Joseph Montoya, professor in the School of Biological Sciences and director of the Ocean Science and Engineering interdisciplinary graduate program, is one of 11 new Academy Fellows in the California Academy of Sciences (CAS), based in San Francisco.

The Fellows are a governing group of more than 450 distinguished scientists and other leaders who have made notable contributions to scientific research, education, and communication, according to the CAS: “Nominated by their colleagues and selected by the CAS Board of Trustees, the Academy Fellows are partners and collaborators in the pursuit of the Academy’s mission to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration.” 

“This was quite a surprise to me, and a really welcome connection with the CAS, which I came to know well as a student across the bay at (the University of California at) Berkeley,” Montoya said. “I was of course deeply honored to be named a CAS Fellow.”

“On behalf of the School of Biological Sciences, I congratulate Joe on his selection as a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences,” said Todd Streelman, professor and chair of the School of Biological Sciences. “The Academy recognized Joe’s long-term impact in studying nitrogen cycles and energy flow in the world’s seas and rivers. We’re thrilled that the Academy has shone a spotlight on Joe and his lab group’s work.”

Montoya is a biological oceanographer with research interests at the interface of biology and geochemistry. His lab specializes in studies of the marine nitrogen cycle, using a combination of direct rate measurements and stable isotope natural abundance methods to explore the role of biological dinitrogen (N2) fixation in structuring the flow of nitrogen and energy through planktonic ecosystems. The metabolic capability to use atmospheric nitrogen to support biological production plays a key role in supporting diverse ecosystems in many offshore and coastal waters.

“I’m excited at the chance to interact with old and new colleagues studying the marine nitrogen cycle who are also CAS Fellows,” Montoya said. “The CAS will give us new opportunities for developing collaborations and sharing our work with the public, as well as with other scientists.”

The Montoya Lab has also been deeply involved in studies of the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on offshore ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico. His group’s research program is highly interdisciplinary, incorporating work in plankton biology, marine chemistry, and isotope biogeochemistry both at sea and in the lab.

Streelman also noted how the CAS highlighted Montoya’s work in diversity, equity, and inclusion, citing Montoya’s strong interest in education and outreach, and role as a founding member of the Georgia Tech College of Sciences Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council.

“I firmly believe that we have a duty as scientists and educators to share our work broadly and to ensure that our scientific community is open, welcoming, and supportive,” Montoya said. 

Montoya received an A.B. in Biology at the University of California and a Ph.D. in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University. He served on the faculty of the Departments of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard before joining the Georgia Tech faculty in 1998.

Joseph Montoya, professor in the School of Biological Sciences and director of the Ocean Science and Engineering interdisciplinary graduate program, is one of 11 new Academy Fellows in the California Academy of Sciences (CAS), based in San Francisco.

The Fellows are a governing group of more than 450 distinguished scientists and other leaders who have made notable contributions to scientific research, education, and communication, according to the CAS: “Nominated by their colleagues and selected by the CAS Board of Trustees, the Academy Fellows are partners and collaborators in the pursuit of the Academy’s mission to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration.” 

“This was quite a surprise to me, and a really welcome connection with the CAS, which I came to know well as a student across the bay at (the University of California at) Berkeley,” Montoya said. “I was of course deeply honored to be named a CAS Fellow.”

“On behalf of the School of Biological Sciences, I congratulate Joe on his selection as a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences,” said Todd Streelman, professor and chair of the School of Biological Sciences. “The Academy recognized Joe’s long-term impact in studying nitrogen cycles and energy flow in the world’s seas and rivers. We’re thrilled that the Academy has shone a spotlight on Joe and his lab group’s work.”

Montoya is a biological oceanographer with research interests at the interface of biology and geochemistry. His lab specializes in studies of the marine nitrogen cycle, using a combination of direct rate measurements and stable isotope natural abundance methods to explore the role of biological dinitrogen (N2) fixation in structuring the flow of nitrogen and energy through planktonic ecosystems. The metabolic capability to use atmospheric nitrogen to support biological production plays a key role in supporting diverse ecosystems in many offshore and coastal waters.

