a look at the neuroscience behind daydreaming and suspenseful movies. Other subjects in the 10-episode season include the latest research on climate science, the search for extraterrestrial life, and what microbiology teaches us about the early Earth.

The College of Sciences welcomes seven members of faculty who joined in 2019. They include Susan Lozier, the new dean, Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair, and professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Six others joined the Schools of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Physics, and Psychology, as well as the Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience. 

When it rains, it pours. That’s how it felt last month when email after email from School of Psychology Acting Chair Mark Wheeler arrived in various inboxes, sharing the joyful news of a new award. The announcement of a $334,000 grant to Dobromir Rahnev in May has been succeeded by seven other research awards to eight faculty members.

Susan Lozier began her service as the new Dean and Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair of the College of Sciences on September 1. Lozier’s path to Georgia Tech is marked by excellence in research, education, and leadership, as well as the integration of scientific disciplines and a passion for mentoring. As dean, she will bring her vast experience to bear in addressing the needs of the College as she leads it to the next levels of achievement.

The research to be conducted represents an expansion
of the construct space for selection to include new measures of
adult intellectual abilities in the areas of perceptual and cognitive
abilities, and to capitalize on the common variance among key
non-ability traits (e.g., personality, interests, self-concept, and motivational traits)
to improve prediction of individual differences in criterion measures of
real-world performance.

 

Two-Year R21 grant to develop apps for measuring everyday memory failures using ecological momentary assessment and then using this procedure to evaluate effectiveness of an intervention to improve everyday memory.  The second study (Year 2) is being registered as an NIH Clinical Trial.

We all know about the periodic table in some capacity. For scientists, it is a widely-accepted arrangement of chemical elements organized by trends and properties. For others, it’s mostly a colorful reminder of high school classrooms and chemistry textbooks. But have you ever considered trying to use the periodic table as an organizing principle? First-year students in Courtney Hoffman’s English 1102 course last summer did exactly that – create their own periodic tables. 

Preparing for the worst: Evidence that older adults proactively downregulate negative affect

Briefly, with age, there is generally an increased ability to regulate emotions, which may contribute to greater memory for positive events and emotional well being typical of older adults. This "positivity effect" has been shown in imaging studies in response to positive events but it isn't clear whether older adults can spontaneously engage in emotional regulation when they anticipate experiencing negative events, such as emotionally preparing for an upcoming root canal, for example. Brittany's study is the first to provide evidence that the “positivity effect” seen in older adults’ memory performance may be related to the spontaneous emotional suppression of negative affect in anticipation of, not just in response to, negative stimuli.

Supported by the expertise of USG Centers for Teaching and Learning, the Chancellor’s Learning Scholars will facilitate Faculty Learning Communities on their respective campuses.

Individual differences in habitual sleep quality and episodic memory network activity across the adult lifespan

Difficulty utilizing cognitive control and the patterns of prefrontal cortical (PFC) activity underlying it is a major contributor to episodic memory decline in normal aging. Sleep quality is related to PFC integrity and its associated network connectivity. Normal aging has been shown to negatively affect this activity, sleep quality, and episodic memory performance but the relationship between these variables is unclear. The overarching goal of this project is to determine the extent to which age-related sleep disruptions contribute to those in PFC network activity during learning that, in turn, affect episodic memory performance. A mediation model is proposed in which poor sleep quality partially mediates the negative impact of healthy aging on episodic memory via reduced resolution of interference during learning, a major age-related cognitive control deficit. A diverse sample of 90 young, middle-aged, and older adult participants without sleep disorders, perform multiple episodic memory tasks that tax different interference resolution functions is measured to assess the generalizability of the negative impact of poor sleep. Episodic memory is assessed behaviorally and supporting brain activity measured with fMRI. In order to evaluate the specificity of the model to episodic memory, both episodic and item memory are tested. Memory is tested immediately following learning and after a 24-hour delay in order to separately assess the impact of sleep on new learning from consolidation. The influence of multiple confounds, including medication, naps, depression, and exercise is controlled through screening and statistical analyses. Objective measures of sleep are obtained using actigraphy, the best method for assessing habitual sleep patterns over multiple days for a large number of individuals naturally, in their homes, with minimal intrusion. Mediation results from average sleep estimates, the night immediately prior to memory testing, and night-to-night variability are compared in order to separate the impact of habitually poor sleep from variable or a poor night’s sleep. Univariate analyses are used to identify PFC regions that support resolution of interference defined by activity that is correlated on a trial-by-trial basis with multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA)-derived interference signals. Functional connectivity analyses are additionally applied to identify the networks affected by sleep quality.

