Annual Report 2018: Celebrating and Supporting Our Students
Georgia Tech students are among the brightest and most accomplished in the nation — and the world. The Institute is committed to providing the resources our students need to reach their full potential, which in turn will maximize their impact here on campus and on their future careers.
Student Honors and Achievements
Calvin Runnels Named Tech’s Sixth Rhodes Scholar
Calvin Runnels plans to spend his life learning, and learning about life. That’s what the biochemistry major wrote in his personal statement when he applied for the Rhodes Scholarship.
“I cannot say for sure where exactly in the field my interests will take me — evolutionary biology, medicinal chemistry, biophysics,” he said. “I know myself too well to claim that any of these subjects would fail to fascinate and invigorate me the way research and learning always does.”
A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Runnels graduated in the spring with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry after only three years at Georgia Tech. This fall, he began postgraduate study at the University of Oxford — the sixth student in Tech history to be named a Rhodes Scholar.
Runnels worked in the lab of Loren Williams, professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Under Williams’ guidance, he studied the origins of protein folding.
“Calvin is considered by my lab members and by me to be among the brightest and most promising undergraduate students in our program,” Williams stated in his Rhodes Scholar recommendation letter for Runnels. “He ranks in my view alongside a young John Rinn. John began his research career in my laboratory and is now a highly successful member of the University of Colorado faculty. Calvin, like John, is bound to do great things.”
Runnels’ research investigates the primitive protein and RNA folding structures fossilized in the ribosome, which may provide insight into the origins of life. He studies the core protein and RNA molecules in the ribosome and what their interactions tell us about the very earliest interactions of biopolymers on Earth.
Runnels said being named a Rhodes Scholar is a tremendous honor and came as a shock. He said he is trying to keep its meaning in perspective.
“What I think it means, and the way I’m trying to frame it in my mind, is that I don’t want to view getting this scholarship as my peak accomplishment of my life,” he said. “I want to think of it as an affirmation of the things I have done so far and also as a call to duty to make a difference in the world and try to do great things from here on.”
Header photo by Jeannie Frey Rhodes
UltraView Wins 2018 InVenture Prize
Kolby Hanley won Georgia Tech’s InVenture Prize for his invention of a first-of-its-kind aiming device for competitive archery.
Hanley won $20,000 plus a free patent filing and a spot in Flashpoint, a Georgia Tech accelerator. A materials science and engineering major, he transferred to Tech last year. His lightweight scope with integrated light, called StarLight, is the latest product developed by his company, UltraView. He runs the company from his dorm room.
PedalCreator placed second, a prize that comes with $10,000, a free patent filing, and a spot in Flashpoint. The team’s device, Disruption, is an affordable guitar effects pedal that gives musicians the freedom to create distortion sounds. Professional musicians are already using the invention and offering feedback.
The inventors are Dallas Condra, mechanical engineering major; Jeremy Leff, mechanical engineering major; and Vanya Padmanabhan, industrial design major.
The People’s Choice Award and $5,000 went to pHAM. This team designed a filter to reduce coffee’s acidity. They incorporated a mineral blend into the structure of the filter paper, which reduces the acidity of the brewed coffee without negatively affecting the taste. Four materials science and engineering majors — Michele Lauto, Tyler Quill, Aaron Stansell, and Lucas Votaw — invented the product.
The annual InVenture Prize brings together student innovators from all academic backgrounds to foster creativity, invention, and entrepreneurship.
A member of the Coweta County Fire Department wears the latest version of the FireHUD device.
FireHUD Receives NSF Small Business Grant
A group of recent Georgia Tech graduates received a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to continue working on a device to improve the safety of firefighters.
Their device, FireHUD, received an NSF Small Business Innovation Research grant for $224,143 to conduct research and development work on a biometric internet of things system for first responders.
Zack Braun, who graduated in December 2017 with a degree in computer engineering, and Tyler Sisk, a fellow December graduate with a degree in electrical engineering, invented FireHUD. The real-time wearable system and heads-up display provides biometric and environmental data to firefighters on the job and officials on site. The device measures heartrate, body temperature, and external temperatures that can help predict fatigue and prevent injuries.
