Regents’ Professors and Researchers Tapped, Along With First Regents’ Entrepreneurs in USG
Along with the Georgia Tech faculty tapped and reappointed as Regents’ Professors and Researchers at the Aug. 9 University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents meeting were five Georgia Tech professors named to the new distinction of Regents’ Entrepreneur. The board approved the Regents’ Entrepreneur designation in their February 2022 meeting to recognize and support faculty entrepreneurship and innovation.
Georgia Tech faculty named as the first Regents' Entrepreneurs in the USG include Farrokh Ayazi, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Kirk Bowman, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts (IAC); Andrei Fedorov, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering; Mark Prausnitz, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; and Gleb Yushin, School of Materials Science and Engineering.
The Board of Regents also approved the title of Regents’ Professor to Facundo Fernández, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Willie Pearson, School of History and Sociology, IAC; Krishnendu Roy, NSF Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies, Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering; and Beril Toktay, Scheller College of Business.
Those named as Regents’ Researchers include Stephen Balakirsky, Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI); Anton Bryksin, Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience; Brad Fain, Center for Advanced Communications Policy, IAC, and GTRI; and Anita Pavadore, GTRI.
College of Computing Launches New School
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In August 2022, the College of Computing launched the School of Computing Instruction (SCI) at Georgia Tech. The new School focuses on developing undergraduate computing education and innovative scholarship into scalable techniques for teaching computing to all levels.
“It's time for the College's Division of Computing Instruction to become a School,” said College of Computing Dean and John P. Imlay Jr. Chair Charles Isbell. “Not just because they do a tremendous amount of work for the College and the Institute — although they do — but because they constantly produce new scholarship and techniques that expand everyone’s ability to both teach and learn computing.”
The College has long had a Division of Computing Instruction housing its teaching-track faculty, which now includes 15 full-time and five part-time lecturers. In all, SCI faculty teach a third of the College’s undergraduate course sections and half of its students each semester.
Team Comprising 3 Georgia Tech Schools Wins Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon
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Georgia Tech's multidisciplinary team known as the English Avenue Yellow Jackets is the 2022 Design Challenge Residential Division Grand Winner for the Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon. They also won first place in the contest's new Retrofit Housing division for retrofitting a 102-year-old house in Atlanta's English Avenue neighborhood.
Aayushi Mody, the team lead, said it was the combining of expertise from team members from the School of Architecture, the School of Building Construction, and the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering — on everything from financial modeling and architectural design to the use of building materials with lower embodied carbon — that served as Georgia Tech's greatest advantage in the competition.
Team member and Master in Real Estate Development student Pete Choquette echoed those sentiments:
"Going in, I knew our team was highly experienced and technically skilled. But the reason we won, in my opinion, is because the group began to learn how to collaborate effectively across disciplinary silos, be that finance, architecture, or building science."
Tech Maintains Track Record of Undergraduate, Graduate Rankings Excellence
Georgia Tech and its programs continue to rank among the nation’s top. In the Sept. 13, 2021 undergraduate 2022 U.S. News & World Report rankings, Tech ranked No. 10 in the Best Public University category.
Additionally, four programs from the College of Computing made the top 10 for undergraduate computer science programs. The College of Engineering maintained its fourth place overall ranking for Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs. And the Scheller College of Business held its No. 19 spot for Best Undergraduate Business Programs.
Among the nation’s Most Innovative Universities, Tech remained at No. 4. Tech was also ranked No. 4 for Co-op/Internship programs.
Then, U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best Graduate School Rankings were released March 29, 2022, and Tech’s graduate programs were also once again among the nation’s highest ranked. On that list, the College of Engineering appeared at No. 7 among all universities, fourth among public institutions, and each of its 11 programs was ranked ninth or better.
The business analytics program at the Scheller College of Business ranked at No. 3 and the information systems program at No. 4.
The Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts information and technology management program rose to No. 2 from No. 4.
The College of Computing ranked No. 6 overall, jumping from No. 8.
And all six of College of Science’s overall graduate programs ranked in the top 40, with the biology program soaring to No. 37 from No. 54. Also, within the College of Sciences, six specialty programs ranked in the top 20.
In both the undergraduate and graduate categories, not all disciplines are evaluated annually.
STEM Designation Secured for Scheller MBA
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As of May 31, 2022, the MBA degree from the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business is now considered a STEM degree.
Vetted by the College’s MBA faculty, the newly formalized MBA concentrations are revised versions of previous concentrations and immersive tracks. With the new designation, MBA students gain meticulous training in areas such as business analytics, international business, emerging technologies, and industry profitability. The concepts and applications the STEM curriculum offers teach students to analyze information and find better business solutions effectively.
“This new STEM designation aligns with Scheller’s mission of providing world-class learning and curriculum for a tech-driven world,” said Dean Maryam Alavi.
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Independent ratings consistently place Georgia Tech among the nation’s top schools for student return on investment.
First-Generation College Institute Furthers Major Strategic Plan Goal
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As part of the Institute’s latest strategic plan efforts to expand access, Tech hosted a one-day First-Generation College Institute for rising first-generation and limited income 8th through 12th graders in Atlanta and Savannah in June and July, 2022, respectively.