“I wanted to be sure to point out that you have in your Convocation tradition bags a collection of Periodic Table scavenger-hunt cards provided by the College of Sciences to help you get out and explore the campus and meet new people this week. As you’ll learn, this is a very ‘Georgia Tech’ kind of game!” With those words of President G.P. “Bud” Peterson, addressed to the 3,100 new students at the Convocation on Aug. 18, 2019, the Georgia Tech Scavenger Hunt for the Chemical Elements commenced.

The College of Sciences welcomed two development professionals early this month. Courtney Ferencik is the new director of development, and Erin Green is the College’s first development associate. Both started in their new roles on August 1.

“Can we improve cognitive mapping with virtual reality? Environmental barrier visibility is a big factor, and a good target – at least for people with the right psychological traits”

This year Georgia Tech faculty members going through promotion and tenure will have a different experience from their predecessors. For the first time, the process will be tracked from beginning to end in PROMOTE, software that enables faculty to upload their promotion package and monitor its progress through each stage.

To celebrate the International Year of the Periodic Table, Tech students, faculty, and staff talk about their favorite elements. For August we have Jasmine Howard, an MBA candidate in the Scheller College of Business.

A couple of Georgia Tech courses are in pursuit of happiness. One is offered by the School of Psychology. 

Studies using rats have shown that navigation in open environments creates a honeycomb-like grid of brain activity. When barriers are present, the neural map breaks into fragments, each mapping only the space between the barriers. Does the same thing happen in humans? If so, our brains needing to piece together different maps could explain why we struggle to point accurately between two locations separated by barriers

College of Sciences faculty raised a historic amount of external research funding in fiscal year 2019. At $70.5 million, the FY2019 total continues the College’s steady gains in external grants for the past several years.

Christopher Draheim receives Graduate Travel Award from the Psychonomic Society.

High School students learn about how the brain controls attention, and how emotion, exercise, stress, and meditation affect our attention. Campers get to create their own research projects about attention that they present on the last day of camp. 

Barcelona Study Abroad Program -

School of Psychology's Dr. Christopher Stanzione teaching a  Study Abroad Class in Barcelona - PSYC 2103 Human Development

Program-Fall Semester 2019

Listen to Leucine Zipper and the Zinc Fingers, Lew Lefton, and David Hu. Be amazed with Matt Baker's card magic!

To celebrate the International Year of the Periodic Table, Tech students, faculty, and staff talk about their favorite elements. For June, we have Benjamin Breer, a physics major who just completed his first year at Georgia Tech.

Child Lab Day Graduation, June 14, 2019

In just five weeks, we interviewed a former vice president of Costa Rica, scrambled up the slopes of a volcano, and came face to face with sloths, vipers, and bullet ants. The Nature, Governance, and Sustainability in Costa Rica (NGS-CR) Study-Abroad Program has been an unbelievable experience. From the remote jungles of Sarapiqui to the stunning peaks of Monteverde, Costa Rica has inspired us to explore and learn at every turn.

The 2019 Julius E. Uhlaner Award for outstanding contributions
in research on military selection and recruitment from the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 19 has been awarded to Phillip Ackerman's Knowledge and Skill Lab.

Christopher Hertzog, a professor in the School of Psychology who studies age-related declines in memory and cognition, has been chosen by the Gerontological Society of America for its 2019 Distinguished Career Contribution to Gerontology Award.

To celebrate the International Year of the Periodic Table, Tech students, faculty, and staff talk about their favorite elements. For May, we have President G.P. "Bud" Peterson, the 11th president of Georgia Institute of Technology.

