Howard Becomes Chair of Interactive Computing

Ayanna Howard, formerly professor and Linda J. and Mark C. Smith Chair in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, began serving as chair of the School of Interactive Computing (IC) in the College of Computing last January.

“Ayanna Howard is the perfect individual to lead our School of Interactive Computing, and we are excited to welcome her to the College,” said Zvi Galil, dean and John P. Imlay Jr. Chair in the College of Computing. “She brings a wealth of experience in research and administration, and she has consistently succeeded in leadership opportunities both inside and outside Georgia Tech. Her vision and energy will help ensure that IC will continue to be a national leader in computing research and education.”

Howard has collaborated with a number of IC researchers in the past and is looking forward to fostering new — and fruitful — relationships with the school’s faculty and staff.

“I am thrilled for the opportunity to work with the amazing faculty, staff, and students within the School of Interactive Computing,” said Howard, whose research focus is technology development for intelligent agents that must interact in a human-centered world. “They are already national leaders in some of the most important fields of modern computing, and I look forward to building on that foundation and continuing to pursue research and innovation that addresses real challenges facing our world today.”

Webster Named CEE Chair

Donald Webster, formerly a professor and associate chair for finance and administration in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), began serving as CEE’s Karen and John Huff School Chair last May.

Webster has served on the Georgia Tech faculty since 1997.

“Without a doubt, Don is the very best person to lead the School at this time,” said Steve McLaughlin, dean of the College of Engineering and Southern Company Chair. “Not only is he a dynamic researcher and highly regarded educator, Don has also been a champion of new teaching methodologies in the School. He has the vision, scholarship, experience, temperament, and outstanding reputation in fields critical to civil and environmental engineering that make him ideally suited and prepared to lead.”

“This is an exciting time for higher education and the civil and environmental engineering profession,” said Webster, whose primary research interests lie in environmental fluid mechanics. “Our programs are uniquely positioned to inspire and empower our people to solve some of the world’s most-pressing challenges and create engineering solutions at the interface of the built and natural worlds to improve people’s lives.”

Graham Named Mechanical Engineering School Chair

On July 1, Samuel Graham Jr. began serving as the Eugene C. Gwaltney Jr. School Chair in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. An alumnus of the Woodruff School, Graham had previously served as the School’s Rae S. and Frank H. Neely Professor as well as the associate chair for research.

“Sam’s background, experiences, and outstanding reputation in fields critical to the school make him ideally suited and well-prepared to lead mechanical engineering during the next era,” said Steven W. McLaughlin, Southern Company Chair and dean of the College of Engineering. “He is an ideal match for the School’s high aspirations both nationally and internationally. Sam is an accomplished researcher who understands the needs of industry, national laboratories, and corporations who look to our School of Mechanical Engineering for scientific leadership and innovation.”

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as chair of the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering,” Graham said. “I am looking forward to working with our excellent students, faculty, staff, and alumni to continue the outstanding contributions that the Woodruff School has made to the nation. This is an exciting time for the fields of mechanical and nuclear engineering. We will continue to be innovative in the way we educate our students, while also positioning ourselves to address some of the most important technological problems facing our society.”

Graham earned a bachelor’s degree from Florida State University, and master’s and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech. He joined the Woodruff School faculty in 2003 after previous positions at Sandia National Laboratories and Stanford University. Graham also holds a joint appointment with the Oak Ridge National Laboratories.

Prestigious Honors

NAE Inducts Lieuwen, Shi, and May

Two current College of Engineering faculty members and an adjunct professor (and former dean) were named to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.

Among this year’s 83 new NAE members, the Georgia Tech honorees are Professors Timothy Lieuwen and Jianjun (Jan) Shi, and adjunct faculty member and former College of Engineering Dean Gary May.

Lieuwen, executive director of Georgia Tech’s Strategic Energy Institute and professor and David S. Lewis Jr. Chair in the Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, was honored for “contributions to research and development in low-emissions gas turbine combustion systems and U.S. energy policy.”

Shi was recognized for “the development of data fusion-based quality methods and their implementation in multistage manufacturing systems.” He serves as Carolyn J. Stewart Chair and professor in the Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering.

May was elected for “contributions to semiconductor manufacturing research and for innovations in educational programs for underrepresented groups in engineering.” The 1985 electrical engineering alumnus is currently chancellor of the University of California, Davis, and an adjunct faculty member in Georgia Tech’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Singer Named a Packard Fellow

Annabelle Singer, assistant professor in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, was named by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation as one of 18 recipients of the prestigious 2017 Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering.

Fellows, who are considered among the most innovative early-career scientists in the nation, each receive $875,000 over five years to pursue their research.