“I’m excited at the chance to interact with old and new colleagues studying the marine nitrogen cycle who are also CAS Fellows,” Montoya said. “The CAS will give us new opportunities for developing collaborations and sharing our work with the public, as well as with other scientists.”

The Montoya Lab has also been deeply involved in studies of the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on offshore ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico. His group’s research program is highly interdisciplinary, incorporating work in plankton biology, marine chemistry, and isotope biogeochemistry both at sea and in the lab.

Streelman also noted how the CAS highlighted Montoya’s work in diversity, equity, and inclusion, citing Montoya’s strong interest in education and outreach, and role as a founding member of the Georgia Tech College of Sciences Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council.

“I firmly believe that we have a duty as scientists and educators to share our work broadly and to ensure that our scientific community is open, welcoming, and supportive,” Montoya said. 

Montoya received an A.B. in Biology at the University of California and a Ph.D. in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University. He served on the faculty of the Departments of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard before joining the Georgia Tech faculty in 1998.

ARCS Foundation Atlanta awarded a total of $120,000 to 15 Ph.D. students who show exceptional promise of making a significant contribution to the worldwide advancement of science and technology. Eight first-year ARCS Scholars will join seven returning scholars who were recognized as outstanding doctoral students. 

Faculty may nominate candidates pursuing doctoral studies for the prestigious fellowship. The Graduate Education Fellowships Selection Committee, established by the Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, reviews the candidates for final selection. 

This year, twelve scholars will receive $7,500 per year and three will receive the Global Impact Award of $10,000 per year. The Foundation grants the Global Impact Awards to students working on research problems having a broader global context or addressing global issues.

A scholars award ceremony will be held in November at Georgia Tech to honor the Atlanta chapter’s recipients.  

Congratulations to the following Georgia Tech 2022-23 ARCS Scholars: 

•    Noam Altman-Kurosaki is a first-year ARCS Scholar who received the Herz Global Impact Award. Altman-Kurosaki is a Ph.D. candidate in biology with a research interest in understanding the processes that drive coral reef decline and recovery. 

•    Nolan Barrett is a second-year ARCS Scholar. Barrett is a Ph.D. candidate in ocean science and engineering with a research interest in marine natural products chemistry and chemical ecology. 

•    Kenneth De Jesús-Morales is a second-year ARCS Scholar. Jesús-Morales is a Ph.D. student in biomedical engineering with a research interest in optimizing a bio-printed aortic heart valve model capable of regeneration and repair for the pediatric population. 

•    Anjana Dissanayaka is a first-year ARCS Scholar. Dissanayaka is a Ph.D. student in biomedical with a research interest in leveraging and applying microfluidic techniques to develop low-cost diagnostic devices. 

•    Hannah Holmes is a third-year ARCS Scholar. Holmes is a Ph.D. candidate in chemical and biomolecular engineering with a research interest in improving the efficiency of CO2 capture technologies using solid adsorbents in structured contractors. 

•    Tawfik Hussein is a first-year ARCS Scholar. Hussein is a Ph.D. student in biomedical engineering with a research interest in simulating computationally the mechanical changes in the heart of patients with heart failure to help predict early stages of heart failure. 

•    KC Jacobson is a first-year ARCS Scholar who received the Herz Global Impact Award. Jacobson is a Ph.D. student in bioengineering with a research interest in the neural mechanisms of impaired sensory processing in a human-relevant mouse model of autism spectrum disorder.       

•    Kantwon Rogers is a third-year ARCS Scholar. Rogers is a Ph.D. student in computer science with a research interest in artificial intelligence and robotics with a focus on investigating the influences that prosocial deception has on human-robot interaction. 

•    Christopher Roper is a second-year ARCS Scholar. Roper is a Ph.D. student in aerospace engineering with a research interest in plasma instabilities in high-speed plasma dynamics sources for propulsion.  