Dr. Christopher Hertzog selected as recipient of The Gerontological Society (GSA) 2019 Behavioral and Social Sciences Section Distinguished Career Contribution to Gerontology Award.  

College of Sciences students who work closely with faculty are among those honored during end-of-year festivities at the Center for Teaching and Learning.

Twenty-eight students submitted to the section for art inspired by the periodic table or chemical elements. In addition to paintings and photographs, the entries included poetry, drawings, sculptures, and digital art pieces.The diverse creative expressions yielded mind-opening and fresh perspectives of the periodic table. Top honors went to three College of Engineering students.

Initiated in fall 2017, the B.S. in Neuroscience program has graduated its first students. Seven neuroscience majors graduating in May 2019 were among those students who changed their major to neuroscience as soon as the program was announced.

The research opportunities at Georgia Tech enticed Sophie A. Kay to Atlanta. In particular, she wanted to work with Howard Weiss, professor in the School of Psychology and renowned researcher in industrial-organizational psychology.  

Growing up in Alpharetta, Georgia, Caroline Dalluge was encouraged by her family to try new things – soccer, dance, marching band, and winter guard, an indoor color guard sport.

Psychology PhD student Rachel Stuck was named a runner up of the People's Choice award at the GVU Demo/Research Showcase. Rachel's project from her work in the SonLab focused on using the Cozmo robot to research trust and automation.

Georgia Tech faculty and graduate students attended the inaugural Smokies Cognition & Neuroscience Symposium (SCANS) in Asheville, NC April 11-13 2019.

School of Psychology Grad Students Chris Draheim, Cody Mashburn and Jessie Martin, of the Engle Lab, published in Psychological Bulletin

Draheim, C., Mashburn, C. A., Martin, J. D., & Engle, R. W. (2019). Reaction time in differential and development research: A review and commentary on problems and alternatives. Psychological Bulletin, 145(5), 508-535.

Georgia Tech has selected Troy Hilley as the recipient of the 2019 Process Improvement Excellence Award. Hilley is an academic and research IT support engineer lead in the College of Sciences’ Academic and Research Computing Services (ARCS).

Join us in congratulating Psychology PhD student Sophie Kay on being selected for the Institute-Wide Graduate Student Instructor of the Year Award. 

Effective immediately, the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC) will become a unit within the Center for 21st Century Universities (C21U).

Susan Lozier, distinguished professor of Ocean Sciences at Duke University, has accepted the role of dean and Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair in the College of Sciences.

Dr. Randy Engle awarded the 2019 Mentor Award from the Southeastern Psychological Association at the 65th SEPA Annual Meeting March 20-23, 2019.

ScienceMatters, the podcast of the College of Sciences, brings more tales of curiosity and discovery. Season 2 is now live at sciencematters.gatech.edu.

To celebrate the International Year of the Periodic Table, Tech students, faculty, and staff talk about their favorite elements. For January, we have School of Chemistry and Biochemistry Assistant Professor Amit Reddi. 

Sophie Kay winner of School of Psychology's 2019 Graduate Student Instructor Award

Sophie Kay winner of School of Psychology's 2019 Exceptional Student Award

When it comes to the health effects of chronic stress, the type of stressor matters a lot.

Science and math students live, learn, study, and research together in Explore, the College of Science's Living Learning Community. 

Dr. Phillip Ackerman has been selected by the American Psychological Association
as one of five distinguished psychologists as Master Lecturers for 2019.


 

A unique treat awaits fans at the Yellow Jackets’ Jan. 22 men’s basketball home game. The Georgia Tech team will battle Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish for the hoops amid element cards, games, and prizes to celebrate 2019, the International Year of the Periodic Table of the Chemical Elements.  

They chose to study at Georgia Tech. Once here, they discovered that the academic rigor and leading-edge science research they’ve heard so much about is true – and demands their best. Some found Tech overwhelming at times, but all succeeded.

Dr. Susan Embretson has won the Psychometric Society Career Award for Lifetime Achievement and will be giving a Keynote talk at the society's 2019 meeting in Santiago, Chile on July 15, 2019. 

