Thirteen College of Sciences students and alumni are among nearly 90 Georgia Tech students and alumni being awarded five-year fellowships and honorable mentions for their research in STEM disciplines through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).

They are among 50 graduate student researchers at Georgia Tech and 39 Institute alumni being recognized by GRFP for research excellence.

The program supports outstanding students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines through five-year fellowships, which include an annual stipend to each fellow, as well as a cost of education allowance for tuition and fees to their academic institutions. 

Georgia Tech Sciences students and alumni recognized this year hail from the Schools of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Physics, and the Georgia Tech Neuroscience program.

College of Sciences student researchers receiving GRFP awards and honorable mentions are:

Half a dozen College of Sciences alumni who received their undergraduate degrees at Tech and are now conducting graduate research at other universities and organizations, are also receiving 2022 GRFP Awards:

Hardt, a Georgia Tech Stamps President's Scholar, and Verboncouer are also prior recipients of the Rutt Bridges Undergraduate Research Initiative Award for Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS) students. Gibson, an AGU Bridge Fellow, and Elbon, a Georgia Tech President’s Fellow, also hail from EAS. Hanna, who majored in chemistry at Georgia Tech, also conducted undergraduate research in EAS. 

More information on the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program can be found here.

As the academic year nears its end, a season of celebration begins. Several students were recognized for excellence this year at the annual Student Honors Celebration on Thursday, April 21. See photos from the event on Flickr.

The following students were recognized at this year's event:

College of Computing

Donald V. Jackson Fellowship
Shoale Badr, Lohith Burra, Raj Sanjay Shah

Marshall D. Williamson Fellowship
Cole Anderson, Tricia Dang, Abrahim Ladha, Pengda Xie

Outstanding Graduate Head Teaching Assistant Award
Rusty Otomo

Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award
Sam Jijina

Outstanding Undergraduate Head Teaching Assistant Award
Mitchell Gacuzana

Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Award
Anthony Zheng

 

Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts

History and Sociology

The Bellon Award
Katie Marchese and Yihua Xu

Modern Languages

Excellence in Applied Languages and Intercultural Studies (ALIS) Award
Ella Tiller

International Affairs

International Affairs Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year
Amelia Rousseau

International Affairs Online Teaching Assistant of the Year
Leslie Dwolatzky

International Affairs Outstanding Graduate Student Award
Brian Stewart

International Affairs Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award
Samuel Ellis

Economics

Outstanding Economics Student Award
Samantha Cameron

Public Policy

Outstanding Public Policy Undergraduate Student Award
Archa Amin, Kathryn Earles, Adam Lederer

 

College of Design

AIA Medal for Academic Excellence
Weston Byerly and Monica Rizk

AICP Outstanding Student Award
Freyja Brandel-Tanis

Alpha Rho Chi Medal
AnLi French

Industrial Designers Society of America Student Merit Award
Sophia De Lurgio

John and Joyce Caddell Student Merit Award
Blaine Allen and Naomi Censullo

Kim Scott Logan Award
Mir Jeffres

Stanley, Love-Stanley, P.C. Award
Breanna Rhoden and Christian Waweru

 

Scheller College of Business

Dow Chemical-P.C. McCutcheon Prize for Outstanding Student Achievement in Business
Cindy Qiu

Jennifer R. and Charles B. Rewis Award for Student Excellence in Accounting
Katherine Fishman and Vicky Yang

John R. Battle Award for Student Excellence
Ben Barnett and Kara Pomerantz

Naresh K. Malhotra Scholarship for Marketing Research
Clara McKay

 

College of Sciences

A. Joyce Nickelson and John C. Sutherland Prize
Sarah Eisenstadt

Cynthia L. Bossart and James Efron Scholarship
Sena Ghobadi

Larry S. O’Hara Fellowship
Jason Tsukahara, Youngho Yoo, Pedro Marquez Zacarias

Mehta Phingbodhipakkiya Undergraduate Memorial Scholarship
Nabojeet Das

Roger M. Wartell, Ph.D., and Stephen E. Brossette, M.D., Ph.D. Award for Multidisciplinary Studies in Biology, Physics, and Mathematics
Lila Nassar

Virginia C. and Herschel V. Clanton Jr. Scholarship
Griffin Wagner

College-Wide Award

Robert A. Pierotti Memorial Scholarship
Holly McCann and Soham Kulkarni

 

College of Engineering

Aerospace Engineering

Aerospace Engineering Outstanding Senior Scholar Award
Anonto Zaman

Donnell W. Dutton Outstanding Senior in Aerospace Engineering Award
Stacey Tian

Biomedical Engineering

G.D. Jain Outstanding Senior in Biomedical Engineering Award
Kevin McCoy

Outstanding Academic Achievement in Biomedical Engineering Award
Adith Srivasta

S.K. Jain Outstanding Research Award in Biomedical Engineering
Mary Kate Gale

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Chair’s Award — Outstanding Chemical and Biomolecular Junior
Ethan Guglielmo

Chair’s Award — Outstanding Chemical and Biomolecular Senior
Christina Whetzel

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Buck Stith Outstanding Junior Award in Civil Engineering
Anthony Sanseverino

Buck Stith Outstanding Junior Award in Environmental Engineering
Aidan Labrozzi

Buck Stith Outstanding Senior Award in Civil and Environmental Engineering
Zoe Zhang

School Chair’s Outstanding Senior Award in Civil Engineering
Thomas Papageorge

School Chair’s Outstanding Senior Award in Environmental Engineering
Johanna Hall

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Electrical and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Research Award
Pradyot Yadav

Outstanding Computer Engineering Senior Award
Zachary Olkin

Outstanding Electrical Engineering Senior Award
Katherine Roberts

Industrial and Systems Engineering

Alpha Pi Mu Academic Excellence Award
Oscar Aguilar and Xufei Liu

Evelyn Pennington Outstanding Service Award
Hung Doan and Duncan Siebert

Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers Excellence in Leadership Award
Dany Shwayri