“The expectation with this fellowship is that you will tackle big problems,” said Singer, also a researcher with the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. “This gives us the freedom to pursue some outside-the-box projects that could be really impactful. Unlike most grants, there are very few funding restrictions, meaning we can go wherever the science takes us.”

The Packard Fellowships are among the nation’s largest nongovernmental fellowships, designed to allow maximum flexibility in how the funding is used.

Singer sees the fellowship as validation for her research, which employs novel techniques to identify and restore failures in brain activity that lead to memory impairment.

“Ultimately our goal is to understand how neural activity both produces memories and protects brain health and then use this knowledge to engineer neural activity to repair brain function,” she said. “Using non-invasive approaches, we’re working to develop new ways to treat diseases that affect memory, like Alzheimer’s, for which there are no effective therapies.”

More on Alzheimer's research at Georgia Tech

AAAS Names Cola, Fox, and Weitz as Fellows

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has named three Georgia Tech researchers as 2017 Fellows for their contributions to the advancement of science.

The honorees are:

• Baratunde Cola, associate professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, known for engineering the first-ever optical rectenna, or rectifying antenna.
• Mary Frank Fox, ADVANCE Professor in the School of Public Policy, nationally recognized as a leader on issues of diversity, equity, and equity in science.
• Joshua Weitz, professor in the School of Biological Sciences and director of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences, who uses models to predict the effects of viruses on populations and on ecosystems.

Staff Honors and Support

First Class Graduates from Inclusive Leaders Academy

Creating a culture of inclusive excellence requires the proactive, intentional, and focused efforts of leaders. After engaging in up to 24 hours of study and practice through the Inclusive Leaders Academy, 87 staff leaders were celebrated as “Culture Champions” during the program’s closing ceremony in October 2017.

“The Inclusive Leaders Academy taught me what it takes to be a brave leader, how to embrace vulnerability, and that we all have unconscious biases,” said Melissa Arceneaux, a financial manager in Procurement and Business Services. “Anyone who supervises others and wants to foster an inclusive environment should participate in this program.”

Launched in 2017 as a pilot from Institute Diversity’s Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement unit, the Inclusive Leaders Academy is a professional leadership and legacy development program for managers at Georgia Tech.

“Positive and sustainable culture change begins with leaders modeling our institutional values and valued organizational behaviors,” said Pearl Alexander, executive director of diversity, inclusion, and engagement, and co-founder of the Inclusive Leaders Academy. “The program was created to provide managers with an opportunity to engage with other leaders, to learn the science of inclusion, and to practice valued behaviors that increase inclusivity, engagement, and resilience. Ultimately, through the personal transformation and growth of individual leaders, we are transforming our culture by modeling inclusive excellence.”

USG Service Awards Honor Georgia Tech Staff, Initiative

Last fall, two individuals and two teams were honored by the University System of Georgia (USG) for dedication to excellence and service to the campus community and beyond.

Outstanding Individuals: Lisa Safstrom, campus transportation planner, earned the Silver Outstanding Individual Award. Safstrom came to Tech in 2013 and oversees alternative transportation, commute options, and related programs for Parking and Transportation Services.

“Lisa remains dedicated to continued process improvements and implementing programs that encourage clean commuting travel options,” said Sherry Davidson, director of business operations in Parking and Transportation Services. “She represents qualities that Georgia Tech values such as innovation, leadership, and improved service.”

Sirocus Barnes earned the Bronze Outstanding Individual Award. Barnes oversees the Horizons Program in the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC), which provides educational enrichment in math and reading for underserved children.

“Sirocus is committed to making a lasting impact and influence on the next generation of leaders,” said William Jimerson, human resources manager for the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts (formerly educational outreach coordinator for CEISMC). “He prepares innovative events and programming for the students and families his program serves.”

Outstanding Team: Georgia Tech’s Complete College Georgia (CCG) initiative, led by Steven Girardot, earned the Gold Outstanding Process Improvement Award for Increasing Effectiveness and Efficiency.

CCG is a statewide initiative that began in 2012, charging all USG institutions with increasing retention and graduation rates. Under the leadership of Girardot, associate vice provost for Undergraduate Education; Sandi Bramblett, assistant vice president for Institutional Research and Enterprise Data Management; and Debbie Pearson, retention and graduation manager, Georgia Tech has seen growth in all metrics related to the program.

“Steven, Sandi, and Debbie have not only been diligent leaders in these efforts, but they are also student-centered administrators with long histories at Georgia Tech and individuals who care deeply about the individual success of each Georgia Tech student,” said Colin Potts, vice provost for Undergraduate Education.

Since 2012, Georgia Tech’s first-to-second-year retention rate has increased from 93 to 97 percent, and its six-year graduation rate has increased from 79 to 86 percent. Girardot credits campus support and CCG steering committee members for the success.

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