This matinee is timed to coincide with the Gathering 4 Gardner (G4G), a biennial celebration of the legacy of beloved Scientific American writer Martin Gardner, with playful programming including math, science, puzzles, performance, magic, literature, and art.

It is not necessary to attend G4G to reserve a ticket. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. To be assured a seat, please reserve asap. This event is free, reserve your ticket here.

About Truth Values

The mission of the Truth Values Community Project is to create a profoundly supportive community for women and underrepresented minorities in STEM through an innovative pairing of science, art, and conversation. 

The project was launched via sponsorship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Winner of a New York International Fringe Festival Overall Excellence Award, the play has been presented at more than 60 theaters and performing arts centers throughout the United States and Canada. Learn more at TruthValues.org/play

 Reviews for Truth Values

“Energetic, intimate, hilarious.”— Wired

"[Truth Values] is an extremely important work which deserves to be performed at every university." —Lied Center for the Arts

“Funny and insightful…replete with hilarious characters…The story is riveting...go see this show!” —CurtainUp

"Fantastic...pure humor, sadness, intelligence and struggle."
–Gigliola Staffilani, Mathematician, Member, National Academy of Sciences

“If you see only one play this year about reflexive nonbinary relations, make it this one.”— Los Angeles Times

This year, Georgia Tech Science and Engineering Day will kick off the entire festival on Saturday, March 9 — learn more here! Join us as we partner with Science ATL to bring STEAM events to curious community members of all ages.

Visit atlantasciencefestival.org for the full schedule of all 2024 events.

Learn more about last year's 2023 Atlanta Science Festival here.

Whether you’re interested in robotics, brains, biology, space, art, nanotechnology, paper, computer science, wearables, bioengineering, chemical engineering, or systems engineering, there will be activities for you. Visit campus for hands-on STEAM activities, exhibits, demonstrations, opportunities to meet student researchers, and learn about the exciting things happening at Georgia Tech.

Visit the 2024 Georgia Tech Science and Engineering Day webpage for more information!

Activity Guide - Coming Soon!

Interested in Volunteering for the Event? Sign up here.

For general questions about Science and Engineering Day at Georgia Tech, contact Georgia Tech Research Events. 

The Atlanta Science Festival, returning March 9-23, 2024, is an annual public celebration of local science and technology. Curious people of all ages will explore the science and technology in our region and see how science is connected to all parts of our lives. Learn more.

• Derrick Bailey, Launch Vehicle Certification Manager
• Marisa Wyssling-Horn, Senior Integration Engineer
• Jarrod Bales, Education and Outreach Specialist

We'll recap January 28, 2014 (Snowmageddon, Snow Jam 2014) — one of the most impactful winter weather events in recent memory in the Atlanta, Georgia area — through a discussion with meteorology and emergency management experts who will share their unique perspectives on the evolution and impacts of the weather event.

The event will last between 60-90 minutes, and is free and open to campus and the metro community. Members of the press and media are welcome to attend. Food and refreshments will be provided.

Panelist experts:

• Will Lanxton (EAS '13) - Meteorologist for the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency
• Brandon Miller (EAS '06, '08) - Supervising Producer, Meteorologist & Climate Crisis Beat Leader, CNN
• Sara Tonks (EAS '19, '20) - Meteorologist & Weather Producer, CNN
• Keith Stellman - Meteorologist in Charge at NWS Peachtree City, GA
• William Smith (INTA '01) - Director, Georgia Tech Office of Emergency Management & Communications

Date: Friday, January 26, 2024

Time: 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

Location: Georgia Tech Ford Environmental Science & Technology Building (ES&T) (Room L1205)

Visitor parking: State Street & Ferst Drive Deck

No RSVP required

Remote join option: Zoom link

Questions and press requests: Contact Zachary J. Handlos

This event series will be held at the Bill Moore Student Success Center Clary Theatre.
Talks will start at 1:00 pm each week with a reception to follow.
No RSVP is required, and all events are free and open to campus and the Atlanta community.

Speakers and topics:

February 7
Natalie Watson-Singleton, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Spelman College
"Using Mindfulness-based Digital Health Tools to Enhance the Well-Being of Black Americans"

February 14
Ciara Smalls Glover, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Georgia State University
"Cultural Shields: Strategies That Disrupt Racial Diversity and Promote Resilience"

February 21
Gena Cox, Ph.D.
Executive Advisor, Coach, and Speaker; Founder of Feels Human, LLC
“R-E-S-P-E-C-T: The Key to Inclusion and Connection”

February 28
Enrica Ruggs, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Management, College of Business, University of Houston
“Black Experiences in I/O Psychology: An Examination of Research & Scholars in the Field”

Questions and event contact: Kristie Clark

​

Public lecture:

From Coffee to Mathematics: Making Connections and Finding Unexpected Links

March 7, 2024
Welcome reception: 4 p.m.
Lecture: 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Location: Howey-Physics L3
No RSVP required

The game of HEX has deep mathematical underpinnings despite its simple rules. What could this game possibly have to do with coffee, and how does that connection, once identified, lead to consideration of ferromagnetism and even to the melting polar ice caps? Join Hugo Duminil-Copin, Professor of Mathematics at Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHES) and the University of Geneva, for an exploration of how mathematical thinking can help us make some truly surprising connections.

Colloquium:

Critical phenomena through the lens of the Ising model

March 8, 2024
Time: 11 a.m.
Location: Skiles 006

The Ising model is one of the most classical lattice models of statistical physics undergoing a phase transition. Initially imagined as a model for ferromagnetism, it revealed itself as a very rich mathematical object and a powerful theoretical tool to understand cooperative phenomena. Over one hundred years of its history, a profound understanding of its critical phase has been obtained. While integrability and mean-field behavior led to extraordinary breakthroughs in the two-dimensional and high-dimensional cases respectively, the model in three and four dimensions remained mysterious for years. In this talk, we will present recent progress in these dimensions based on a probabilistic interpretation of the Ising model relating it to percolation models.

About the speaker

Professor Hugo Duminil-Copin is a French mathematician specializing in probability theory, who studies the border between mathematics and physics and analyzes models of fluids flowing through a porous medium, such as water coursing through coffee grounds. Such models, which involve the formation of connected clusters in random networks, can also represent the spread of a disease, the circulation of a rumor, or the advance of a forest fire.

Professor Duminil-Copin has diverse interests in a range of activities which also characterizes his work, and has sampled tools from various fields in an ongoing effort to transform mathematicians’ understanding of phase transitions.

For that work, Duminil-Copin was awarded the Fields Medal in 2022 for "solving longstanding problems in the probabilistic theory of phase transitions in statistical physics, especially in dimensions three and four".

About the Stelson Lecture Series

Thomas Stelson was a distinguished civil engineer who served as dean of the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech from 1971 to 1974, as vice president for Research from 1974 to 1988, and as executive vice president from 1988 to 1990.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Stelson oversaw a vast expansion in Georgia Tech's research expenditures in an era when Tech transformed from a primarily teaching-oriented university to a major research institution.