Materials Science and Engineering

American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) Student Chapter Award for Graduating Senior
Alp Kulaksizoglu

School of Materials Science and Engineering Outstanding Senior Award
Alp Kulaksizoglu and Matthew Kuner

Mechanical Engineering

George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering Outstanding Scholar Award
Andrew Galassi

George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering School Chair’s Award
Joseph Stein

Richard K. Whitehead Jr. Memorial Awards
Julia Binegar, Blake Castleman, Sarah Chen, William Compton, Rebekah Travis

Nuclear and Radiological Engineering

Outstanding Scholastic Achievement Award — Nuclear and Radiological Engineering Program, School of Mechanical Engineering
MaryEmma Hughes

College-Wide Awards

College of Engineering (COE) Honors Awards
Evan Beckley, Denzel Carter, Eliezer Zavala Gonzalez, Zhiyi Li, Matthew Liu,
Bain McHale, Kristina Malinowski, Jana Shade, Taryn Trigler, Sophia Ung, Nick Vu

Davidson Family Tau Beta Pi Senior Engineering Award
Zachary Olkin

 

Institute Awards

Alvin M. Ferst Leadership and Entrepreneur Scholarship Award
Adam Lederer and Chris Ozgo

Naugle Communication Center Assistant of the Year Award
Jose Miranda-Hernandez

Georgia Tech Faculty Women’s Club Scholarships
Alexander Emelianov, Kelly Haas, Ben Howard, Parth Parashar, Shiloh Emma Thomas-Wilkinson

Jordan Lockwood Peer Tutor of the Year Award
Emily Nguyen and Raneem Rizvi

Outstanding Learning Assistant Award
Aboubacar Barrie

Outstanding PLUS Leader Award
Jerry Schweiger

Outstanding Student Assistant Award
Vivi Tran

Outstanding Tutor Award
Raymond Copeland

Provost’s Academic Excellence Award
Kathryn Earles, Jocelyn Kavanagh, Emily Salmond, Conner Yurkon

Love Family Foundation Award
Yashvardhan Tomar

The following members of the Tech community were honored at the 2022 Faculty and Staff Honors Luncheon on Friday, April 29. See photos from this year's event.

 

Georgia Tech Chapter Sigma Xi Awards

Best Faculty Paper Award

Roman Grigoriev
Professor, Physics

Nga Lee (Sally) Ng
Associate Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Young Faculty Award

Samuel Coogan
Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Diyi Yang
Assistant Professor, Interactive Computing

Sustained Research Award

Dimitri Mavris
Regents Professor, Aerospace Systems Design Lab

 

Institute Research Awards

Outstanding Achievement in Research Enterprise Enhancement

Michelle Wong
Assistant Director, Business Operations, Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience

Outstanding Achievement in Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Research

Cassie Mitchell
Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering

Outstanding Achievement in Early Career Research Award

Matthew McDowell
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Outstanding Achievement in Research Innovation Award

Natalie Stingelin-Stutzmann
Professor, Materials Science and Engineering

Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Advisor Award

Manos Tentzeris
Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Outstanding Faculty Research Author Award

Zhiqun Lin
Professor, Materials Science and Engineering

Outstanding Achievement in Research Program Development Award
RADX TEAM (The Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics)

Oliver Brand
Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Hang Chen
Senior Research Scientist, Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology

Sarah Farmer
Research Scientist I, Center for Advanced Communications Policy

David Gottfried
Regents Researcher, Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology

David Ku
Regents Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Wilbur Lam
Professor, Biomedical Engineering

Amanda Peagler
Research Scientist II, Center for Advanced Communications Policy

Erika Tyburski
Program and Operations Manager, Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology

 

ANAK Award

Carol Senf
Professor, Literature, Media, and Communication

Joi Alexander
Director, Health Initiatives

 

Staff Performance Awards

Acting With Ethics First Award

Terry Lee Grumley Bridges
Unit Director, Ethics and Compliance, GTRI

Cultivating Well-Being Award

Denise Ocasio Thomas
Assistant Director, Retention Initiatives, OMED

One Small Step Award

Shandra R. Jones
Public Services Associate Lead, Library

One Giant Leap Award
Office of The Arts

Justin Camp
Theater Production Assistant, Office of the Arts

Paul D. Cottongim
Theater Production Manager, Office of the Arts

Joe T. Davis
Stage Audio Technician, Office of the Arts

Ben A. Dosta
General Operations Manager, Office of the Arts

Dorcas Louise Ford-Jones
Senior Administrative Professional, Office of the Arts

Elizabeth B. Geiger
Communications Officer I, Student Engagement and Well-Being

Rachel C. Haage
Event Coordinator II, Office of the Arts

Almelida Rene Merriewether Baker
Patron and Event Services Assistant, Office of the Arts

Holley E. Mitchell
Box Office Coordinator, Office of the Arts

Twanesia Rucker
Box Office Assistant, Office of the Arts

Aaron David Shackelford
Director, Office of the Arts

Leadership in Action Award

Kevin M. Ellis
Assistant Director, Financial Operations, Aerospace Engineering

Samuel Evans III
Fleet Services Manager, Infrastructure and Sustainability

Leading By Example in Sustainability Award

Emma C. Brodzik
Campus Sustainability Project Manager, Infrastructure and Sustainability

Rising Wreck Award

Samba Diop
Senior Digital Learning Specialist, Office of Information Technology

Service to the Community Award

Richard A. Bedell
Electrical Engineer III, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Sarah Strohmenger
Student Life Program Director, Student Engagement and Well-Being

Putting Students First Award

Laura Tyler Paige
Academic Advisor II, Parker B. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience

