New Deans for Colleges of Computing and Sciences

New Deans for Colleges of Computing and Sciences

In April, the Institute announced that Charles Isbell, then professor and executive associate dean of the College of Computing, would be assuming the role of dean and John P. Imlay Jr. Chair in the College of Computing. In the College of Sciences, Susan Lozier accepted the role of dean and Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair.

Lozier, a faculty member at Duke University since 1992, serving in various leadership roles including department chair, faculty senate chair, vice provost for strategic planning, and co-chair of Duke’s effort to reimagine graduate education, said she is keen “to continue the pursuit of both fundamental and convergent science, and to support mechanisms that encourage bold ideas, entrepreneurial efforts, and productive partnerships.”

Isbell shared similar sentiments about his new role: “I am honored to be selected as the next dean and John P. Imlay Jr. Chair of the College of Computing as we prepare for the next generation of learners. Even in rapidly changing times, I believe Georgia Tech and the College of Computing are well-positioned for the future. I am committed to working with faculty, staff, and students within the College and our colleagues around campus to continue to take risks and effect change so that Georgia Tech continues to provide global leadership in the field of computing and beyond.”

Since joining Tech as an assistant professor in the College of Computing in 2002, Isbell has helped advance academic, research, and administrative leadership roles and has been instrumental in College of Computing initiatives such as the Threads program, the Online Master of Science in Computer Science, and the Constellations Center for Equity in Computing.

More Women Take The Reins

The number of women in high visibility leadership roles increased throughout Georgia Tech in FY 19. This included the addition of three new Vice Presidents and then-Associate Vice President and Chief of Staff Lynn Durham to the Institute Executive Leadership Team (ELT). Later, Durham was named interim vice president for Government and Community Relations and assumed the role of vice president of Institute Relations full time. The other appointments are:

• Kasey Helton – Associate Vice President for Campus Services
• Renee Kopkowski – Vice President for Institute Communications
• Ling-Ling Nie – General Counsel and Vice President for Ethics and Compliance

Renowned Poet Appointed Bourne Chair in Poetry

Renowned Poet Appointed Bourne Chair in Poetry

In August 2018, Professor Illya Kaminsky began his role as the Margaret T. and Henry C. Bourne Jr. Chair in Poetry. In addition to joining the faculty of the School of Literature, Media, and Communication, he became the new director of the Poetry@Tech Program.

Born in Odessa, Ukraine, he is the author of Dancing in Odessa and several other books. He has edited many collections of poems and essays, including Ecco Anthology of International Poetry, which has been called “a modern classic.” In 2018, he was awarded the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship in Poetry. His poems have been translated into numerous languages around the globe, and his books have been published in multiple countries including Turkey, France, Mexico, Spain, and China, where his poetry was awarded the Yinchuan International Poetry Prize.

Wolf Receives IEEE’s Harry H. Goode Memorial Award

Wolf Receives IEEE’s Harry H. Goode Memorial Award

Marilyn Wolf, Farmer Distinguished Chair in Embedded Computing Systems and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar at Georgia Tech, has received the IEEE Computer Society 2019 Harry H. Goode Award for “contributions to embedded, hardware-software co-design, and real-time computer vision systems.”

The Goode Award was established to recognize achievements in the information processing field that are considered either a single contribution of theory, design, or technique of outstanding significance; or the accumulation of important contributions on theory or practice over an extended time period.

The IEEE Computer Society is a global leader in providing access to computer science research, analysis, and information.

 

Krish Ahuja (top) and John Koon (above)

Ahuja, Koon Named to National Academy of Engineering

Krish Ahuja, Regents Professor of aerospace engineering, and John Koon, civil engineering professor of the practice, have joined 31 previous inductees from the Institute as members of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering (NAE).

Ahuja’s work focuses on areas such as acoustics facilities design, flow control, and advanced signal processing. Koon has built a career as one of the foremost experts in treating industrial wastewaters and has helped develop some of the fundamental practices environmental engineers use today.

Four Faculty Members Named AAAS Fellows

Of the 416 members elected as fellows to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) ­– the world’s largest general scientific society — the four from Georgia Tech were:

David Gottfried, principal research scientist in Georgia Tech’s Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, for “distinguished contributions to the field of nanoscale science and engineering, particularly for management of user research facilities and networks at the regional and national level.”

Diana Hicks, professor in the School of Public Policy, for “distinguished contributions to the evaluation of national and international research and development enterprises, and for outstanding leadership in science and technology policy education.”

Satish Kumar, professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering, for “distinguished contributions to the field of fibers, nanocomposites, and carbon materials; for their synthesis, functionalities, and properties; and for tailoring the interphase in nanocomposites.”

Zhiqun Lin, professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering, for “distinguished contributions to the field of precision synthesis of a rich variety of nanocrystals using nonlinear block copolymer nanoreactors for energy conversion and storage.”

Egerstedt Elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences

Egerstedt Elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences

Magnus Egerstedt, the Steve W. Chaddick School Chair of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been elected as a Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. He was honored for his work on multirobot systems and for his previous role as the executive director of Georgia Tech’s Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) is an independent academy whose mission is “to promote the engineering and economic sciences and the advancement of business and industry for the benefit of society.”

Egerstedt has been a member of the ECE faculty since 2001. He holds secondary appointments in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, the School of Interactive Computing, and the Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering.

Five Faculty Members Receive Regents Recognition

Five Faculty Members Receive Regents Recognition

In August 2018, the University System of Georgia (USG)'s Board of Regents appointed four Tech faculty members as Regents Professor and one as a Regents Researcher. The titles represent the highest academic and research recognition bestowed by the USG and demonstrate distinction and achievement in teaching and scholarly research.

The four Regents Professors are:

• Ajay Kohli, professor and Gary T. and Elizabeth R. Jones Chair in Management in the Scheller College of Business.
• Timothy Lieuwen, professor and David S. Lewis Jr. Chair in the Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, and executive director of the Strategic Energy Institute.
• Catherine Ross, professor and Harry West Chair for Quality Growth and Regional Development in the School of City and Regional Planning, director of the Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development, and deputy director of the National Center for Transportation Systems Productivity and Management.
• John Stasko, professor in the School of Interactive Computing and director of the Information Interfaces Research Group.

The Regents Researcher is:

• Michael Rodgers, principal research scientist in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and director of the Georgia Tech Air Quality Laboratory.

 

Joel Kostka

 

Joshua Weitz

Microbiologists Join Prestigious Leadership Group

The American Academy of Microbiology (AAM), an honorific leadership group within the American Society for Microbiology, elected Joel Kostka and Joshua Weitz among its 109 new fellows in 2019.

Kostka is a professor in the Schools of Biological Sciences and of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Weitz is a professor in the School of Biological Sciences. Both are members of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience.

AAM Fellows are elected annually through a selective peer-review process based on records of scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced microbiology.

Kostka is well-known for his research in environmental microbiology. His lab characterizes the role of microorganisms in the functioning of ecosystems, especially in the context of bioremediation and climate change. Weitz’s research focuses on the interactions between viruses and their microbial hosts.