Stelson helped the School of Mathematics create the Center for Dynamical Systems and Nonlinear Studies, and he endowed the School's Stelson lectures in 1988 in honor of his father, Hugh Stelson, who was a mathematician. Hugh Stelson earned his doctorate from the University of Iowa in 1930 and went on to teach at Kent State University and Michigan State University. He worked on problems related to interest rates, annuities, and numerical analysis.

 

Previous Stelson Lectures

• Reunited: An Art Historical and Digital Adventure

  Daubechies, Ingrid (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-04-09)

  Combining the mathematics of digital image processing with the history, craftsmanship, and science of art conservation, my research team at Duke University, Bass Connections Image Processing Algorithms for ...

• Cryptography: From Ancient Times to a Post-Quantum Age  

  Pipher, Jill C. (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2018-03-01)

  How is it possible to send encrypted information across an insecure channel (like the internet) so that only the intended recipient can decode it, without sharing the secret key in advance? In 1976, well before this ...

• The Complexity of Random Functions of Many Variables  

  Arous, Gérard Ben (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2016-08-31)

  A function of many variables, when chosen at random, is typically very complex. It has an exponentially large number of local minima or maxima, or critical points. It defines a very complex landscape, the topology of its ...

• How Quantum Theory and Statistical Mechanics Gave a Polynomial of Knots  

  Jones, Vaughan (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2014-09-25)

  We will see how a result in von Neumann algebras (a theory developed by von Neumann to give the mathematical framework for quantum physics) gave rise, rather serendipitously, to an elementary but very useful invariant in ...

• Riemann, Boltzmann and Kantorovich Go to a Party  

  Villani, Cedric (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2013-04-19)

  This talk is the story of an encounter of three distinct fields: non-Euclidean geometry, gas dynamics and economics. Some of the most fundamental mathematical tools behind these theories appear to have a close connection, ...

• Role of Mathematics Across Science and Beyond  

  Glimm, James (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010-11-22)

  The changing status of knowledge from descriptive to analytic, from empirical to theoretical and from intuitive to mathematical has to be one of the most striking adventures of the human spirit. The changes often occur ...

• Multiscale Modeling and Simulation: The Interplay Beween Mathematics and Engineering Applications  

  Hou, Thomas Y. (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009-10-26)

  Many problems of fundamental and practical importance contain multiple scale solutions. Composite and nano materials, flow and transport in heterogeneous porous media, and turbulent flow are examples of this type. Direct ...

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A monthly occurrence of the GT Observatory's Public Night open to all who are interested in viewing celestial objects through our many telescopes here on campus.  We are always located in the Seven Bridges Plaza courtyard between Howey and Mason on the dedicated nights.  The 2023-2024 schedule along with objects of interest can be found, here. 

Please note that Public Nights are contingent on clear weather.
Potential closures and driving directions are posted to: astronomy.gatech.edu

Fall 2023 Semester

• September 21 - 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. - Moon, Saturn
• October 26 - 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. - Moon, Saturn
• November 16 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Saturn, Jupiter

Spring 2024 Semester

• January 18 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter, Orion Nebula
• February 15 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter, Orion Nebula
• March 14 - 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter, Orion Nebula
• April 18 - 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. - Moon, Orion Nebula

Join us to hear from distinguished alumna speaker, Cerita Bethea, Ph.D. (PSYCH), who is passionate about mentoring the next generation of behavioral scientists — and about empowering organizations to activate behavioral insights for measurable business results.

About Cerita Bethea, Ph.D.

Cerita Bethea leads behavioral science at The Coca-Cola Company, relying on models of human behavior and decision-making to drive growth for the company. She translates behavioral insights into quantifiable business solutions, pioneering a place for cognitive psychology in the field of brand marketing.

A Georgia Tech School of Psychology alumna, Bethea is dedicated to bridging the gap between theory and practice — applying principles of behavioral science to marketing, marketing research, innovation, and design.

With a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology, Bethea's career spans three decades across multiple disciplines, from working in the automotive industry with Ford Motor Company and Toyota, as lead Human Factors Engineer; to negotiating the adoption of behavioral frameworks to drive integrated commercial planning at Kimberly-Clark Corporation, to her work today with Coca-Cola.

Bethea is also passionate about mentoring the next generation of behavioral scientists — and empowering organizations to confidently activate and democratize behavioral insights to yield measurable business results.

Bethea earned her Ph.D. at University of Michigan, M.S. at Georgia Tech, and B.S. at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Event details:

Date: November 16, 2023

Time: 4:00 PM
(Please note: the updated start time of this event is 4:00 PM)

Location: John Lewis Student Center - Cypress Theater, Georgia Tech Campus

RSVP via CareerBuzz to secure your spot with a true industry leader — and join us for inspiration, education, and networking in the exciting world of behavioral science.

All are invited! If you are not a student or do not have access to RSVP in Career Buzz, simply email College of Sciences Career Educator James Stringfellow james.stringfellow@gatech.edu and come join the event.

We look forward to welcoming you on November 16th!

Join us for a captivating evening as we welcome Allen Hoffmeyer, Ph.D., a distinguished alumnus of Georgia Tech, for an insightful exploration of the dynamic world of commodities trading.

Bio: Allen Hoffmeyer (Ph.D. MATH) has worked as a desk quant at J.P. Morgan (emerging markets), derivatives trader at Koch Supply & Trading (energy trading), volatility portfolio manager at Bluefin Capital Management, and Associate Portfolio Manager on Citadel's esteemed crude oil team.  

All are invited! If you are not a student or do not have access to RSVP in Career Buzz, simply email College of Sciences Career Educator James Stringfellow james.stringfellow@gatech.edu and come join the event.

Date: Thursday, October 19th, 2023

Time: 4:00 PM 5:00 PM

Location: Exhibition Hall - Home Park Room, Georgia Tech Campus

Featuring Panelists from the Pre-Graduate Pre-Professional Advising Team

• Shannon Dobranski - Director of Pre-Graduate & Pre-Professional Advising
• Francisco Castelan- Assistant Director of Pre-Health Advising
• Karen Mura - Prestigious Fellowships Advisor

This informative session will cover:

• The diverse pathways available after your undergraduate degree
• Key requirements and considerations for each route
• Insights from successful alumni who have navigated these paths
• How to make informed decisions about your future
• Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and have your questions answered by our expert panel. This event is on-campus and exclusive to Georgia Tech students. Please register through CareerBuzz to secure your spot and take the next step towards your future success.

All are invited! If you are not a student or do not have access to RSVP in Career Buzz, simply email College of Sciences Career Educator James Stringfellow james.stringfellow@gatech.edu and come join the event.

What does that mean? Why is it important? Join the Graduate Association of Physicists in welcoming Georgia Tech Physics Professor and expert in the field Rick Trebino for his explanation of the awarded discovery.