School of Psychology's MAP lab Research Assistant Sarah Freeman Awarded Penelope W. and E. Roe Stamps IV President’s Scholarship

School of Psychology's Dr. Frank Durso chosen as discussant for National Academies Seminar on November 1 in Washington, DC

School of Psychology Grad Student Emily Hocket a  Finalist in Georgia Tech's 2018 3-Minute Thesis Competition.

Megen Wittling, winner of the ScienceMatters Episode 8 quiz, now works at the Food & Drug Administration, in Washington, DC. She listens to ScienceMatters while riding the Washington Metro. 

The Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning has named Dr. Christopher Stanzione to be a recipient of the 2018 Class of 1940 Course Survey Teaching Effectiveness Award. His selection is based on his outstanding contributions in teaching PSYC 1101 CS as reflected in his exceptional scores and response rates in Course-Instructor Opinion Survey (CIOS).  

Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning has named Dr. James Roberts to be a recipient of 2018 Class of 1940 Course Survey Teaching Effectiveness Award. His selection is based on his outstanding contributions in teaching PSYC 6019A as reflected in his exceptional scores and response rates in Course-Instructor Opinion Survey (CIOS).  

Nine accomplished alumni describe how they used their College of Sciences degrees to make a difference in their professions. 

What is “memory clutter”? Can we make it go away? Audrey Duarteuses magnetic resonance imaging and special tests to discover what causes obstacles in the brain’s pathways as people age.

Qiliang He wins Best College of Sciences Poster at GATech Postdoc Research Symposium

Sean McGlynn winner of HFES-ATG Scholarship

From credit hours to undergraduate research and getting help with course work, here are answers to questions frequently asked by new and returning students.

Season 1 of the podcast of the College of Sciences is now available at sciencematters.gatech.edu.       

Jennifer Hom, Takamitsu Ito, and Scott Moffat are the 2018 recipients of Cullen-Peck fellowships. The awards recognize innovative research by faculty at the associate professor or advanced assistant professor level.

Scientists in the US and Canada have found the first evidence that even the expectation of something bad looming around the corner is enough to trigger a defence mechanism for suppressing negative emotions in people over 60.

Recipients of Leddy Family Scholarships excel academically and partake of experiential education.

The College of Sciences recognizes 11 students who excel in research and service. 

At the threshold of what we call consciousness is a brain function that makes you feel confidently aware that you are actually seeing what you see. Psychologists at Georgia Tech have observed a mechanism involved in making it work.

David M. Collard, professor and associate dean, will serve as interim dean of the College of Sciences. Collard will officially assume the role on Aug. 1, following the departure of dean Paul Goldbart.

Until a permanent chair is appointed, Mark Wheeler will serve as interim chair of the School of Psychology.

Dr. Audrey Duarte Featured on AARP.com "Even Low-Impact Workouts Can Be a Boost to Long-Term Memory

We continue our conversation with outgoing College of Sciences Dean Paul Goldbart as he reflects on his time at Georgia Tech and shares his thoughts on the college's opportunities for future growth.

A study by School of Psychology Assistant Professor Thackery Brown and colleagues shows that various regions of the brain process different types of autobiographical memories in different ways. The findings have implications for applying neuroscience techniques in society and understanding the impact of brain damage on memory loss.

College of Sciences Dean Paul Goldbart has accepted a position as the Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. In this first installment of a two-part audio story, Goldbart looks back on his time at Georgia Tech, which included exciting growth in research in astrobiology, microbial ecology, and gravitational-wave astronomy, as well as the exhilirating experience of the eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017.

Lizzie Stubbs feels well-prepared for physician assistant school, having already established good study strategies, time management skills, and work ethic at Tech.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded Georgia Technology Research Corporation, $14,995 and Kennesaw State University, $14,977 through the People, Prosperity, and Planet (P3) grants program. Nationally, over $463,000 in funding for 31 Phase I student teams was awarded through this program. These teams, made up of college students from across the country, are developing sustainable technologies to solve current environmental and public health challenges.