ChBE Academic Advising Team

Adrienne Rice Hillman
Academic Advisor II, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Ellen Murkison
Academic Advising Manager, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Ami B. Waller-Ivanecky
Academic Program Manager I, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Excellence Award
Large-Scale Covid-19 Vaccination Clinic

Ina Collins
Nursing Manager, Stamps Health Services

Benjamin Royce Holton, M.D.
Senior Director, Stamps Health Services

John W. Scuderi
Director, Health Operations, Stamps Health Services

Theron Harold Stancil III
Assistant Director, Health Systems, Stamps Health Services

Nina Lee Thoman
Pharmacy Manager, Stamps Health Services

Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Gender Equity Award

Carol Colatrella
Associate Dean, Literature, Media, and Communications

Sybrina Atwaters
Academic Professional, Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Spirit of Georgia Tech Award

Lauren B. Evans
Program and Operations Manager, Honors Program

Robert William Hampson
Administrative Manager II, History and Sociology

Joshua E. Stewart
Communications Manager, Biomedical Engineering

 

Center for Teaching and Learning Award

Curriculum Innovation Awards
School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Fani Boukouvala
Assistant Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Martha Grover
Chair, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

A.J. Medford
Assistant Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

J. Carson Meredith
Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

David Sholl
School Chair, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Undergraduate Educator Award

Jacqueline Garner
Senior Lecturer, Scheller College of Business

Amit S. Jariwala
Senior Academic Professional, Mechanical Engineering

Geoffrey G. Eichholz Faculty Teaching Award

Michael Evans
Senior Academic Professional, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Christie N. Stewart
Senior Academic Professional, Biological Sciences

CTL/BP Junior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award

Katie Badura
Assistant Professor, Scheller College of Business

John James Blazeck
Assistant Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Neha Garg
Assistant Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Allen Hyde
Assistant Professor, History and Sociology

Natalie Khazaal
Assistant Professor, Modern Languages

Annabelle C. Singer
Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering

Innovation and Excellence in Laboratory Instruction Award

Christy O’Mahony
Senior Academic Professional, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Faculty Award for Academic Outreach

James R. Sowell
Principal Academic Professional Physics

Innovation in Co-Curricular Education Award

Mary Hudachek-Buswell
Lecturer, Computing

Fisayo Omojokun
Senior Lecturer, Computing

Jake D. Soper
Associate Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Teachinig Excellence Award for Online Teaching

Michael Evans III
Senior Academic Professional, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award

Emily G. Weigel
Senior Academic Professional, Biological Sciences

 

International Initiatives Award

Steven A. Denning Faculty Award for Global Engagement

Aris Georgakakos
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering

 

Faculty Honors Committee Awards

Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award
Junior Faculty

Cassie Mitchell
Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering

Senior Faculty

Jaydev P. Desai
Professor, Biomedical Engineering

Outstanding Use of Educational Technology

Aselia Urmanbetova
Academic Professional, Economics

Class of 1934 Outstanding Service Award

Pinar Keskinocak
Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Class of 1934 Outstanding Interdisciplinary Activities Award

Thomas Orlando
Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Class of 1940 W. Roane Beard Outstanding Teacher Award

Brendan Saltaformaggio
Assistant Professor, School of Cybersecurity and Privacy

Class of 1940 W. Howard Ector Outstanding Teacher Award

Carrie Shepler
Principal Academic Professional, Chemistry and Biochemistry

 

Class of 1934 Distinguished Professor Award

Marilyn Brown
Regents Professor, Public Policy

This school year, dozens of College of Sciences undergraduate students have been recognized across Georgia Tech and beyond for significant academic achievements and excellence, including several honored during Tech’s Student Honors Celebration, held on April 21 at the Academy of Medicine.

College of Sciences graduate students and researchers have also been recognized with Georgia Tech Teaching Assistant Awards and special certificates during the Institute’s Teaching Assistant (TA) and Future Faculty Award ceremonies, held on April 20 at the Bill Moore Student Success Center.

Please join us in congratulating these special recipients across our community:

 

Love Family Foundation Award

Yashvardhan Tomar, a double major in the School of Physics and the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, is the recipient of one of the highest academic honors given to a Georgia Tech graduating senior, the Love Family Foundation Award. 

The accolade is made possible by a generous grant from the Gay and Erskine Love Foundation, and recognizes the undergraduate student with the most outstanding scholastic record of all members of the class. 

Each of Georgia Tech’s six colleges nominates its top graduating student, and the winner is ultimately selected by the academic associate deans in coordination with the Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE). 

“I find myself at a loss for words to truly convey how grateful I feel to the institute for selecting me for this really high honor,” Tomar says.

“I still remember my first day as a freshman at Tech—a young boy beyond-eager to learn so many new things and get involved in so much exciting research—an excitement that has stayed with me since," he shares.

"The news of this award comes as a strong boost of encouragement and appreciation to propel with me strengthened promise towards the fulfillment of my aspirations. I express my most heartfelt thanks to everyone who invested their belief in my candidature for this highly prestigious award.”

 

Roger M. Wartell and Stephen E. Brossette Award for Multidisciplinary Studies in Biology, Physics, and Mathematics

This award is presented to an undergraduate student with demonstrated accomplishments at the interface of biology with either physics or mathematics. The award was established by a generous donation from alumnus Stephen E. Brossette in recognition of the many contributions of Roger M. Wartell to the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The 2022 winner, Lila Nassar, is a physics major with a concentration in the physics of living systems. Nassar has a broad set of research experiences with faculty Martin Mourigal and Jennifer Curtis in the School of Physics. Nassar has also served as the secretary and president of the Georgia Tech Society of Women in Physics.

“Lila has broad interests and lots of ambition,” says Curtis. “She brings both an intensity that is useful for driving forward progress and dealing with setbacks. She brings that same fire and energy to her role as president of the Society of Women in Physics.”

In summer 2021, Nassar also participated in a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program at Vanderbilt University.