The volume of data generated by scientific applications has continued to outpace the growth of computing power and storage capacities. Unlike video and image compression, scientists require downstream quantities of interest to be conserved along with error bounds on primary data. We have developed novel constrained auto encoders based algorithmic and software pipelines that satisfy both these requirements. For data generated using Tokomak simulation codes that produce petabytes of data using thousands of GPUS, we have shown that our approach can compress the data by two orders of magnitude while requiring less than one percent of computational resources.

Mitigating traffic congestion and improving safety are the cornerstones of transportation. We have developed an ML based edge-cloud based system to analyze and fuse data streams from LIDAR, cameras and ground sensor data for quantifying and impacting pedestrian and vehicle safety. Using the data collected, we are also developing digital twins that model behavior at traffic intersections. The underlying models are useful for detecting interruptions as well as optimizing signal timing plans. We will present experimental results on data collected from real-traffic intersections in the City of Gainesville and City of Orlando.

Bio: Sanjay Ranka is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Computer Information Science and Engineering at the University of Florida. From 1999-2002, as the Chief Technology Officer at Paramark (Sunnyvale, CA), he developed a real-time optimization service called PILOT for marketing campaigns. PILOT served more than 10+ million optimized decisions a day in 2002 with a 99.99% uptime. Paramark was recognized by VentureWire/Technologic Partners as a Top 100 Internet technology company in 2001 and 2002 and was acquired in 2002. Sanjay has also held positions as a tenured faculty member at Syracuse University, academic visitor at IBM and summer researcher at Hitachi America Limited.

He has coauthored one book, four monographs, 340+ journal and refereed conference articles. His recent coauthored work has received a best student paper runner-up award at IGARSS 2015, best paper award at BICOB 2014, best student paper award at ACM-BCB 2010, best paper runner-up award at KDD-2009, a nomination for the Robbins Prize for the best paper in the Journal of Physics in Medicine and Biology in 2008, and a best paper award at ICN 2007. His work has received 15,900+ citations with an h-index of 63 (based on Google Scholar).

He is a fellow of the IEEE, AAAS and AAIA (Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association) and a past member of IFIP Committee on System Modeling and Optimization. He received the 2020 Research Impact Award from IEEE Technical Committee on Cloud Computing and the 2022 Distinguished Alumnus Award from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He is a board member of American Society on Artificial Intelligence.

He is currently an associate editor for ACM Computing Surveys, IEEE/ACM Transactions on Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Sustainable Computing: Systems and Informatics, Knowledge and Information Systems, and International Journal of Computing. Additionally, he is a book series editor for CRC Press for Bigdata. In the past, he has been an associate editor for IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems and IEEE Transactions on Computers, and an associate editor-in-chief of the Journal of Parallel and Distributed Computing. He was a general co-chair for ICDM in 2009, International Green Computing Conference in 2010, International Green Computing Conference in 2011, ACM Conference on Bioinformatics Computational Biology in 2012, and IEEE DataCOM in 2017. He was a program chair for 2013 International Parallel and Distributed Processing Symposium, 2015 High Performance Computing Conference, and a program co-chair for ICDM 2022.

He has consulted for several startups and Fortune 500 companies.

• Importance of climate action
• Georgia Tech's Greenhouse Gas Inventory
• Climate action strategies for Georgia Tech

Please register here to join the Zoom meeting. 

Bio: Meeko Oishi received the Ph.D. (2004) and M.S. (2000) in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University (Ph.D. minor, Electrical Engineering), and a B.S.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Princeton University (1998). She is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of New Mexico. Her research interests include human-in-the-loop control, stochastic optimal control, and autonomous systems. She previously held a faculty position at the University of British Columbia at Vancouver, and postdoctoral positions at Sandia National Laboratories and at the National Ecological Observatory Network. She was a Visiting Researcher at AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate, and a Science and Technology Policy Fellow at The National Academies. She is the recipient of the NSF CAREER Award, the NSF BRITE Fellowship, the Truman Postdoctoral Fellowship in National Security Science and Engineering, and a member of the 2022-2024 US Defense Science Study Group.

Please note that Public Nights are contingent on clear weather.
Potential closures and driving directions are posted to: astronomy.gatech.edu

Fall 2023 Semester

• September 21 - 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. - Moon, Saturn
• October 26 - 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. - Moon, Saturn
• November 16 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Saturn, Jupiter

Spring 2024 Semester

• January 18 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter, Orion Nebula
• February 15 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter, Orion Nebula
• March 14 - 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter, Orion Nebula
• April 18 - 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. - Moon, Orion Nebula

Please note that Public Nights are contingent on clear weather.
Potential closures and driving directions are posted to: astronomy.gatech.edu

Fall 2023 Semester

• September 21 - 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. - Moon, Saturn
• October 26 - 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. - Moon, Saturn
• November 16 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Saturn, Jupiter

Spring 2024 Semester

• January 18 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter, Orion Nebula
• February 15 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter, Orion Nebula
• March 14 - 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter, Orion Nebula
• April 18 - 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. - Moon, Orion Nebula

Please note that Public Nights are contingent on clear weather.
Potential closures and driving directions are posted to: astronomy.gatech.edu

Fall 2023 Semester

• September 21 - 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. - Moon, Saturn
• October 26 - 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. - Moon, Saturn
• November 16 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Saturn, Jupiter

Spring 2024 Semester

• January 18 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter, Orion Nebula
• February 15 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter, Orion Nebula
• March 14 - 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter, Orion Nebula
• April 18 - 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. - Moon, Orion Nebula

Please note that Public Nights are contingent on clear weather.
Potential closures and driving directions are posted to: astronomy.gatech.edu

Fall 2023 Semester

• September 21 - 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. - Moon, Saturn
• October 26 - 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. - Moon, Saturn
• November 16 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Saturn, Jupiter

Spring 2024 Semester

• January 18 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter, Orion Nebula
• February 15 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter, Orion Nebula
• March 14 - 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter, Orion Nebula
• April 18 - 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. - Moon, Orion Nebula

Please note that Public Nights are contingent on clear weather.
Potential closures and driving directions are posted to: astronomy.gatech.edu

Fall 2023 Semester

• September 21 - 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. - Moon, Saturn
• October 26 - 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. - Moon, Saturn
• November 16 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Saturn, Jupiter

Spring 2024 Semester

• January 18 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter, Orion Nebula
• February 15 - 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter, Orion Nebula
• March 14 - 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. - Moon, Jupiter, Orion Nebula
• April 18 - 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. - Moon, Orion Nebula

University of South Carolina

The Indian monsoon is a complex, nonlinear phenomenon involving atmospheric, oceanic, and land-based interactions. Unfortunately, despite decades of research and the aid of new observational and modeling tools, monsoon forecasting remains challenging. Salinity is often neglected in climaterelated studies because it does not directly affect air-sea fluxes, though recent works have shown that regional salinity can play an integral role in ocean-atmosphere interactions in the Southeastern Arabian Sea (SEAS) region. The monsoon onset vortex (MoV), which is responsible for the initiation of the summer monsoon onset over southeast coast of India, is triggered by strong air-sea fluxes intensified by salinity-induced barrier layer formation in the SEAS region. Besides the monsoonal rainfall intensity is directly tied to the strength and northward propagation of intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs) with periodicities of 30-90 day (MJO events), 10-20 days (quasi-biweekly oscillation) and 3-7 day (synoptic events). These ISOs are responsible for variation from mean conditions of monsoonal rainfall and are central in modulating active (wet) and break (dry) monsoon conditions. The 3-7 day synoptic/weather signals are closely related to the active and break phases of monsoon trough movement.