Georgia Tech provided Dar-Wei Chen with opportunities to apply theory to practice, which positions him well for jobs in industry.

Randall Engle joins the American Academy of Sciences' 2018 class of 177 fellows, which includes President Barack Obama, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Sonia Sotomayor, author Ta-Nehisi Coates, and actor Tom Hanks. 

Randy Engle, professor in the School of Psychology is a newly elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Findings suggest that health care workers can be well-protected from self-contamination under the current guidelines and protocols for health care facilities certified to treat Ebola-infected patients.

The School of Psychology and the Georgia Tech Counseling Center have come together to offer students a course where one can learn more about scientifically-validated strategies for living a healthier, HAPPIER, more satisfying life at Georgia Tech and BEYOND!

Paul Goldbart, dean of the Georgia Tech College of Sciences, has been named dean of the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin. 

The Associate Dean for Faculty Development in the College of Sciences is responsible for developing, implementing, and assessing programs that enhance the instructional, research, and career opportunities for faculty. Key areas of responsibility include faculty hiring; mentoring of faculty; faculty retention, promotion, and tenure; and diversity, equity, and inclusion at the faculty level.

Chrisopher Stanzione is being recognized for his outstanding contributions as a non-tenure-track faculty to the education of undergraduate students.

The College of Sciences applauds faculty members who earned promotions and/or tenure in 2017-18.

GT Professor Richard Catrambone and GSU Assistant Professor Lauren Margulieux Research Featured

Catrambone and his award-winning former Ph.D. student Lauren Margulieux, now an assistant professor at Georgia State University, have shown in various studies that when problem-solving procedures are taught through subgoals, learners can apply them to a wider variety of problems.

https://www.cos.gatech.edu/hg/item/603373

School of Psychology Professor Catrambone and his former Ph.D. student Lauren Margulieux have shown in various studies that when problem-solving procedures are taught through subgoals, learners can apply them to a wider variety of problems. 

Two members of the College of Sciences Dean's Office are members of the second cohort of the Leading Women@Tech program: Director of Administration Dian Chung and Director of Communications Maureen Rouhi. In addition, Julie Ancis, adjunct professor in the School of Psychology, is the program's co-director.

February is Black History Month, a special time set aside to celebrate the contributions of African-Americans. The College of Sciences joins the celebration by inviting the perspectives of African-American colleagues through a two-part Q&A.

Spring in Atlanta is just a few weeks away, and with it arrives science festival time. The 2018 Atlanta Science Festival (2018ASF) shifts the annual festivities to fifth gear with two major innovations: two weeks of science fun – March 9-24, 2018 – instead of one and the designation of an honorary chair.

Richard Catrambone, School of Psychology accepted in inaugural class of Climate Change Fellows at Georgia Tech.

For the sixth year in a row, the Georgia Tech community will partake of a community meal to discuss the life and legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. The meal is called Sunday Supper, even though it takes place during the workweek. The gathering evokes Sunday dinners of yore, when two or more generations of family and friends shared a comforting meal. It was a time to exchange stories, learn family histories, and discuss current events or concerns. 

Twelve Georgia Tech scientists have made the 2017 Highly Cited Researchers list; seven of them are affiliated with the College of Sciences.

Rena Ingram was in the middle of pursuing a chemistry Ph.D. at Tech, but she was having second thoughts. Teaching high school science was always in the back of her mind; should she pivot to chase that dream instead? Georgia Tech's Office of Graduate Studies, along with understanding mentors, helped her successfully refocus her academic goals.

Attending Georgia Tech was an easy decision for Sunya Ali Fareed. Her brother, Shaaz Fareed, was already a Yellow Jacket, majoring in biochemistry (he graduated in 2015). Compared with other options – University of Georgia, Kennesaw State University, or Georgia State University – Georgia Tech, Sunya believed, would offer the best opportunities for success.

Academic life was agreeable to Thomas M. Gable. The transition from college to graduate school was eased by friendships and the joy of working in a Georgia Tech research lab that suited him well. He graduates with a Ph.D. in Psychology, with a major in Engineering Psychology and a minor in Human Computer Interaction: Qualitative Research and Information Visualization.