 

A. Joyce Nickelson and John C. Sutherland Undergraduate Research Award 

This award was created by the endowment gift of Joyce E. Nickelson and John C. Sutherland to honor Joyce’s late mother, alumna A. Joyce Nickelson, and Sutherland. The scholarship, which recognizes excellence at the interface of mathematics and physics, is awarded to an undergraduate student who has jointly studied mathematics and physics, and who has engaged in scientific research.

Nickelson-Sutherland award winner Sarah Eisenstadt is completing majors in physics and mathematics, and also studies applied languages and intercultural studies.

Eisenstadt has completed research with Michael Loss in the School of Mathematics on mathematical physics and the development of an energy functional to describe superconductivity, and with Stephanie Boulard on the artist Marc Chagall. She has also served as a teaching assistant for linear algebra and multivariable calculus. 

 

Cynthia L. Bossart and James Efron Scholarship 

This honor was created by alumna Cindy Bossart to recognize high academic achievement by a student in the College of Sciences who is a non-Georgia resident. 

The 2022-3 recipient of this award, Sena Ghobadi, is a resident of Florida who graduated from American Heritage School in Broward County. Ghobadi has made a strong start as a first-year as a physics major at Georgia Tech: she has already begun work as a teaching assistant for Physics 2211. 

 

Metha Phingbodhipakkiya Memorial Scholarship 

This honor was established by Maranee Phingbodhipakkiya to honor her father, his love for physics, and the sacrifices he made to assure that she would have the finest education. This award is made to a junior or senior in the College of Sciences based on academic merit.

The recipient of this award, Nabojeet Das, is a graduate of Tucker High School and is a candidate for the Bachelor of Science in Biology with the Research Option designation and Biologically Inspired Design certificate.

Das has served as a teaching assistant for the introductory Organismal Biology course, and as a resident assistant for Georgia Tech Housing. His research with Aniruddh Sarkar, an assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, focuses on the creation of small and portable biosensors for Covid-19 and other diseases.

He has presented his research at a meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society. Das is a member of DramaTech, the Minority Association of Premed Students, and Buzz Mobile Health. 

 

Virginia C. and Herschel V. Clanton Jr. Scholarship 

This scholarship was established by alumnus Herschel V. Clanton Jr. to honor his wife, Virginia. The scholarship is awarded annually to a student in the College of Sciences who has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement.

The 2022 recipient of the Clanton Scholarship, Griffin Wagner, is a graduate of Vero Beach High School in Florida and is currently a biology major.

Wagner’s research with Jennette Yen in the School of Biological Sciences, with collaborators at the Carter Center, the University of Georgia, Texas A&M, and the African country of Chad, focuses on inhibiting the transmission of African guinea worm disease.

He has completed an internship at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, and a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at Georgia Tech. Wagner presented his research at the 2022 Ocean Sciences meeting. 

 

Robert A. Pierotti Memorial Scholarship

The College of Sciences presents this scholarship in honor of Robert “Bob” Pierotti, past dean of the College and founder of the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC). The award is made to top graduating seniors in the College who have excelled both academically and in research.

The two recipients of the 2022 Pierotti Award are Holly McCann and Soham Kulkarni.

McCann is a biology major who is completing the Biomolecular Technology certificate. She is a researcher with Loren Williams in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, working on the prediction and visualization of the structure of RNA. McCann’s work led to the publication of a paper in the journal Nucleic Acids Research. She has also participated in the BeeSnap Vertically Integrated Project with Jennifer Leavey. McCann has also completed internships with Syngenta and Fidelity Investments.

“Holly is remarkable,” says Williams. “She is highly intelligent, creative, motivated, functional and productive. She is destined to be an extremely successful scientist.”

Kulkarni, a graduate of Chattahoochee High School, is a biochemistry major who will also complete the Health and Medical Sciences and Computational Data Analysis minors.

He has conducted research with Cassie S. Mitchell in the Chronic Myeloid Leukemia laboratory. He is a coauthor of a paper in the journal Pharmaceutics and has presented his research at the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) conference. He also serves as an Undergraduate Research Ambassador.

 

Larry O’Hara Graduate Scholarship

This honor is provided by an endowment bequeathed by alumnus Larry O’Hara. It is presented to outstanding graduate students in the College of Sciences. 

All of the 2022 winners have established a strong record of research with multiple publications in peer-reviewed journals, as well as multiple conference presentations:

Yoo is currently studying graph theory with Xingxing Xu and holds a prestigious NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship to support her doctoral studies.

Márquez-Zacarias’ doctoral research with William Ratcliff focuses on developing theories to understand how multicellular organisms became more complex, and how microbial populations are structured in space.

Tsukahara, who is studying cognition and brain science with Randall Engle, focuses on investigating the nature of attention control with the use of pupillometry and mind-wandering reports. 

 

Herbert P. Haley Fellowship

This graduate fellowship recognizes significant accomplishments and outstanding academic achievements for students at Georgia Tech.

The 2022 winners are:

 

Teaching Assistant Awards

The College of Science had four winners among the 2022 Georgia Tech Teaching Assistant Awardees, with three hailing from the School of Mathematics. The awards are presented annually by the Center for Teaching and Learning to celebrate the contributions to teaching excellence at Georgia Tech made by graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants:

  • Undergraduate Teaching Assistant of the Year:
    Bryan Clark, Mathematics 

  • Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year:
    Tao Yu, Mathematics

  • Graduate Student Instructor of the Year:
    Elizabeth (Liz) Jones, Chemistry and Biochemistry

  • Online Head Teaching Assistant of the Year:
    Jaewoo Jung, Mathematics

 

Tech to Teaching Certificates

Tech to Teaching Certificates are designed to prepare Georgia Tech graduate and postdoctoral associates for college teaching positions.