The 2019 southwest monsoon season was the first strong monsoon since 1994 and occurred concurrently with a strong positive Indian Ocean Dipole (pIOD). The occurrence of high amplitude 3-7-day Synoptic Oscillations (SO) contributed heavy rainfall in 2019. Evaluation of coupled models such as the Climate Forecast System (CFS) version 2.0 reveals insufficient detection of ISOs,when compared with those detected by satellite-derived salinity from NASA’S Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP). Northward propagation of ISOs in SMAP sea surface salinity modulates the post-monsoon (October-November) air-sea interactions of the Bay in the northern Indian Ocean, which are a necessary component of determining upper-ocean mixing conditions in the Arabian Sea that then fuel monsoon onset for the next summer monsoon season. The usage of satellite-derived salinity in coupled atmospheric-ocean models will improve model simulations with respect to the influence of salinity on monsoonal processes.

As prediction of rainfall directly determines water management for agriculture, industry, and daily life in countries of this region that rely on monsoon rainfall, it is critical to better understand related dynamical processes for accurate rainfall prediction that impacts over a billion people and is thus important with respect to economic stability and national security.

We’re excited to host Dr. José C. Aponte, Research Scientist from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) as our distinguished lecturer. Please see the below flyer for more info

In the afternoon, there will be a social event with lawn games, food and refreshments beginning at 4:00 PM, located at the Molecular Science and Engineering (MoSE) outdoor patio, ground floor. We will also be taking a group photo at this time, so bring your GT Astrobiology(grey) shirts! If you are a new member or didn’t receive a shirt last year, we have extra shirts to hand out.

Learn more:
https://astrobiology.gatech.edu/category/events/

Patton Distinguished Professors Joshua S. Weitz and Greg Gibson will join JulieAnne Williamson, Executive Director of Sustainability and Building Operations at Georgia Tech and Team Lead for Campus Surveillance Testing Operations, to discuss campus cases and tracking, actions taken to date, and next steps.

Everyone is welcome! Join via BlueJeans Events. Q&A will follow the team's presentations. Please submit questions in advance using this event Q&A form. A video recap of this talk will be posted to cos.gatech.edu and @gtsciences social channels.

Share this event: JPG and printable PDF

This talk is hosted by the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech.

Agenda will include a welcome and research update from the EVPR. Research panel with Irfan Essa, Tim Lieuwen, and Helen Anne Curry, and a moderated Q&A session.

Email your questions in advance to townhall@gatech.edu. Questions should be submitted by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, August 30. 

All College of Sciences faculty, staff, and graduate students are invited to attend.
RSVP by August 21 for details and a calendar invitation. (GT login required.)

Keynote Speaker: Zahra Biabani, author of Climate Optimism: Celebrating Systemic Change Around the World

• Free signed books will be given to the first 100 people to RSVP!
• Environmentally focused campus organizations will be present to build and inspire connections.
• Vegetarian food will be served.

RSVP here by August 10.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Dr. Jennifer Glass: Environmental Science Director

Dr. Samantha Wilson: Environmental Science Curriculum Director

Dr. Linda Green: Environmental Science Experiential Learning Director

The workshop will be held at Spelman College, September 10-14, 2023 with each day having keynote presentations, panel discussions, and student research presentations organized around the themes of climate & community, climate justice, climate science, climate modeling, and climate tech & solutions.

Confirmed keynote speakers include:

• Ángel Cabrera, Georgia Tech President
• G. Wayne Clough, Georgia Tech President Emeritus
• Greeshma Gadikota, Cornell University
• Evvan Morton, U.S. Department of Energy
• J. Marshall Shepherd, University of Georgia
• Gokhan Danabasoglu, NCAR
• Alice K. DuVivier, NCAR
• City of Atlanta Office of Sustainability

Registration will open in mid-July.

To receive an email notification when registration has opened, subscribe here: https://forms.gle/TTrEVL3Nm2YLst6TA

George Inglis, Senior Editor of Nature Portfolio Journal (Communications Biology) will discuss the scientific publishing process and host an informal trainee lunch and learn for postdoc and graduate students to learn about the day-to-day life of an editor, details on editorial career paths, and ways to get involved in the peer review or publication process. 

Sign-up HERE to attend the trainee Lunch and Learn.

Event Agenda

• 11:00 – 12:00 pm  Navigating Scientific Publishing in the Nature Portfolio
• 12:00 – 1:00 pm  Trainee Lunch & Learn

The outside ceremony is a rain or shine event. All ceremonies will be live streamed and will also be available for viewing after the event.

General information can be found at commencement.gatech.edu.

The clouds and rain have won out in the weather forecasts, so 
this evening's Public Night is canceled.
We will start up again in September. 
Check back in July for our fall 2023 schedule!
 

Public Nights are contingent on clear weather. Please also note individual time shifts, below. Find updated schedules, potential closures, driving and parking directions, and more info at: astronomy.gatech.edu

Stargazers are invited to the Georgia Tech Observatory for public nights throughout fall and spring semesters.

On the grounds between the Howey and Mason Buildings, several telescopes are typically set up for viewing, and visitors are invited to bring their own telescope, as well.

Jim Sowell, principal academic professional and director of the Georgia Tech Observatory, is excited that public nights have returned after a break during the pandemic. “A clear evening with some celestial objects visible is as much a delight for me as it is for the visitors.”

The viewing targets for this fall include the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn. Sowell, along with members of the Georgia Tech Astronomy Club, will help answer questions and showcase various celestial objects. “I describe my role these days as a tour guide,” said Sowell, “and I greatly enjoy hearing the squeals and gasps as people see craters on the moon, or the rings of Saturn, or moons orbiting Jupiter.”