•    Cassandra Shriver is a first-year ARCS Scholar. Shriver is a Ph.D. student in quantitative biosciences in biological sciences with a research interest in comparative biomechanics, specifically mammalian climbing mechanics with an emphasis on conservation applications. 

•    Kevin Shu is a second-year ARCS Scholar. Shu is a Ph.D. student in algorithms, combinatorics, and optimization with a research interest in applying ideas from pure math, in particular algebraic geometry, to solve optimization problems more efficiently. 

•    Eudorah Vital is a first-year ARCS Scholar. Vital is a Ph.D. student in biomedical engineering with a research interest in understanding the biophysical processes that underlie blood diseases/disorders and developing point-of-care diagnostics for them. 

•    Tony Wang is a third-year ARCS Scholar. Wang is a Ph.D. student in electrical and computer engineering with a research interest in developing micro-robots to perform neurosurgery. 

•    Naoki Yokoyama is a first-year ARCS Scholar. Yokoyama is a Ph.D. student in robotics in electrical and computer engineering with a research interest in training virtual robots within realistic simulators using deep reinforcement learning and deploying them on robots in the real world. 

•    Nathan Zavanelli is a first-year ARCS Scholar who received the Imlay Foundation Global Impact Award. Zavanelli is a Ph.D. student in bioengineering in mechanical engineering with a research interest in studying soft, skin-like electronics and sensors for wearable healthcare. 

The ARCS fellowship is made possible each year by way of fundraising and the continued generous support of the ARCS-Atlanta Foundation. 

The mission of the ARCS Foundation is to advance science and technology in the United States by providing financial rewards to academically outstanding U.S. citizens studying to complete degrees in science, engineering, and medical research. 

Since its inception in 1992, the ARCS Foundation Atlanta has awarded more than $4.5 million to over 400 science scholars at Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Morehouse College, and the University of Georgia. 
 
For more information about the 2022-23 ARCS Atlanta Scholars, please visit www.atlanta.arcsfoundation.org/scholars/current-scholars-4. 
 

ARCS Foundation Atlanta awarded a total of $120,000 to 15 Ph.D. students who show exceptional promise of making a significant contribution to the worldwide advancement of science and technology. Eight first-year ARCS Scholars will join seven returning scholars who were recognized as outstanding doctoral students. 

Faculty may nominate candidates pursuing doctoral studies for the prestigious fellowship. The Graduate Education Fellowships Selection Committee, established by the Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, reviews the candidates for final selection. 

This year, twelve scholars will receive $7,500 per year and three will receive the Global Impact Award of $10,000 per year. The Foundation grants the Global Impact Awards to students working on research problems having a broader global context or addressing global issues.

A scholars award ceremony will be held in November at Georgia Tech to honor the Atlanta chapter’s recipients.  

Congratulations to the following Georgia Tech 2022-23 ARCS Scholars: 

•    Noam Altman-Kurosaki is a first-year ARCS Scholar who received the Herz Global Impact Award. Altman-Kurosaki is a Ph.D. candidate in biology with a research interest in understanding the processes that drive coral reef decline and recovery. 

•    Nolan Barrett is a second-year ARCS Scholar. Barrett is a Ph.D. candidate in ocean science and engineering with a research interest in marine natural products chemistry and chemical ecology. 

•    Kenneth De Jesús-Morales is a second-year ARCS Scholar. Jesús-Morales is a Ph.D. student in biomedical engineering with a research interest in optimizing a bio-printed aortic heart valve model capable of regeneration and repair for the pediatric population. 

•    Anjana Dissanayaka is a first-year ARCS Scholar. Dissanayaka is a Ph.D. student in biomedical with a research interest in leveraging and applying microfluidic techniques to develop low-cost diagnostic devices. 

•    Hannah Holmes is a third-year ARCS Scholar. Holmes is a Ph.D. candidate in chemical and biomolecular engineering with a research interest in improving the efficiency of CO2 capture technologies using solid adsorbents in structured contractors. 

•    Tawfik Hussein is a first-year ARCS Scholar. Hussein is a Ph.D. student in biomedical engineering with a research interest in simulating computationally the mechanical changes in the heart of patients with heart failure to help predict early stages of heart failure. 