FireHUD won the 2016 InVenture Prize. Braun and Sisk also participated in CREATE-X, a series of initiatives to enhance and support entrepreneurship programs among Tech students. Another Georgia Tech graduate, Joseph Boettcher, also joined the company. All three are working on the device full-time.
The NSF grant will fund the company for a full year, said Braun, FireHUD CEO. Plans include launching pilot studies with local fire departments; they hope to deploy about 25 units.
Scheller Undergraduate Named to Forbes 30 Under 30
Sean Henry’s STORD is disrupting the warehousing and distribution industry.
STORD’s proprietary software provides technology-driven warehousing and distribution to simplify the management of product and reduce costs, thereby helping clients manage multi-warehouse product flow, resulting in significantly reduced warehouse costs for customers. Simultaneously, it brings technology and new revenue to its warehouse partners. Henry founded STORD and serves as chief executive officer of this on-demand warehousing and distribution company that leverages capacity in independent facilities nationwide, pairing excess capacity in third-party facilities with businesses that need affordable and efficient storage solutions.
An undergraduate student in the Scheller College of Business, Henry suspended his coursework at the beginning of 2018 to focus full time on growing and developing STORD, which received more than $2.5 million in venture capital funding last spring.
Henry was named one of Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2018 for Manufacturing and Industry, and one of Inc. Magazine’s 2017 50 Young Entrepreneurs Rethinking the World’s Biggest Problems. His company was also ranked in the top 30 in Inc. Magazine’s America’s Top Emerging Companies of 2017.
“We provide instant access to warehouses and supply chains on a consolidated dashboard,” said Henry. “We want to transform global warehousing and distribution.”
Student-Centered Philanthropy
Current parents Lance and Julie Fritz of Omaha, Nebraska, and Darlene and Eric Brandt of Corona Del Mar, California, with President G.P. “Bud” Peterson (left) and Dean of Students John Stein (right).
Tech Parents Endow Dean of Students Chair
Up until 2017, there was only one endowed Dean of Students Chair in the nation — and that was at a private institution, Cornell University. Through the generosity of some Georgia Tech parents — Darlene and Eric Brandt, and Julie and Lance Fritz — Georgia Tech became the first public university to announce an endowed Dean of Students Chair.
“A little extra help for some of our students can make a world of difference,” said President G.P. “Bud” Peterson in announcing the endowment commitment. “We are delighted that these families have a vision to provide much-needed support for the most vulnerable members of our student body so that they, too, can thrive and become outstanding Georgia Tech graduates equipped to do great things.” The chair will always be dedicated to the incumbent dean of students.
The two couples committed $1.25 million each to endow the Brandt-Fritz Dean of Students Chair, which will generate an income of $100,000 a year to be used at the discretion of current Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Life John Stein and his successors.
It was through the Georgia Tech Parents Board that the parents got to know the dean of students and became aware of the role he plays in the lives of Georgia Tech students. At the helm of the Division of Student Life, Stein oversees 16 departments committed to student engagement, leadership, well-being, and success. While learning about the Institute’s focus on the “total student,” the Brandts and Fritzes also gained a heightened awareness of the obstacles to success that many Georgia Tech students face. What spoke to them and inspired their gift, they said, were the “vulnerable populations” — students affected by problems such as homelessness, food insecurity, mental health issues, and substance abuse.
“This gift from the Brandt and Fritz families will enable us to focus on important initiatives related to student mental health and well-being,” said Stein. “It will benefit both current and future generations of Georgia Tech students.”
$15 Million Commitment Launches A. James Clark Scholars Program
Alice B. Clark and A. James Clark
A $15 million endowment commitment from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation has established the A. James Clark Scholars Program in the College of Engineering, the largest scholarship endowment commitment that the College of Engineering has ever received. The program supports incoming students who exhibit strong academic potential, leadership skills, and financial need.
“The Clark Scholars Program will have a huge impact on our ability to attract the best and brightest young minds to the College of Engineering and will further cultivate an inclusive and diverse student body,” said Steve McLaughlin, dean and Southern Company Chair in the College of Engineering. “The entrepreneurial spirit, community-minded values, and continuous striving to achieve excellence that is encouraged by the A. James Clark Scholars Program aligns perfectly with the mission of the College.”