Through this certificate program, participants will develop a thorough understanding of the scholarship of teaching and learning, and will demonstrate their ability to apply these skills in the classroom.

The following College of Sciences students were awarded Tech to Teaching Certificates:

 

Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) Certificates

As a member institution in the CIRTL national network, Georgia Tech joins with 37 other universities on a mission to improve undergraduate education through the preparation of future faculty.

Participants in these certificate programs learn about how students learn, how differences among students affect their learning, evidence-based teaching and assessment practices, and teaching with technology.

Participants who complete these foundation-level learning outcomes through a combination of coursework, workshops, or online learning, receive the CIRTL Associate certificate.   

The following College of Sciences students were awarded CIRTL Certificates:

 

Georgia Tech has received two Department of Defense (DoD) 2022 Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) awards totaling almost $14 million. The highly competitive government program supports interdisciplinary teams of investigators developing innovative solutions in DoD interest areas. This year, the DoD awarded $195 million to 28 research teams across the country.

Georgia Tech’s MURIs are both primarily within the School of Physics. First, Simon Sponberg, a Dunn Family Associate Professor of Physics and Biological Sciences, leads a team discovering how animals strategically use sensing and cognition to make decisions in complex environments. The project, Fast, Lexicographic Agile Perception Integrates Decision and Control in a Spike-Resolved, Sensorimotor Program (FLAP), specifically addresses the  core DoD topic area of understanding neural systems integration for competent autonomy in decision and control.

“We have all these great, sophisticated algorithms for processing big data, but an animal doesn't have time to process a million samples of its environment and then figure out what’s a predator,” said Sponberg.

Studying moths for their agile, sophisticated flying and complex sensing abilities, the team will record electrical activity in the brain to determine how the moths make decisions and use natural language processing techniques to see how a moth derives meaning from sensory cues and movements. The goal is to develop an information processing framework that enables quick, flexible decision-making that could facilitate the next generation of autonomous bio-inspired systems and better integrate living systems with engineered technologies

The interdisciplinary nature of the team makes complex research possible. Half the team is made of experimentalists: Sponberg specializes in sensors connected to motor systems with precisely timed signals; Jeff Riffell, a professor at the University of Washington, studies how the nervous system processes sensory signals to control behavior; and as a vision neuroscientist at Florida International University, Jamie Theobald, determines how animals parse complex environments. The other half of the team will build the framework: Duke Professor Vahid Tarokh models complex datasets, Georgia Tech School of Mathematics Assistant Professor Hannah Choi focuses on neural networks, and Cornell Professor Silvia Ferrari ties it all together as a control theorist embedding control in neural structures.

“MURIs were originally training grants for the DoD to develop the next generation of scientists who would make progress,” said Sponberg. “This funding will allow us to have postdocs and graduate students across all six labs and disciplines working together tightly and creating a community.”

For the second MURI, Programming Multistable Origami and Kirigami Structures via Topological Design, Georgia Tech Assistant Professor Zeb Rocklin is part of a team exploring a new class of origami- and kirigami-inspired flexible, lightweight structures capable of transitioning between many stable shapes to perform different tasks or adapt to changing environmental conditions. These structures could be used in a range of applications, from multifunctional robots and collapsible antennae to rapidly assembled bridges and temporary structures, and force protection elements like origami-inspired bulletproof shields.

The team combines experts in mathematics, physics, material science, mechanics, robotics, numerical modeling, and computation, including Harvard University Professors Katie Betoldi, Jennifer Lewis, L. Mahadevan, and Robert Wood, as well as University of Pennsylvania Associate Professor Eleni Katifori

The researchers will develop mathematical models to characterize and design the complex mechanical behavior of multi-stable origami and kirigami structures; new scale-spanning manufacturing processes that efficiently integrate actuation and sensing; and experimental test beds to serve as a platform for evaluation and optimization of design concepts.

"This project benefits from Georgia Tech's ability to develop tight, powerful connections between engineering advanced technologies and developing universal, mathematically rigorous physical theories,” Rocklin said. “We'll be starting from concepts that anyone can get a sense of by looking at or feeling a piece of origami and using robotics and multifunctional 3D printing to create complex, flexible and robust dynamical structures that can do things nobody has ever seen before."

This story by Jennifer Woodruff is shared jointly with the University of Colorado Denver.

In response to rising global temperatures, many plants and animals are moving to higher elevations to survive in cooler temperatures. But a new study from the University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) and Georgia Tech finds that for flying insects — including bees and moths — this escape route may have insurmountable issues that could mean their doom.

The research team examined more than 800 species of insects from around the world and discovered that many winged insects are moving to higher elevations much slower than their non-flying counterparts. This is because the thinner air at higher elevations provides less oxygen for species to use. Because flight requires more oxygen to generate energy for movement than other styles of movement, such as walking, these species are migrating more slowly. 

The team’s findings were published in this week’s Nature Climate Change journal. Jesse Shaich, postbaccalaureate student at CU Denver, is also a member of the research team.

“When we think about where species will be able to live under climate change in the coming decades, we need to remember that animals are sensitive to more than just how hot or cold they are,” said CU Denver Assistant Professor of Integrated Biology Michael Moore, who led the study. 

Declining insect biodiversity has direct impact on humans

If flying insects’ native habitats get too warm too quickly, and they can’t find a suitable alternative or adapt in time, that will likely lead to their extinction. Beyond just being bad for the bugs themselves, loss of insects is bad news for humans as well. Most crop pollinators are the flying species the researchers expect to be vulnerable, and their extinction would be catastrophic to global food supply. Not only would this have implications for agriculture and food supply chains, but similar challenges are likely true for other species that need a lot of oxygen to live.

“Our earth’s biodiversity is rapidly declining, especially amongst insects. The global loss of insects will be ecologically catastrophic, so we urgently need to understand why and how this is happening,” said James Stroud, assistant professor of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech.