•    KC Jacobson is a first-year ARCS Scholar who received the Herz Global Impact Award. Jacobson is a Ph.D. student in bioengineering with a research interest in the neural mechanisms of impaired sensory processing in a human-relevant mouse model of autism spectrum disorder.       

•    Kantwon Rogers is a third-year ARCS Scholar. Rogers is a Ph.D. student in computer science with a research interest in artificial intelligence and robotics with a focus on investigating the influences that prosocial deception has on human-robot interaction. 

•    Christopher Roper is a second-year ARCS Scholar. Roper is a Ph.D. student in aerospace engineering with a research interest in plasma instabilities in high-speed plasma dynamics sources for propulsion.  

•    Cassandra Shriver is a first-year ARCS Scholar. Shriver is a Ph.D. student in quantitative biosciences in biological sciences with a research interest in comparative biomechanics, specifically mammalian climbing mechanics with an emphasis on conservation applications. 

•    Kevin Shu is a second-year ARCS Scholar. Shu is a Ph.D. student in algorithms, combinatorics, and optimization with a research interest in applying ideas from pure math, in particular algebraic geometry, to solve optimization problems more efficiently. 

•    Eudorah Vital is a first-year ARCS Scholar. Vital is a Ph.D. student in biomedical engineering with a research interest in understanding the biophysical processes that underlie blood diseases/disorders and developing point-of-care diagnostics for them. 

•    Tony Wang is a third-year ARCS Scholar. Wang is a Ph.D. student in electrical and computer engineering with a research interest in developing micro-robots to perform neurosurgery. 

•    Naoki Yokoyama is a first-year ARCS Scholar. Yokoyama is a Ph.D. student in robotics in electrical and computer engineering with a research interest in training virtual robots within realistic simulators using deep reinforcement learning and deploying them on robots in the real world. 

•    Nathan Zavanelli is a first-year ARCS Scholar who received the Imlay Foundation Global Impact Award. Zavanelli is a Ph.D. student in bioengineering in mechanical engineering with a research interest in studying soft, skin-like electronics and sensors for wearable healthcare. 

The ARCS fellowship is made possible each year by way of fundraising and the continued generous support of the ARCS-Atlanta Foundation. 

The mission of the ARCS Foundation is to advance science and technology in the United States by providing financial rewards to academically outstanding U.S. citizens studying to complete degrees in science, engineering, and medical research. 

Since its inception in 1992, the ARCS Foundation Atlanta has awarded more than $4.5 million to over 400 science scholars at Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Morehouse College, and the University of Georgia. 
 
For more information about the 2022-23 ARCS Atlanta Scholars, please visit www.atlanta.arcsfoundation.org/scholars/current-scholars-4. 
 

During the summer, Duncan Hughes, an Environmental Technology instructor at North Georgia Technical College (NGTC) introduced his students to the web application Virtual Ecological Research Assistant, better known as VERA. It allowed students to construct conceptual models and ecological systems, as well as run interactive model simulations on the brook trout, a species of freshwater fish.

Hughes and his students sought to answer questions about reproduction and food supply, as they worked to add new complexities to the VERA application from different species of trout, circumstances, to changes. According to the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL), an international effort, led by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, brook trout are found in three types of aquatic environments: rivers, lakes, and marine areas and their living requirements in these environments.

“Originally when we populated the brook trout, we noticed the brown trout shared the same life history and ecological information, but we were able to find enough information from the Encyclopedia of Life to differentiate those species,” said Hughes. “I had my students run through the process of building these components through an instructional-based format by having them manipulate some of the parameters and probabilities.”

VERA was developed by the Design & Intelligence Lab at Georgia Tech in collaboration with EOL. The technology is being used by students as an assisting tool and is publicly accessible. The data being collected from their usage is part of the research conducted at the NSF AI Institute for Adult Learning and Online Education (AI-ALOE).