Ten students per year will be selected as Clark Scholars based on financial need, academic accomplishments, engagement in engineering, and leadership skills. By fall 2021, the Clark Scholars Program is expected to have 40 students enrolled. Throughout their four years in the program, the Clark Scholars will pursue a rigorous engineering education, enroll in business classes, participate in intensive summer programs, and work on semester-long community service projects.
“We hope to enable motivated and promising students to focus their efforts on academic excellence and a passion for engineering,” said David Torello, faculty mentor of the Georgia Tech Clark Scholars Program. “We expect the program to develop a group of gifted graduates ready to tackle the challenges facing today’s world and establish themselves as leaders in the field of engineering.”
The program honors the legacy of the late A. James Clark, a noted engineer, businessman, and philanthropist whose business successes began with an engineering scholarship.
Goizueta Foundation Supports Record Number of Students
Former Goizueta Fellows Kevin Rodriguez and Gabriel Reyes helped students at Meadowcreek High School with a hands-on activity during GoSTEM’s Latino STEM Education Day.
In 2002, scholarships and fellowships were created to increase and retain the number of Hispanic and Latino undergraduate and doctoral students at Georgia Tech.
“Fifteen years later, Hispanics and Latinos have become one of the fastest-growing student groups at the Institute. This year, for instance, applications from Hispanic and Latino incoming first-year students increased by 7.8 percent,” said Jorge Breton, director of Institute Diversity’s Office of Hispanic Initiatives (OHI), part of the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion. “The Goizueta Foundation scholarships and fellowships are one of several programs and initiatives at Georgia Tech that provide pathways to success for our community.”
Since its inception, more than 270 Hispanic and Latino students have been supported by The Goizueta Foundation scholarships and fellowships. For the 2017-18 academic year, 18 scholars and eight fellows were selected, the highest number of new awardees to date.
“I had the great opportunity of being a Goizueta Fellow for four years,” said Charlene Rincón, a Ph.D. graduate of the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. “During those years, the fellowship not only provided me with economic assistance, but it also allowed me to meet and interact with people from different disciplines and backgrounds, which had a long-lasting impact in my life.”
AT&T, Accenture Support Online Analytics Degree Program
Two of the biggest brands in digital technology, AT&T and Accenture, each made $1 million gifts to support Georgia Tech’s new Online Master of Science (OMS) in Analytics degree program. The gifts support growth of the program, which began in August 2017 with nearly 300 students.
OMS Analytics features the same rigorous curriculum as the Institute’s top 10-ranked residential program — at a quarter of the cost. The online degree is available for less than $10,000. It follows the same model as Georgia Tech’s nationally acclaimed Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMS CS), which currently enrolls more than 6,000 students around the world.
“The field of data analytics is growing very fast,” said Rafael Bras, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “We have many more qualified applicants than our residential program can admit, so this online program will allow Georgia Tech to serve more students and help business and industry meet their need for qualified analytics professionals.”
This is Accenture’s first gift to support Georgia Tech’s online master’s degree programs, and AT&T’s third, following a $2 million gift in 2013 and another $1.9 million in 2014 for OMS CS.
Students and faculty organized a shipment of supplies for Hurricane Irma relief.
Emergency Scholarship Fund Assists Students Affected by Caribbean Storms
Devastation wrought by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017 created financial hardship for Georgia Tech students from the Caribbean.
To ensure that these students will be able to stay enrolled at Georgia Tech while the region stabilizes and rebuilds, the Office of Development created an emergency scholarship fund with the goal of securing an expendable fund of at least $1 million.
Alumnus Humberto Ortega — a native of Cuba who received private financial support as a student that enabled him to graduate from Georgia Tech and build a career in the United States — made a lead gift of five figures to the fund. When Ortega learned about the plan to support Georgia Tech’s Puerto Rican and U.S. Virgin Island students as they face their own financial uncertainties, he discussed it with his wife, who encouraged him to help.
“I have lived a good life and built resources I can share with others who face acute, unexpected need,” said Ortega. “It’s tough being in school and not knowing if you can stay. I hope others will join me in making it possible for anyone who needs help to get it — and ‘get out,’” he said.
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