Tentative Schedule, Fall and Spring 2022-23:

• November 3 — 7 to 9 p.m. — Moon, Jupiter, Saturn
• December 1 — 6 to 8 p.m. — Moon, Jupiter, Saturn
• February 2 — 7 to 9 p.m. — Moon, Jupiter, Mars
• March 2 — 7 to 9 p.m. — Moon, Mars, Orion Nebula
• March 30 — 8 to 10 p.m. — Moon, Mars, Orion Nebula
• April 27 — 9 to 11 p.m. — Moon, Mars, Double Star

On behalf of the Georgia Tech College of Sciences and the School of Physics, we invite you to join us and our esteemed guest Professor Steven Chu, former U.S. Secretary of Energy and co-recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Speaker: Prof. Steven Chu

Host: Prof. Dan Goldman

Time: 5:00 PM (Refreshments start at 4:30 PM)

Location: The Ferst Center for the Arts 

Title: Climate Change and innovative paths towards a more sustainable future

Abstract: The multiple industrial and agricultural revolutions have transformed the world. However, an unintended consequence of this progress is that we are changing the climate of our planet. In addition to the climate risks, we will need to provide enough clean energy, water, and food of a more prosperous world that may grow to 11 billion by 2100. The talk will discuss the significant technical challenges and potential solutions that could provide better paths to a more sustainable future. How we transition from where we are now to where we need to be within 50 years is arguably the most pressing set of issues that science, innovation and public policy have to address.

The outside ceremony is a rain or shine event. All ceremonies will be live streamed and will also be available for viewing after the event.

General information can be found at commencement.gatech.edu.

The outside ceremony is a rain or shine event. All ceremonies will be live streamed and will also be available for viewing after the event.

General information can be found at commencement.gatech.edu.

The outside ceremony is a rain or shine event. All ceremonies will be live streamed and will also be available for viewing after the event.

General information can be found at commencement.gatech.edu.

Please check back in the fall for more Fossil Friday fun!

Come join the Spatial Ecology and Paleontology Lab (SEPL) for Fossil Fridays! Become a fossil hunter and help discover how vertebrate communities have changed through time. Learn about the program here.

For more information join the SEPL mailing list or contact Julia Schap.

Please sign up for emails to hear about any departures and updates to this schedule!

The 2023 recipient is Christiane Amanpour.

The entire campus community is invited to attend a fireside chat on Monday, April 24, in the Atlantic Theater in the John Lewis Student Center. CNN correspondent Tom Foreman will moderate the chat. 

Ask questions prior to the event by emailing events@gatech.edu.
For more information and to RSVP, visit the Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage webpage.

The Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage was first awarded in 2011 and is funded in perpetuity by a grant from the Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation. 

QCA is Georgia Tech’s undergraduate and graduate quantum computing club. We will build a fundamental understanding of quantum computing and information through interactive demos, exercises, and talks.  This semester we plan to incorporate talks from experts in quantum computing in addition to interactive programming sessions in IBMQ and other activities.

How can I join?

Come to our meetings! We meet at 6:00 PM on Thursdays starting on January 19th in CCB 340. We will kick off the semester with a laid-back session introducing the quantum world through Quantum Chess! I heard there will be pizza…

For email notifications, request to join QCA on Engage. You can also receive club announcements through our Slack workspace.

Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/earth-day-bird-walk-tickets-540857377977

This is a joint effort of SOS, Scouting, and Trailblazers. This event will occur weekly, so do not worry if you can not make this one. Email me at gbaker38@gatech.edu or join our slack at https://trailblazers-2fo1434.slack.com/ if you have any questions and to join the groupme. 

This meeting is hybrid. Most of you have registered via Career Buzz for the virtual option. The Microsoft Teams link is here. Please log on by 3:55pm.

For those who submitted your name for the in-person dinner option, please come to the Price Gilbert Library to the Scholars Event Network Theater on the street level. The Theater is located behind the Gallery. If you are coming from Clough, please come to the 4th floor and walk across the Library. Please arrive by 3:45pm. Thank you. —James Stringfellow

About CoSX Talks

The world of science and technology is one of global proportions. This systematic study of the physical and natural world is one that scientists live for. From topics as small as parts of an atom, large as continents, and as vast as space, there are endless topics to discuss. 

CoSX Talks are the College of Sciences' take on the popular TedX Talks, but centered around conversations for our students and alumni. Join us as we host alumni speakers sharing advice, lessons learned, best practices, and mentoring tips.

Dr. Belma Erdogan-Haug is a Head of Product Development and Innovation for Henkel Chemistry Company and leads flagship technical collaboration and learning programs, awards and recognition programs, science encouragement programs, and Technical Leadership Roundtables. She has a Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

THIS IS A HYBRID EVENT.  

For those that register for online a link will be sent to log in.

For those who will join in person, buffet dinner will be served. Space is limited to register on Career Buzz. Additionally for those attending in person, you must email James Stringfellow to hold your space for dinner. james.stringfellow@gatech.edu

Dinner is limited to 20 individuals.

RSVP here: https://gatech-csm.symplicity.com/students/?s=event&ss=ws&mode=form&id=46438d64cc6777b5fd1513abe7164426&signin_tab=0

Date: March 10th, 4-5 pm
Location: Klaus 1443 Lecture Auditorium

Title: Nonlinear waves, spectra, and dynamics in infinite dimensions.

Abstract: 

Waves are ubiquitous in nature. Some wave phenomena are conspicuous, most notably in elastic objects, and in bodies of water. In electro-dynamics, quantum mechanics, and gravity, waves play a fundamental role but are much more difficult to find. Over the past centuries, major scientific breakthroughs have been associated with the discovery of hidden wave phenomena in nature. Engineering has enabled our modern information based society by developing sophisticated methods which allow us to harness wave propagation. Seismic exploration relies on wave scattering in the discovery of natural resources. Medicine depends heavily on wave-based imaging technology such as MRI and CAT scans.

Mathematics has played a major role in the understanding of wave propagation, and its many intricate phenomena including reflection, diffraction, and refraction. In its most basic form, the wave equation is a linear partial differential equation (PDE). However, modern science and engineering rely heavily on nonlinear PDEs which can exhibit many surprising and delicate properties. Mathematical analysis continues to evolve rapidly driven in part by the many open questions surrounding nonlinear PDEs and their solutions. This talk will survey some of the mathematics involved in our understanding of waves, both linear and nonlinear. 

About the speaker:

Professor Wilhelm Schlag is the Phillips Professor of Mathematics and the Chair of the Department of Mathematics at Yale University. A world-leading expert in harmonic analysis, mathematical physics, and partial differential equations, much of Schlag’s work has been devoted to the study of wave propagation, both in structured as well as in disordered media.

Schlag is a recipient of Sloan and Guggenheim fellowships, among others. He was a plenary speaker at the International Congress of Mathematical Physics in 2012 as well as an invited speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians in 2014. Prior to joining the Yale faculty, he was the Holmer J. Livingston Professor of Mathematics at the University of Chicago. Before that, he served as professor at the California Institute of Technology, and as assistant professor at Princeton University.

Prof. Schlag will also give a colloquium talk on March 14th. Details can be found on the seminar page.

Co-Hosted by the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems & the The Institute for Data Engineering and Science at Georgia Tech.