When Isabella A. Dolor came to Georgia Tech, her dream was to be a medical doctor. The pre-health Living Learning Community fit neatly in her academic plans. As a serious high school student in St. Vincent’s Academy in Savannah, Georgia, she welcomed Georgia Tech’s reputation for academic rigor. 

Didem Pehlivanoglu, Georgia Tech School of Psychology doctoral student, was recently awarded a 2017 American Psychological Association Dissertation Research Award.

School of Psychology Student Dar-Wei Chen, a Foley Scholar 2017 finalist

Prof. Bruce Walker at Embassy of Kenya, Washington DC

PSY-COGS (Psychology Committee of Graduate Students) was created in Fall 2016. After Student Government Association's first school wide survey of graduate students, Thom Gable formed a committee to make positive changes for graduate students here in Psychology.

Professor Eric Schumacher is featured in the GT News for mind wandering research.

A new study from the Georgia Institute of Technology suggests that daydreaming during meetings isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It might be a sign that you’re really smart and creative.

Professor Howard Weiss is featured in the September 2017 issue of the Observer.

The Psychometric Research and Development (PRD) Lab has an exciting new project crossing disciplines within Psychology.

David Martinez, Georgia Tech School of Psychology doctoral student, was recently awarded an NSF Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Award.

The work of the Memory and Aging Lab will be featured at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting.

Professor Randy Engle will give the 2017 Keynote Address for the 58th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society.

Professor Phil Ackerman has been appointed a Provost Teaching and Learning Fellow for 2017-2018

The College of Sciences feted new colleagues joining in the 2017-18 academic year at a summer dinner on Sept. 6. Dean and Sutherland Chair Paul M. Goldbart and Jenny Singleton, associate chair and professor in the School of Psychology, hosted the celebration, which also recognized recipients of 2017 College of Sciences awards.

The last blockbuster of the summer season promises to be more spectacular than any movie about superheroes or shape-shifting robots. This particular show has been going on since human history has been recorded, and it’s back once again to thrill and educate everyone, including the Georgia Tech community.

A team of Georgia Institute of Technology researchers has created an original music composition for Monday’s eclipse. The Georgia Tech Sonification Lab uses drums, synthesized tones and other sounds to symbolize the movements of the sun and moon and the gradual darkness they will produce during the August 21 event. The audio experience, which at times sounds both hopeful and ominous as it builds anticipation toward the moment of the total eclipse, includes several segments.

For hundreds of years, scientists and historians have used solar eclipses to learn more about the nature of the sun and how it effects Earth. That will continue on Aug. 21, 2017, with Georgia Tech researchers joining the search for answers as the path of a total solar eclipse stretches across the U.S. 

The skies over Georgia Tech will be at 97 percent darkness during the Aug. 21, 2017, solar eclipse. Watfching the spectacle will require special eclipse-viewin glasses, but you'll also want to notice the changes in the environment around you as the skies get darker during this rare celestial event.

In exactly one week, the great American eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017, will sweep across the U.S. The Georgia Tech campus has geared up for a safe and enjoyable eclipse experience, beginning with the distribution of solar-eclipse glasses.

A mini-exhibit to celebrate the Aug. 21, 2017, eclipse is up for viewing at Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons from today until Aug. 31, 2017.

When students arrive at Georgia Tech for the first day of fall classes on Aug. 21, 2017, a special treat awaits them: a mid-afternoon solar eclipse. Given good weather, special eclipse-related events planned for the Tech community will be held by Kessler Campanile. 

Total solar eclipses are dramatic phenomena in real life, and they've inspired writers and other artists over the years to use them in their storytelling. Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts Professor Lisa Yaszek gives her take on famous uses of solar eclipses in popular culture.

When Georgia Tech’s College of Sciences created a prospectus for a new Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience, it estimated 25 to 50 students would enroll the first year. Wrong. Since the new degree program was approved by the Board of Regents on Valentine’s Day 2017, nearly 200 students have signed on.