Broadening research on high elevation challenges

To conserve as many species as possible, researchers need to grasp the full scope of challenges plants and animals face, whether they can overcome these challenges, and to predict the locations where they can survive. High elevation environments are also difficult for new species because of the scarcity of food, stronger winds, more extreme cold snaps, and increased ultraviolet radiation.

Moore concludes, “If we want to design effective conservation strategies, we must consider a broader range of environmental factors that species need to live.” 

 

 

About Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is one of the top public research universities in the U.S., developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees. Its more than 45,000 undergraduate and graduate students, representing 50 states and more than 148 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 University of Colorado Denver
The University of Colorado Denver is the state’s premier public urban research university and equity-serving institution. Globally connected and locally invested, CU Denver partners with future-focused learners and communities to design accessible, relevant, and transformative educational experiences for every stage of life and career. Across seven schools and colleges in the heart of downtown Denver, our leading faculty inspires and works alongside students to solve complex challenges through boundary-breaking innovation, impactful research, and creative work. As part of the state’s largest university system, CU Denver is a major contributor to the Colorado economy, with 2,000 employees and an annual economic impact of $800 million. For more information, visit ucdenver.edu.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01794-2

Acknowledgments: Support was generously provided by the University of Colorado Denver (to M.P.M. and J.S.) and Washington University in St. Louis and the Georgia Institute of Technology (to J.T.S.). Conversations with J. de Mayo, J. Grady and A. Lenard and input from three reviewers improved this study.

Returning March 9–23, 2024, the Atlanta Science Festival is an annual public celebration of local science and technology. Curious people of all ages will explore the science and technology in our region and see how science is connected to all parts of our lives.

This year, Georgia Tech Science and Engineering Day will kick off the entire festival on Saturday, March 9 — learn more here! Join us as we partner with Science ATL to bring STEAM events to curious community members of all ages.

Visit atlantasciencefestival.org for the full schedule of all 2024 events.

Learn more about last year's 2023 Atlanta Science Festival here.

Event Details

Synthetic pesticides were first developed in the 1930s, but began to be widely used in agriculture in the 1950s and 1960s. Scientists have since discovered how toxic certain chemicals like DDT can be to ecologies and humans, but researchers still want to know more about their environmental impact on animal pollinators like bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, moths, beetles, and bats at the genetic level.

A School of Biological Sciences postdoctoral scholar will have a chance to help the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) fill in the blanks in that knowledge, thanks to a two-year fellowship from the agency’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

Sarah Orr, who researches in Professor Michael Goodisman’s lab, receives the grant for her project proposal, “Effects of Pesticide Exposure on Developmental Genetics in Bumblebees.” The award is part of a new USDA/NIFA $11.6 million funding initiative for projects that promote healthy populations of animal pollinators in agricultural systems where reliance of crops on pollinators is increasing, but pollinator numbers are declining. 

“I am honored and ecstatic to have received this prestigious postdoctoral fellowship from USDA,” Orr says. “It’s rewarding to see how my research can have important implications in agriculture broadly in the U.S. Being able to bring in my own funding and serve as the project director on a grant as a postdoc has also been exciting. It’s a brief glimpse into what it will be like to hopefully be a faculty member myself in the future.”

Orr knows that pesticides play an important role in agricultural production and human food supply. Her scientific goal is to help find a balance between the risks and benefits of pesticide use. 

“My investigation into the genetic effects of pesticides is unique and somewhat novel,” she says. “Beyond traditional toxicological methods, my project will improve our understanding of how pesticides may affect the developmental genetics of bumblebees.”

Homing in on key pollinators

Bumblebees are social insects native to North America and important pollinators for food crops including tomatoes, blueberries, and eggplant. As with most social insects, bumblebees live in colonies made up of a single queen and hundreds of sterile workers. “This genetic structure provides a really interesting model to study integrated development,” Orr says.

Orr’s project will investigate how pesticides affect the integrated developmental processes of Bombus impatiens bumblebees by examining changes in gene expression. Orr’s research will attempt to determine if pesticides impact the ratio of males to females in bee colonies, and how pesticides affect morphological traits of both worker and queen bees. 

Orr says that new chemicals are approved before science can fully explore all of the potential environmental impact from their use. “For example, a lot of my research will focus on sulfoxaflor, a relatively new pesticide on the market,” she says, “and scientists are continuing to discover negative consequences of sulfoxaflor on native bee populations.”

USDA/NIFA New Contract/Grant/Agreement No. 2023-67012-39886, Proposal No. 2022-09642, Effects of Pesticide Exposure on Developmental Genetics in Bumblebees
Initial Award Year: 2023
Investigator: S.E. Orr

 

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) have received funding to study the concept of using modified strains of probiotic bacteria – that are already part of the human gut microbiome – to stimulate the formation of antibodies against the flu virus in the body’s mucosal membranes. Respiratory viruses like influenza infect the body through mucosal membranes, and the proof-of-concept project will help evaluate whether snippets of influenza proteins – tiny fragments of the virus – could be added to two common bacterial strains to create the antibody response. Antibodies in the mucosal membranes might then complement those created by traditional intramuscular injections to head off flu infection.

The research, supported by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), will study whether or not the harmless bacteria can be successfully modified to carry snippets of a viral coat protein that could stimulate the desired response in mucosal membranes lining the gut. Beyond reducing influenza infection in the general population, improved protection against the flu could have a significant impact on the U.S. military, which wants to provide the best possible protection for its warfighters to reduce possible impacts on readiness and training from influenza outbreaks. 

At Georgia Tech, the project is a collaboration between researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) and the Georgia Tech School of Biological Sciences. All of the research at Georgia Tech will be done using BSL-2 facilities designed for this type of study. The award does not include research on animals or humans.