The First-Generation College Institute is a statewide summer initiative designed to identify, engage, and prepare participants in making the successful transition to college while increasing their exposure to STEM and STEAM enrichment. The inaugural event is the work of the Institute’s First-Generation Student Programs (a part of the Office of Undergraduate Education); the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC); and the Office of Undergraduate Admission.
“Collaborating with CEISMC and Undergraduate Admission affords us the opportunity to be proactive in expanding access to underserved populations, especially in Georgia’s rural communities,” said First-Generation Program and Operations Manager Charmaine Troy. “The earlier that students know the college preparation process and the aptitude in STEM that is required for an institution like Georgia Tech, the more prepared they will be for the college application process and their transition into college.”
And the Institute has also been recognized for its first-generation support efforts: The Washington, D.C.-based Center for First-Generation Student Success has selected Georgia Tech as part of the 2022-23 First-Gen Forward cohort. The First-Gen Forward designation recognizes institutions of higher education that are committed to improving experiences and advancing the outcomes of first-generation college students.
“The Center is pleased to welcome Georgia Tech into the 2022-23 First-Gen Forward cohort. Through the application process, it was evident that Georgia Tech is not only taking steps to serve first-generation students but is prepared to make a long-term commitment and employ strategies that foster an environment of success for this important population,” said Sarah E. Whitley, assistant vice president of the Center for First-Generation Student Success.
Georgia Tech-Lorraine Joins European University of Brain and Technology as Founding Partner
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Georgia Tech’s Metz, France, campus is the newest full partner of the European University of Brain and Technology, NeurotechEU, joining eight elite European universities including the University of Oxford and the Karolinska Institute.
Combined with over 250 industry partners and funded by the European Commission, NeurotechEU is creating “a trans-European network of excellence in brain research and technologies” to increase competitiveness in education, research, economy, and society.
“Georgia Tech-Lorraine’s Institut Lafayette has the equipment, facilities, and infrastructure to contribute uniquely,” said Tansu Celikel, chair of NeurotechEU’s board of governors and the new chair of the School of Psychology at Georgia Tech. “[T]his partnership is poised to advance the state of the art in medical technologies.”
The partnership will also focus on Georgia Tech - CNRS IRL 2958, an international research laboratory with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique focused on nine areas of work, from smart materials and secure networks research to aerospace and robotics.
“It’s just the beginning, especially for our students,” said Georgia Tech-Lorraine President Abdallah Ougazzaden. “We will be very proud that we can contribute to this field that is also related to challenges for our society. It is very important. All the problems related to the brain — that’s something that we’re proud to be involved in.”
Serve-Learn-Sustain Receives Global Recognition
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Georgia Tech’s campuswide academic initiative that offers students opportunities inside and outside the classroom to create sustainable communities, Serve-Learn-Sustain, was recognized in Fall 2021 for its sustainable development educational initiatives.
During the 12th Global RCE (Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development) Conference held in November 2021, Building Effective ESD in Higher Education Through Multi-Institutional and Community Collaboration was announced as a 2021 RCE award winner. The curriculum development initiative brings together faculty from multiple universities and colleges across the Atlanta region with community partners to collaborate on integrating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and environmental justice into their courses.
Established in 2012, the Global RCE Awards celebrate projects and programs in Education for Sustainable Development that connect local and global education and action through the U.N. SDGs, advance transformative and community-engaged curriculum and research, and build capacity among partners.
Recognized by the United Nations University in 2017, RCE Greater Atlanta is part of a Global RCE Network comprising over 180 RCEs around the world, including 11 in the U.S.
We attract and serve more students, we produce more talent, we win more research awards in critical sectors for our nation and our world...
Office of the Provost Awards Help to Amplify Impact
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In Fall 2021, the Office of the Provost provided more than $300,000 to support the Georgia Tech Amplify Momentum Grant Project proposals.
The internal mini-grants were designed to fund innovation that enhances Georgia Tech's Momentum work or scales its impact while ensuring the long-term sustainability of the initiatives created. Tech’s Momentum work is an extension of Complete College Georgia (CCG). Since 2011, Tech has participated in (CCG), a statewide effort to improve student access to and graduation from institutions of higher education.
“Our Momentum work is an extension of CCG designed to promote high impact practices that influence student engagement, degree progression, and a sense of belonging. Since these themes are prominent in the ISP [Institute strategic plan], it seemed logical to link the two, and the GT-AMP mini-grants were the result,” said Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Steven P. Girardot.
Tech Continues to Come Up All Things InVenture
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In the 2022 InVenture Prize at Georgia Tech, Team Sola won the Institute’s signature invention competition with their proprietary model to help homeowners access financial support immediately following the devastation of a tornado.
Because of limits and exclusions in insurance coverage, homeowners often have to pay out of pocket in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster. But Team Sola’s mechanical engineering students Brayden Drury and Wesley Pergament hope their model for a data-driven supplemental insurance plan with quick payouts will change that, benefiting homeowners as soon as they need it — while also benefiting home insurance providers.