• Marilyn Brown, Regents' Professor and the Brook Byers Professor of Sustainable Systems in the School of Public Policy;
• Andre Calmon, assistant professor in the Scheller College of Business and a faculty fellow in the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems;
• Tim Lieuwen, Regents’ Professor, David S. Lewis, Jr. Chair, and executive director of the Strategic Energy Institute; and
• Brian Stone, professor in the School of City and Regional Planning and director of the Urban Climate Lab.

This is a hybrid event; in-person attendance is welcome. To participate remotely, visit c.gatech.edu/SDG2023.

About SDG Action and Awareness Week

To advance the Institute’s mission and strategic plan, President Ángel Cabrera charged leaders and units throughout campus with spearheading a project to promote, implement, and advance the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at Georgia Tech.

SDG Action and Awareness Week invites universities around the world to host events that increase awareness of the SDGs, showcase the work they’re doing, and encourage action.

Georgia Tech’s 2023 SDG Week will focus primarily on SDG13: Climate Action. As we prepare to launch the Institute Climate Action Plan, SDG Week will help showcase Tech’s work in teaching, research, and operations that positively impacts climate. Georgia Tech will host a variety of events throughout the week and encourages partners around campus to organize and host their own SDG-focused events (such as workshops, service projects, or conversation panels) to help showcase the many ways Georgia Tech is making progress toward achieving these global goals on a local level.

In addition to campus-specific events, University Global Coalition (UGC) hosts a calendar of virtual SDG-focused events organized by university partners around the world.

Abstract: "Access to water and sanitation are not only critical to human health, but are also human rights. To date, initiatives have largely focused on increasing access to water sources that ‘have the potential to deliver safe water’ and sanitation facilities that ‘hygienically separate excreta from human contact’. While it is imperative to have safe water and safely managed excreta, these approaches have been too narrow. Water and sanitation are needed for far more than infectious disease prevention. In this talk, Dr. Caruso will discuss how water and sanitation research and programming have ignored the specific needs of women and girls, and, in some cases, have contributed to exploiting them. To enable the audience to think critically about gender in water and sanitation, Dr. Caruso will introduce the World Health Organization framework for assessing gender responsiveness, giving examples of water and sanitation initiatives that are gender harmful as well as those that are gender responsive. She will draw on her own research funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, and the WHO, and will highlight simple actions students, researchers, and practitioners can take to ensure their work is gender aware."

Seminar Background: The Interdisciplinary Health and Environment Leadership Development (IHE-LeaD) program at GT facilitates impact-driven exchange and training at the intersection of human and environmental health. Seminar speakers present their work on impact-driven research at the intersection of IHE, and discuss opportunities for translate their work into actions with public impact and visibility. Sign up for the IHE seminars email list to receive regular updates (contact Gabi Steinbach: gsteinbach6@gatech.edu). 

This year, the speaker we will be inviting is Zion Clark. Zion Clark was born September 29th 1997 in Columbus, Ohio with a rare birth defect called Caudal Regression Syndrome which caused him to be born without legs. Zion didn’t let this stop him from learning new skills, he picked up wrestling and music at a young age which became his outlet from an abusive living situation. Through resiliency and resistance and consistently Zion continued to figure out his way of approaching some of these passions and earned his position as an All-American wrestler, and lead drummer of his church. He continues to defy all odds with his optimistic approach and no excuses mentality he embodies. This event is open to the entire Georgia Tech community as well as the greater Atlanta community. We hope that through this initiative we can bring together all the different communities at Georgia Tech and give them a new perspective on what it means to be Black at Georgia Tech, to be Black in Georgia, and to be Black in America. 

To view and download agenda, click here.

The official relationship between Georgia Tech and Shriners Children’s started in 2019. Shriners Children’s has funded more than $1.3M in collaborative research projects with Georgia Tech for exoskeleton, smart prosthetic, and data analytics, including in a collaborative research effort to help children with cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, and other conditions in 2020, and nearly a year later, encompassing the fields of precision medicine and big data analysis and interpretation.

“The goal of this meeting is to familiarize the Shriners research community with the many opportunities for expanding our existing partnership with Georgia Tech’s Pediatric Technology Center,” said Marc Lalande, Ph.D., vice president of research at Shriners Children’s. “Cutting-edge areas for collaboration include clinical data analytics, artificial intelligence, remote sensors for motion analysis, and customized exoskeletons for improving movement and other abilities. We look forward to exciting joint discoveries that will impact quality of life of our pediatric patients.”

Dr. Lalande will be on campus along with Cole Hilton, M.S., Research Informatics manager at Shriners Children’s, Tim Chou (the International Society for Pediatric Innovation), and several clinicians and thought leaders in the healthcare AI realm.

Topics discussed during the conference will include motion capture/tracking/analysis, tissue engineering, data analytics, and genomics. Lab tours on Saturday will include those of Georgia Tech researchers Aaron Young, Frank Hammond, and Hong Yeo.

“We look forward to the continuation of our journey to create and implement innovative technologies designed to refine the future of health and wellbeing of Shriners patients,” said Leanne West, a principal research scientist and chief engineer of the Pediatric Technology Center at Georgia Tech.

Her work is part of Georgia Tech’s pediatric technology program, which develops technological solutions to problems in the health and care of children.

“We are thrilled to explore such vital health topics in this upcoming meeting with clinical experts,” said West. “I’ve seen the difference that our research scientists and engineers make, especially in close partnerships like Shriners, where the real-world clinical need drives our efforts to improve, innovate, and transform health technologies.”

###

About Shriners Children’s

Shriners Children’s is changing lives every day through innovative pediatric specialty care, world-class research and outstanding medical education. Our multiple locations in the United States, Canada and Mexico provide advanced care for children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate. All care is provided regardless of the families’ ability to pay. Shriners Children’s has treated more than 1.5 million children from more than 170 countries over the last 100 years.

For more information on the care provided by Shriners Children’s, go to shrinerschildrens.org. Shriners Hospitals for Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and relies on the generosity of donors. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.

About Georgia Tech

The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is one of the top public research universities in the U.S., developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees.

Its more than 46,000 students, representing 50 states and more than 150 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online learning. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society. For more information, please visit gatech.edu.

Speaker Webpage: http://lk.zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/

Host: Hannah Choi

Speaker Webpage: http://lk.zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/

Host: Hannah Choi

Registration is officially open for the conference taking place on March 10 (virtual) and March 11 (in-person on campus)! 

Registration fee: $50/person, per day

Registration deadline: March 6, 2023

Details: https://bit.ly/STEAMLeadershipconference

Returning March 10–25, 2023, the Atlanta Science Festival is an annual public celebration of local science and technology. Curious people of all ages will explore the science and technology in our region and see how science is connected to all parts of our lives. 

Join us as we partner with Science ATL to bring STEAM events to curious community members of all ages! The Georgia Tech Science and Engineering Day will occur as part of the festival on Saturday, March 11 in the Georgia Tech Bioquad area. 

Visit atlantasciencefestival.org for more details about the festival and to find events near you.