“Ultimately, this could one day make vaccination programs much more effective,” said Michael Farrell, a GTRI principal research scientist. “This isn’t going to be a replacement for flu vaccines as they currently exist, but it could act as an adjuvant – something that’s done in addition to vaccination to increase the overall immune response. To benefit from it, you might take a pill like you do with probiotics now.”

Using Common Probiotic Bacteria as Vehicles

The project will focus on two common probiotic bacteria: Escherichia coli – a gram-negative bacterium better known as E. coli – and Lactococcus lactis, a gram-positive bacterium found in cheese, buttermilk, and other dairy food items. The researchers will attempt to coax the bacteria to express the influenza virus’ Hemagglutinin (HA) receptor protein on their outer cell surface. There, the protein would stimulate an antibody response in the gut mucosal membrane as it passes through the body’s gastrointestinal tract.

“We’re using some well-established probiotic bacteria that have been utilized for dozens of years, are well vetted and safe for humans,” said Brian Hammer, an associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences who specializes in bacterial genetics. “Ultimately, the idea is to use these bacteria as a chassis to create living vaccines, since the body already tolerates them both well.”

Researchers at AFRL and Georgia Tech envision that a single pill or capsule would carry the bacteria into the gastrointestinal tract to provide the necessary antibody stimulation. The bacteria would be modified so they could not reproduce, preventing them from becoming part of the body’s gut microbiome – a diverse collection of bacteria that live in the body and help carry out specific functions, including metabolizing food and modulating the immune system.

“We know the human microbiome is intimately involved in human health and disease, influencing processes in ways that have both positive and negative outcomes for us,” said Richard Agans, senior research biological scientist at the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM). “Recently, we have started to better understand how the microbiome communicates with our bodies and how we can identify, target, and promote the beneficial aspects. Currently, we are working to determine how to utilize these microbial communities to better protect our warfighters as well as the general public.”

Overcoming Challenges of Manipulating Bacteria

Hammer’s lab specializes in manipulating proteins of organisms such as bacteria and viruses to create novel fusions. Among the techniques available is the new CRISPR-Cas, the gene-editing technology that was the subject of a Nobel Prize in 2020, but other more traditional techniques may also be used to get the influenza surface protein where the researchers want it to be.

Among the challenges ahead is that adding a new component to bacterial organisms can be difficult. 

“In general, bacteria have evolved with the genetic components they need to survive,” Farrell explained. “If you add something else, they may just kick it out. It’s very hard to find a neutral location in the bacterial genome where we can stably add new functionality. This is especially true for this effort, in which there will be no cointroduction of antimicrobial resistance markers.”

In addition, the probiotic bacteria strains that are widely used in research as model organisms, or “lab rats,” are adapted to living in laboratory conditions. This project, however, will use natural commensal strains that co-exist in humans. That approach may make it even more challenging to add the appropriate material for expressing the viral proteins on the bacteria cell surfaces, Hammer said.

“We used to perceive that genes could be shuffled around in the bacteria without much effect on them, but we’re learning now that location really matters,” he said. “One of the concerns is that tools that work on the ‘lab rat’ versions of these bacteria will not be as readily accepted by these commensals.”

As part of the project, the researchers will have to show that the addition of the protein doesn’t cause instability in the bacteria, and that the modified bacteria generate the correct response when exposed to human immune cells in culture. 

Proof of Concept Could Lead to Broader Vaccine Therapies

Beyond its importance to the military, influenza was chosen to study this adjuvant approach because a number of vaccines exist for this virus, and they have been well studied over the years. If this approach works with influenza, the combination of pill and injection might be useful for vaccines against other respiratory viruses.

“If this is ultimately successful, it could be the first foray into showing that these vehicles, these probiotics, could potentially be scaled up for lots of different therapeutic uses,” said Hammer. “By customizing the cargo, this approach could be rapidly adapted to address new and emerging threats that may arise in the future.”

Project Provides Student Opportunity

The two-year project life was chosen because of the expected difficulty – and because another of its goals is to train a master’s degree student in the bacterial modification techniques being utilized.

The Georgia Tech researchers have chosen an underrepresented minority student who holds an undergraduate degree in biology from Kennesaw State University and has worked in a commercial DNA laboratory. Katrina Lancaster will begin work on this project during fall semester, collaborating with both Hammer and Farrell – and the students and other researchers in their labs.

“This student will have excellent opportunities, not only to learn the skills in the lab and take the coursework, but also to develop a rich network of connections, both in the School of Biological Sciences and at GTRI, that will be helpful in moving forward and advancing their career,” Hammer said. “It’s a really beautiful combination of components for this project.”

The project is funded through the AFRL’s Minority Leaders Research Collaboration Program (ML-RCP).

“Partnering with academic institutions, such as GTRI, presents great opportunities for our team to interact and work with top minds in these fields to develop better outcomes for everyone,” Agans said. “We are especially grateful for the opportunity to mentor and provide opportunities for underrepresented students with STEM aspirations. We are excited to work with GTRI in this endeavor and envision this being just the first step.” 

USAFSAM is part of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s 711th Human Performance Wing. 

 

Writer: John Toon (john.toon@gtri.gatech.edu)  
GTRI Communications  
Georgia Tech Research Institute  
Atlanta, Georgia

This story first appeared in the GTRI newsroom.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) have received funding to study the concept of using modified strains of probiotic bacteria – that are already part of the human gut microbiome – to stimulate the formation of antibodies against the flu virus in the body’s mucosal membranes. Respiratory viruses like influenza infect the body through mucosal membranes, and the proof-of-concept project will help evaluate whether snippets of influenza proteins – tiny fragments of the virus – could be added to two common bacterial strains to create the antibody response. Antibodies in the mucosal membranes might then complement those created by traditional intramuscular injections to head off flu infection.