Does science back up the claims that mindfulness-based meditation can boost health, wellness and self-esteem? School of Psychology professor Paul Verhaeghen's new book, "Presence," examines the evidence. 

Lauren Margulieux has been named grant award winner for a doctoral project in the field of education by the International Higher Education Teaching and Learning Association (HETL) and Emerald Group Publishing. Now an assistant professor in Georgia State University’s Learning Technologies Division, Margulieux received a Ph.D. from Georgia Tech in 2016. Her winning dissertation is titled “Using Subgoal Learning and Self-Explanation to Improve Programming Education.” 

Julie R. Ancis, associate vice president for Institute Diversity and adjunct professor in the School of Psychology, is the co-editor of a new book, "Gender, Psychology, and Justice: The Mental Health of Women and Girls in the Legal System." 

Sarah Nay wants to focus on women and children's health issues as a practicing physician, and that choice was validated at Georgia Tech.

Morgan Foreman advised new Georgia Tech students to get involved and break out of their shells, and she led by example.

Robert Knotts, director of federal relations for Georgia Tech's Office of Government and Community Relations, talks strategy for dealing with the new administration and funding of academic science research.

Leading these years’ awardees is Charles M. Wang, who is graduating in May with a B.S. in Chemistry and Computer Science, as well as enough credits also for a degree in applied mathematics. Two honors match Wang’s two degrees: The College of Sciences has selected Wang to receive the Robert A. Pierotti Memorial Scholarship, and Georgia Tech has named Wang a co-recipient of the Love Family Foundation Scholarship.

A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. While many can be mentors, only a few are as deeply appreciated as Randall W. Engle, a professor in the Georgia Tech School of Psychology whose research focuses on understanding attention and working memory.

With the April 22 March for Science coming up, Georgia Tech College of Sciences Dean Paul Goldbart talks about the need to speak up for research and scientific progress.

17 faculty have been selected for the Center for Teaching and Learning’s new Provost Teaching and Learning Fellows program, including Phil Ackerman, Greg Blekherman, and Tamara Bogdanovic from the College of Sciences.

The 2017 Atlanta Science Festival takes place on March 14-25 throughout the Metro Atlanta area. In its fourth year, the festival shines a light on the science and technology community in our region, showcasing local discoveries, innovation, and learning opportunities. At dozens of engaging events, the festival features the businesses, universities, and cultural institutions that make Atlanta a science metropolis.

David M. Collard is the recipient of the 2017 Felton Jenkins, Jr. Hall of Fame Faculty Award for the research and comprehensive universities sector of the University System of Georgia (USG). The award, which invites nominations from across USG, recognizes a faculty member for strong commitment to teaching and student success.

As part of Georgia Tech’s celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Georgia Tech faculty, staff, and students trekked to Washington, D.C., to tour civil rights sites in the nation’s capital. School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Assistant Professor Jennifer Glass was among the Yellow Jackets who traveled overnight on a bus from Atlanta to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 12, 2017.  For two days, the Georgia Tech tourists visited museums and memorials on the National Mall.

To advance its efforts to improve the introductory physics courses at Georgia Tech, the School of Physics is launching the Physics Education Research (PER) colloquium series, beginning on Jan. 9, 2017.

Rachel Kelly Monahan graduated with a B.S. in Psychology. She came to Georgia Tech from Woodstock High School, Woodstock, Georgia. She’s off to nursing school in Birmingham, Alabama.

Five College of Sciences freshmen and sophomores have been named Leddy Family Scholars. They bring to 11 the total number of Leddy Family Scholars.

Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for Advanced Communications Policy has been awarded a $4.625 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living’s (ACL) National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). The project will create the research and development of wireless devices and technologies for a transformative future where individuals with disabilities achieve improved quality of life and enhanced community inclusion.

Out of Mind, Out of Sight - Research Indicates the Brains Frontal Cortex Controls Vision; It Omits Things in Plain Sight

http://www.rh.gatech.edu/news/534881/out-mind-out-sight

Associate Professor, Audrey Duarte, has been named a 2015 Cullen Peck Scholar.