To further this mission, IMat and the School of Materials Science and Engineering will cohost the 2023 Brumley D. Pritchett Lecture and IMat Symposium on Materials Innovations on March 31, 2023. The symposium will feature a combination of technical presentations, distinguished seminars, a poster contest, and student recruitment activities.

Connect with Georgia Tech's Materials Research Community

The Symposium also provides an excellent opportunity for external organizations to interact with Georgia Tech students and faculty involved in materials-related research. In addition to the seminars and presentations, there will be social and networking activities scheduled throughout the day.

This event is cosponsored by the Institute for Materials and the School of Materials Science and Engineering.

For additional details and to register, visit research.gatech.edu/materials/imatsymposium.

The ExplOrigins early career group invites you to join the 2023 Exploration and Origins Colloquium! This colloquium will have events on two days: a poster session and reception on the evening of February 9^th and talks throughout the day on February 10th. Talks and the poster session will be held in person at Georgia Tech, with a possible virtual viewing/presenting option for talks. We are thrilled to feature keynotes from Dr. Amy Williams and Dr. Heather Abbott-Lyon. Our aim is to bring together researchers from around the Atlanta regional area, and to highlight early career projects from any field that explore, conceptualize, celebrate, and discover pieces of space, life’s origins, and astrobiology. Through this colloquium, we hope to:

• forge relationships between diverse individuals of various fields, experience levels, and backgrounds
• expand our awareness of local work and innovations
• encourage collaboration and interdisciplinary understanding
• provide a professional growth opportunity for early career individuals including undergraduates, graduates, and post-docs

General registration and abstract submission are through this form. All early career individuals (undergrads, grads, postdocs, research scientists, and more) are highly encouraged to submit abstracts, due by noon on January 19th. Late submissions for posters will be accepted through February 8th. To prepare your abstract you will need a title, author/affiliation list, and one descriptive paragraph. Announcement of selected speakers will be made on January 20th.

ExplOrigins’ inclusion of a wide breadth of fields joins our commitment for inclusion across race, gender, age, religion, identity, (dis)ability, sexual orientation, and experience.

If you have any questions about the abstract submission process or any other aspect of the colloquium, please email the conference organizers at gtexplorigins@gmail.com.

Thank you for your consideration. We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

The organizing committee

Christina Buffo, Claire Elbon, Tatiana Gibson, Becca Guth-Metzler, Emmy Hughes, Sarah Kingsley, Jordan McKaig, Vahab Rajaei, Micah Schaible, and Sharissa Thompson

Public Nights are contingent on clear weather. Please also note individual time shifts, below. Find updated schedules, potential closures, driving and parking directions, and more info at: astronomy.gatech.edu

Stargazers are invited to the Georgia Tech Observatory for public nights throughout fall and spring semesters.

On the grounds between the Howey and Mason Buildings, several telescopes are typically set up for viewing, and visitors are invited to bring their own telescope, as well.

Jim Sowell, principal academic professional and director of the Georgia Tech Observatory, is excited that public nights have returned after a break during the pandemic. “A clear evening with some celestial objects visible is as much a delight for me as it is for the visitors.”

The viewing targets for this fall include the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn. Sowell, along with members of the Georgia Tech Astronomy Club, will help answer questions and showcase various celestial objects. “I describe my role these days as a tour guide,” said Sowell, “and I greatly enjoy hearing the squeals and gasps as people see craters on the moon, or the rings of Saturn, or moons orbiting Jupiter.”

Tentative Schedule, Fall and Spring 2022-23:

• November 3 — 7 to 9 p.m. — Moon, Jupiter, Saturn
• December 1 — 6 to 8 p.m. — Moon, Jupiter, Saturn
• February 2 — 7 to 9 p.m. — Moon, Jupiter, Mars
• March 2 — 7 to 9 p.m. — Moon, Mars, Orion Nebula
• March 30 — 8 to 10 p.m. — Moon, Mars, Orion Nebula
• April 27 — 9 to 11 p.m. — Moon, Mars, Double Star

Abstract: Motion is all around us. Motion is particularly interesting when it has many degrees of freedom. This talk covers the design, sensing, and planning for snake, multi-agent and modular robot high DOF systems. Thus far, each system requires different fundamentals – geometric mechanics for snake robot locomotion, deferred planning and ergodic search for multi-agent systems, and novel generator and discriminator networks for modular robots – which will be covered in this talk. While no grand unifying theory combines these approaches, they all share one aspect in common: reduce complex high dimensional problems into low dimensional ones. In pursuit of this investigation in reduction, my group has created several embedded systems - actuators and edge sensors - to build and deploy robots that stress-tests the core assumptions in the theory and demonstrates efficacy for applications of national importance. These applications include minimally invasive surgery, urban search and rescue, manufacturing, assembly in low-Earth orbit, maintenance of municipal infrastructure, and agile recycling. This talk will discuss these confined space applications, and if time permits, the five spin off companies, and one manufacturing institute, that my colleagues and I co-founded to commercialize the core technologies covered in m this talk.

Bio: Howie Choset is a Professor of Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University where he serves as the co-director of the Biorobotics Lab and as director of the Robotics Major. He received his undergraduate degrees in Computer Science and Business from the University of Pennsylvania in 1990. Choset received his Masters and PhD from Caltech in 1991 and 1996. Choset's research group reduces complicated high-dimensional problems found in robotics to low-dimensional simpler ones for design, analysis, and planning. Motivated by applications in confined spaces, Choset has created a comprehensive program in modular, high DOF, and multi- robot systems, which has led to basic research in mechanism design, path planning, motion planning, and estimation. This work has been supported by both industry and government; DOD support includes two MURIs, one of which Choset was the CO-PI, a young investigator award, and multi-PI awards for modular systems. Choset.s group has produced over 60 journal papers (including 2 in Science and one in Proceedings of the National Academies of Sceince), 180 conference papers and 15 patents. Choset.s work has also been recognized by several best paper awards and nominations at ICRA, IROS and other robotics meetings. Choset's research program has made contributions to challenging and strategically significant problems in diverse areas such as surgery, manufacturing, infrastructure inspection, and search and rescue. In addition to publications, this work has led to Choset, along with his students, to form several companies including Medrobotics, for surgical systems, Hebi Robotics, for modular robots, and Bito Robotics for autonomous guided vehicles. Recently, Choset.s surgical snake robot cleared the FDA and has been in use in the US and Europe since. Choset also leads multi-PI projects centered on manufacturing: (1) automating the programming of robots for auto-body painting; (2) the development of mobile manipulators for agile and flexible fixture-free manufacturing of large structures in aerospace, and (3) the creation of a data-robot ecosystem for rapid manufacturing in the commercial electronics industry. This year, Choset co-lead the formation of the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute, which is $250MM national institute advancing both technology development and education for robotics in manufacturing. Finally, Choset is a founding Editor of the journal .Science Robotics. and is currently serving on the editorial board of IJRR.