“Users can jump into our program and conduct ‘what if’ experiments by adjusting simulation parameters. This is our way of providing an accessible and informal learning tool,” said Ashok Goel, director and co-principal Investigator of AI-ALOE and computer science professor at Georgia Tech. “Using VERA as an assessment tool is excellent. These students are using VERA in a way we are not.”

Goel was recently joined by Georgia Tech graduate researcher Andrew Hornback, research scientist Sandeep Kakar, and staff member Daniela Estrada at NGTC to learn more about the work in VERA and challenges Hughes and his students faced while using the application.

“The main struggle is limitation with the EOL and database,” said Hughes. “There are some species that we just can’t find, and sometimes it is glitchy and doesn’t work right away, but it is not insurmountable.”

Another challenge Hughes’ students found was not being able to find what they wanted to complete certain tasks, such as stream and environmental patterns of comparative fish ecosystems.

With that being known, AI-ALOE is working to address these issues and more to build and cater to specific student and teacher needs. At this time, the Design & Intelligence Laboratory is in the process of expanding VERA in the capability of its on-demand agent-based simulation generator, which would enable users to divide components into separate habitats.

“It was very interesting to see the results because antidotally through much research we were able to set up all these relationships and let them run the model, and the results were exactly what we would have hypothesized what they would be given those perimeters,” said Hughes.

The technical college has plans to introduce VERA to another classroom this semester held by Natural Resource Management instructor, Kevin Peyton.

About VERA

Interested in trying out VERA? Create an account at https://vera.cc.gatech.edu/. You can also find VERA’s user guide as well as a step-by-step tutorial at http://epi.vera.cc.gatech.edu/docs/exercise.

About AI-ALOE

The NSF AI Institute for Adult Learning and Online Education (AI-ALOE) is developing an AI-based transformative model for online adult learning through research and data collection.

About NGTC

North Georgia Technical College is a residential, public, multi-campus institution of higher education serving the workforce development needs of Northeast Georgia and part of the Technical College System of Georgia.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is coming to Georgia Tech October 25 and 26 to connect with academic and industry innovators with a goal of growing the agency’s community of talent and partnerships. The meeting is part of a series of six events called DARPA Forward being held in key U.S. research and development hubs.

The meeting supports DARPA’s mission to make pivotal investments in breakthrough technologies for U.S. national security. “We defend against technological surprise by creating our own,” said Stefanie Tompkins, DARPA’s director. “In DARPA’s search for transformative solutions, what we worry most about are the ideas we never hear. Ultimately, our goal with DARPA Forward is to reach more ideas, connect with more talent, and generate more surprises.”

The DARPA Forward conference in Atlanta will be held at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center and will include talks by researchers from Georgia Tech and the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). Several hundred attendees are expected.

Among the speakers is Renee Wegrzyn, the newly-named director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, also known as ARPA-H. Wegrzyn holds a Ph.D. and bachelor of science degree in applied biology from Georgia Tech and will give a keynote talk on Wednesday, October 26.

Read the full story in the Georgia Tech Research Institute newsroom.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is coming to Georgia Tech October 25 and 26 to connect with academic and industry innovators with a goal of growing the agency’s community of talent and partnerships. The meeting is part of a series of six events called DARPA Forward being held in key U.S. research and development hubs.

The meeting supports DARPA’s mission to make pivotal investments in breakthrough technologies for U.S. national security. “We defend against technological surprise by creating our own,” said Stefanie Tompkins, DARPA’s director. “In DARPA’s search for transformative solutions, what we worry most about are the ideas we never hear. Ultimately, our goal with DARPA Forward is to reach more ideas, connect with more talent, and generate more surprises.”

The DARPA Forward conference in Atlanta will be held at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center and will include talks by researchers from Georgia Tech and the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). Several hundred attendees are expected.

Among the speakers is Renee Wegrzyn, the newly-named director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, also known as ARPA-H. Wegrzyn holds a Ph.D. and bachelor of science degree in applied biology from Georgia Tech and will give a keynote talk on Wednesday, October 26.

Read the full story in the Georgia Tech Research Institute newsroom.