Tech engineers also stole the spotlight at the ACC version of the InVenture Prize when Team carSEAL, a group of five biomedical engineering undergraduates, won the sixth edition of the ACC InVenture Prize competition. Though Tech had previously won the People’s Choice Award at this Atlantic Coast Conference version of the InVenture Prize, this is the first case of an overall win for Yellow Jackets.
As the winning team, Shovan Bhatia, Joshua Cruz, Nicholas Lima, Derek Prusener, and Giancarlo Riccobono earned $15,000 to help them continue to develop and refine their carotid artery closure device, which could help doctors significantly cut the time for a critical clot-busting procedure for stroke patients.
The InVenture Prize is celebrated from the very earliest stages at Tech. On the same day as the March 16 InVenture Prize finals where Team Sola emerged victorious, Tech’s Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing hosted approximately 150 elementary, middle, and high school students, parents, and teachers on campus in a daylong celebration of science and invention, which included an awards ceremony for those students who had participated in Georgia Tech's K-12 InVenture Prize competition, the qualifying event to represent the state of Georgia at the National Invention Convention.
Georgia Tech-Lorraine Welcomes First Cohort of Tech’s First-Year Semester Abroad Program
An inaugural cohort of 41 First-Year Semester Abroad students touched down on the Georgia Tech-Lorraine campus in Fall 2021. The 41 students represented 10 different nationalities and most were either computer science or engineering majors.
The new program, which embodies the Institute’s strategic plan commitment to “Connect Globally,” is meant to “broaden students’ intellectual and cultural horizons, help them to develop intercultural sensitivity, and deepen their knowledge and understanding of Europe through both classroom and experiential learning," said Vicki Birchfield, Georgia Tech-Lorraine’s resident political scientist.
Outside of their work in the classroom, students participated in a cultural and historical immersion program to get to know France.
New Black Media Studies Minor Introduced in Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
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Hip-hop music studies, Afrofuturism, Black documentary films — courses covering topics like these are part of a new Black Media Studies (BMS) minor open to students across Georgia Tech. BMS was approved by the Georgia Tech Academic Faculty Senate on Oct. 19, 2021.
While the BMS minor is housed in Ivan Allen College’s School of Literature, Media, and Communication (LMC), it is open to students across Georgia Tech’s campus and can complement countless majors.
“An industrial design major who wants to design for Nike, for example, may want to understand the ways in which media culture, particularly race and society, all intersect together,” said Joycelyn Wilson, LMC assistant professor and lead for the BMS minor proposal. “Or, a student in the Scheller College of Business may want to go into the entertainment or technology industry to work for a corporation who values culture. There are so many opportunities the BMS minor can provide for the students at Georgia Tech. This is a major move not only for the School, but the College, as well as the Institute.”
...we unveiled Transforming Tomorrow: The Campaign for Georgia Tech, our most ambitious advancement effort to date, with the goal of raising more than $2 billion to multiply our impact and shape the future for decades to come...
Major League Baseball Player Mark Teixeira Returns to Earn His Degree
Twenty-one years after being selected fifth overall by the Texas Rangers in Major League Baseball, Mark Teixeira completed his business degree at Georgia Tech. Teixeira played for the Yellow Jackets for three seasons before beginning a professional baseball career that culminated in a World Series championship in 2009 as a member of the New York Yankees.
A three-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove Award winner at first base, Teixeira appeared in 1,862 games in the major leagues with the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, and New York Yankees. He retired after the 2016 season with 409 career home runs, the most of any Yellow Jacket alumnus in professional baseball.
After his playing days ended, Teixeira returned to Atlanta to complete his final 41 hours of coursework and earn a college diploma to display alongside his World Series ring.
Academic Progress Rate Remains Excellent at Tech
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In the latest data, 13 of Georgia Tech’s 15 sports programs boast a multiyear Academic Progress Rate (APR) higher than the national average in their respective sports, led by baseball (995 APR is 18 points higher than the national average of 977), men’s track and field (991 APR is 17 points higher than the national average of 974), and football (979 APR is 15 points higher than the national average of 964).
Additionally, 10 of Tech’s 15 programs recorded a perfect single-year APR for 2020-21: baseball, men’s basketball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, golf, women’s swimming and diving, men’s tennis, men’s track and field, women’s track and field, and volleyball.
APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all NCAA Division I sports teams. APR scores are measured on a scale of 1,000 with the threshold for penalties set at 930. The most recent multiyear scores are based on the 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 academic years.
Latest Graduation Success Rate Sets New Record for Tech
According to the latest data, released in December 2021, Georgia Tech Athletics set a new all-time record with a 90% NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR).
This 90% GSR tops its previous all-time high of 89%, set in 2018 and 2020. Prior to 2016, Georgia Tech had never achieved a GSR above 85%.
In addition to reaching an all-time high as a department, nine of Tech’s 13 teams all have individual team GSRs higher than the national average in their respective sports. Leading the way are golf, softball, men’s tennis and volleyball, which all have a perfect 100% graduation success rate.
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