PLEASE NOTE LOCATION CHANGE | Klaus Advanced Computing Building 1116

Registration is open for the Ocean Visions Biennial Summit 2023, Innovating Solutions at the Ocean-Climate Nexus, scheduled for the 4th-6th of April 2023 at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Through the 15th of February you can reserve your spot early and take advantage of our special early bird rates. Both in-person and virtual attendance options are being offered, with all plenary sessions streamed.

Space is limited so register now!

The Ocean Visions Biennial Summit 2023 will be a significant opportunity to advance the sharing of knowledge and solutions to critical challenges at the ocean-climate nexus.

The ocean is under threat from a host of pressures, but none loom larger than those caused by greenhouse gas pollution, which drives overheating and acidification. Ocean heating is in turn causing deoxygenation, sea level rise, and disruption of critical marine ecosystem functions and services.

In order to address this ocean-climate crisis, the world needs to generate and scale innovative solutions much more effectively and quickly.

Summit participants will share and discuss cutting-edge advancements in ocean sciences, engineering, policy, governance, and economics that support trajectory-changing solutions to the dangerous climate impacts on the ocean within 7-10 years.

The Summit will be held at Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia from 4-6 April 2023 and offers online attendance options. We welcome a diversity of solutions-oriented participants, including scientists, academics, policymakers, entrepreneurs, those with indigenous knowledge of oceans and solutions, innovators, and funders.

The conference is designed to be highly interactive with a mix of session types such as plenaries, lightning presentations, posters, an innovation showcase, and other networking interactions. The conference is structured around five core topical tracks, which will be addressed through concentrated, half-day sessions, in addition to other schedule session times.

• Ocean-Based Contributions to Global Decarbonization
• Ocean-Based Contributions to Carbon Dioxide Removal
• Ocean Ecosystem Repair and Regeneration
• Human Adaptation to a Changing Ocean
• Building a Global Community of Solvers at the Ocean-Climate Nexus

Learn more about the tracks.

Learn more about Ocean Visions.

Growing ecosystems require great companies and great people - and Atlanta life sciences is growing! 

If you're a job seeker looking to break into the life sciences ecosystem in Atlanta, we would love to invite you to attend our upcoming event.

February 16th, 2023, 5pm
Ventanas, 275 Baker St, Atlanta, GA 30313

Founders, CEOs, and HR employees of local biotech and med tech startups that plan on hiring in the next 6 months will be in attendance, so it will be a great place to meet and network. Light bites and drinks will be served.

Learn More. Register Today.

Questions?

Please reach out to Suna Lumeh (suna.lumeh@portalinnovations.com) for any questions you may have. We look forward to seeing you there!

To learn more about Portal Atlanta, click here!

When Optics Met Digital Signal Processing: A Love Story

Featuring Kim Robers, Vice President, WaveLogic Science, Ciena and Ian Roberts, DSP Engineer, Ciena

Abstract: Control and Information Theories added spice to the marriage. Teams of analog and digital CMOS designers and firmware coders delivered the progeny that now transport 800 Gb/s signals across optical fiber networks around the world. Ian Roberts, of Ciena Alpharetta, and Kim Roberts, of Ciena Ottawa, will describe the challenges and some of their solutions that have created the Digital Coherent revolution in high-capacity optical communications. Then they will outline the opportunities to push against daunting physical limits and create the next generation of transmission systems that will carry more information even greater distances to achieve lower cost and lower heat per cat video transported. Chromatic dispersion in optical fibers is a change in the velocity of light as a function of frequency. This smears each transmitted symbol on top of hundreds of its neighbors. Because of the Kerr nonlinearity in glass, amplitude variations create optical phase shifts which are expressed as self-phase and cross-phase degradations of the communications signal. Semiconductor lasers are compact sources, but have wide phase-noise spectra which complicates tracking of the signal phase in a receiver. Optical components have polarization dependent loss or gain. Optical fibers create differential delay between polarizations, that changes with the mechanical orientation of the cable. Lightning strikes can create large transients in the polarization orientation. Optical fibers lose half of the transmitted power after 15km. Optical amplifiers are used to overcome this loss across about 5 or 10 THz of optical spectrum, but inevitably contribute optical noise. These effects create 30 billion errors per second in the decoded signal which all need to be corrected. Users of internet services continue to demand twice as much capacity every two years. In many networks, greater spectral efficiency is required as that optical spectrum is getting full. 115 GHz analog sampling and 800 trillion integer operations per second are implemented in the fifth generation modem, WaveLogic-5e, to mitigate these issues.

Bios:

Kim Roberts has been a major force in the field of digital signal processing for optical transmission in developing the first coherent 40, 100, 400, and 800 Gb/s optical systems. Today Kim is Vice President at Ciena, leading an R&D team focused on pushing the optical boundaries even further with WaveLogic-6. Kim is a passionate evangelist of new optical technologies and holds more than 190 patents with many more pending. Kim was named an IEEE Fellow, a Nortel Fellow, and in 2008 the Outstanding Engineer by IEEE Canada. Kim is the 2019 recipient of the Tyndall Award. Kim resides in Canada and can be reached at kroberts@ciena.com.

Ian Roberts completed his Ph.D. in optimization of nonlinear optical fiber networks at Stanford. At Ciena he created a popular constellation morphing demo first shared at the Optical Fiber Conference, carrying uninterrupted traffic at 35 billion symbols per second during constellation transformations. More recently, he has implemented nonlinear probabilistic amplitude shaping and DSP for 800 Gb/s and beyond optical systems. Ian resides in Sandy Springs, Georgia and can be reached at iroberts@ciena.com.

Hosted by: Stephen Ralph and Nima Ghalichechian

Pizza and soda will be available post seminar

Members of the implementation team will share goals including plans to launch signature initiatives designed to coordinate and amplify the Institute’s research, education, operational, and economic development activities. This includes:

• Sustainable-X Student Entrepreneurship Program,
• Stackable online graduate credentials in Climate and Sustainability,
• Undergraduate Sustainability Education Innovation Grants,
• Transdisciplinary Climate Research Seed Grant Program,
• Climate Action Plan, and
• Living Learning Lab.

Presenters include:

• Jennifer Chirico, Infrastructure and Sustainability (I&S)
• Maria Cimilluca, vice president for I&S
• Laura Taylor, chair and professor, School of Economics, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
• Beril Toktay, Regents’ Professor; interim executive director, Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems; faculty director, Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business, Scheller College of Business

This virtual town hall is hosted by Administration and Finance and will be held on Friday, Jan. 13, from 2 to 3 p.m. Attendees should click here to join.

Read more about the Sustainability Next Plan.

K-12 educators, administrators, and stakeholders, including Georgia Tech faculty, staff, and students are invited to submit proposals to share their innovation ideas on the conference theme - "STEAM in Unexpected Way."

STEAM in Unexpected Ways
From building bridges to improve traffic flow to scuba diving 60 ft below searching for unknown species STEAM can be found in many unexpected ways and places. There is a need to foster and develop skills of today's students so that they too will be able to engage in the many STEAM opportunities of the world.