The research, supported by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), will study whether or not the harmless bacteria can be successfully modified to carry snippets of a viral coat protein that could stimulate the desired response in mucosal membranes lining the gut. Beyond reducing influenza infection in the general population, improved protection against the flu could have a significant impact on the U.S. military, which wants to provide the best possible protection for its warfighters to reduce possible impacts on readiness and training from influenza outbreaks. 

At Georgia Tech, the project is a collaboration between researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) and the Georgia Tech School of Biological Sciences. All of the research at Georgia Tech will be done using BSL-2 facilities designed for this type of study. The award does not include research on animals or humans.

“Ultimately, this could one day make vaccination programs much more effective,” said Michael Farrell, a GTRI principal research scientist. “This isn’t going to be a replacement for flu vaccines as they currently exist, but it could act as an adjuvant – something that’s done in addition to vaccination to increase the overall immune response. To benefit from it, you might take a pill like you do with probiotics now.”

Using Common Probiotic Bacteria as Vehicles

The project will focus on two common probiotic bacteria: Escherichia coli – a gram-negative bacterium better known as E. coli – and Lactococcus lactis, a gram-positive bacterium found in cheese, buttermilk, and other dairy food items. The researchers will attempt to coax the bacteria to express the influenza virus’ Hemagglutinin (HA) receptor protein on their outer cell surface. There, the protein would stimulate an antibody response in the gut mucosal membrane as it passes through the body’s gastrointestinal tract.

“We’re using some well-established probiotic bacteria that have been utilized for dozens of years, are well vetted and safe for humans,” said Brian Hammer, an associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences who specializes in bacterial genetics. “Ultimately, the idea is to use these bacteria as a chassis to create living vaccines, since the body already tolerates them both well.”

Researchers at AFRL and Georgia Tech envision that a single pill or capsule would carry the bacteria into the gastrointestinal tract to provide the necessary antibody stimulation. The bacteria would be modified so they could not reproduce, preventing them from becoming part of the body’s gut microbiome – a diverse collection of bacteria that live in the body and help carry out specific functions, including metabolizing food and modulating the immune system.

“We know the human microbiome is intimately involved in human health and disease, influencing processes in ways that have both positive and negative outcomes for us,” said Richard Agans, senior research biological scientist at the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM). “Recently, we have started to better understand how the microbiome communicates with our bodies and how we can identify, target, and promote the beneficial aspects. Currently, we are working to determine how to utilize these microbial communities to better protect our warfighters as well as the general public.”

Overcoming Challenges of Manipulating Bacteria

Hammer’s lab specializes in manipulating proteins of organisms such as bacteria and viruses to create novel fusions. Among the techniques available is the new CRISPR-Cas, the gene-editing technology that was the subject of a Nobel Prize in 2020, but other more traditional techniques may also be used to get the influenza surface protein where the researchers want it to be.

Among the challenges ahead is that adding a new component to bacterial organisms can be difficult. 

“In general, bacteria have evolved with the genetic components they need to survive,” Farrell explained. “If you add something else, they may just kick it out. It’s very hard to find a neutral location in the bacterial genome where we can stably add new functionality. This is especially true for this effort, in which there will be no cointroduction of antimicrobial resistance markers.”

In addition, the probiotic bacteria strains that are widely used in research as model organisms, or “lab rats,” are adapted to living in laboratory conditions. This project, however, will use natural commensal strains that co-exist in humans. That approach may make it even more challenging to add the appropriate material for expressing the viral proteins on the bacteria cell surfaces, Hammer said.

“We used to perceive that genes could be shuffled around in the bacteria without much effect on them, but we’re learning now that location really matters,” he said. “One of the concerns is that tools that work on the ‘lab rat’ versions of these bacteria will not be as readily accepted by these commensals.”

As part of the project, the researchers will have to show that the addition of the protein doesn’t cause instability in the bacteria, and that the modified bacteria generate the correct response when exposed to human immune cells in culture. 

Proof of Concept Could Lead to Broader Vaccine Therapies

Beyond its importance to the military, influenza was chosen to study this adjuvant approach because a number of vaccines exist for this virus, and they have been well studied over the years. If this approach works with influenza, the combination of pill and injection might be useful for vaccines against other respiratory viruses.

“If this is ultimately successful, it could be the first foray into showing that these vehicles, these probiotics, could potentially be scaled up for lots of different therapeutic uses,” said Hammer. “By customizing the cargo, this approach could be rapidly adapted to address new and emerging threats that may arise in the future.”

Project Provides Student Opportunity

The two-year project life was chosen because of the expected difficulty – and because another of its goals is to train a master’s degree student in the bacterial modification techniques being utilized.

The Georgia Tech researchers have chosen an underrepresented minority student who holds an undergraduate degree in biology from Kennesaw State University and has worked in a commercial DNA laboratory. Katrina Lancaster will begin work on this project during fall semester, collaborating with both Hammer and Farrell – and the students and other researchers in their labs.

“This student will have excellent opportunities, not only to learn the skills in the lab and take the coursework, but also to develop a rich network of connections, both in the School of Biological Sciences and at GTRI, that will be helpful in moving forward and advancing their career,” Hammer said. “It’s a really beautiful combination of components for this project.”

The project is funded through the AFRL’s Minority Leaders Research Collaboration Program (ML-RCP).

“Partnering with academic institutions, such as GTRI, presents great opportunities for our team to interact and work with top minds in these fields to develop better outcomes for everyone,” Agans said. “We are especially grateful for the opportunity to mentor and provide opportunities for underrepresented students with STEM aspirations. We are excited to work with GTRI in this endeavor and envision this being just the first step.” 

USAFSAM is part of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s 711th Human Performance Wing. 

 

Writer: John Toon (john.toon@gtri.gatech.edu)  
GTRI Communications  
Georgia Tech Research Institute  
Atlanta, Georgia

This story first appeared in the GTRI newsroom.

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