{"646507":{"#nid":"646507","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Research Papers on Estimating Covid-19 Risk at Events, Hidden Symmetries in Origami Capture Annual Sigma Xi Honors","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOne research paper details the evolution of a Georgia Tech-built website that calculates the estimated risks of gathering in groups for every county in the United States during the Covid-19 pandemic. The other Georgia Tech research paper looks for mathematics-based structure and symmetry deep inside the folds of origami, the ancient Japanese art.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe two studies address very different scientific issues, but they are both authored by College of Sciences faculty \u0026mdash; and are the two studies that share the 2021 Best Faculty Paper Award, presented by the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sigmaxi.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Chapter of Sigma Xi\u003C\/a\u003E, the scientific research society, during its annual end-of-year honors.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/joshua-weitz\u0022\u003EJoshua Weitz\u003C\/a\u003E, Patton Distinguished Professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and founding director of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bioinformatics.gatech.edu\/phd-curriculum\u0022\u003EInterdisciplinary Ph.D. in Quantitative Biosciences\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;program, is one of two corresponding authors of \u0026ldquo;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41562-020-01000-9\u0022\u003ERealtime, interactive website for US-county-level COVID-19 event risk assessment\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u0026rdquo;, \u003C\/em\u003Epublished in\u0026nbsp;Nature Human Behavior\u0026nbsp;in November 2020. The paper\u0026#39;s co-author and project collaborator, who shares the award with Weitz, is\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/planning.gatech.edu\/people\/clio-andris\u0022\u003EClio Andris\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/planning.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of City and Regional Planning\u003C\/a\u003E in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/design.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECollege of Design\u003C\/a\u003E, with a joint appointment at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ic.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESchool of Interactive Computing\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFour other researchers and experts from the School of Biological Sciences \u0026mdash; \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/aroon-chande\u0022\u003EAroon Chande\u003C\/a\u003E, Quan Nguyen, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/stephen-beckett\u0022\u003EStephen J. Beckett,\u003C\/a\u003E and Troy Hilley \u0026mdash; also worked on the study.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe ability for the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/covid19risk.biosci.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECovid-19 Risk Assessment Planning Tool\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;website to drill down to the county level for the entire country was introduced in July 2020, during the height of the pandemic. \u0026ldquo;We have developed an interactive\u0026nbsp;county-level map of the risk that one or more individuals may have\u0026nbsp;Covid-19 in events of different sizes,\u0026rdquo; Weitz explained, at the time.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The issue of understanding risks associated with gatherings is even more\u0026nbsp;relevant as many kinds of businesses, including sports and universities, are\u0026nbsp;considering how to re-open safely.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESince the website launched last summer, it has been featured in over 150 external stories and interviews by media outlets on the pandemic. The website was developed in collaboration with\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/friendlycities.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EAndris\u0026rsquo; lab\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and with researchers from the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.abil.ihrc.com\/\u0022\u003EApplied Bioinformatics Laboratory\u003C\/a\u003E, a public\/private partnership between Georgia Tech, IHRC Inc., and ASRT Inc.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/david-rocklin\u0022\u003EDavid Zeb Rocklin\u003C\/a\u003E, an assistant professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E, it was the intersection of art and science \u0026mdash; or rather, using the math in origami principles to enhance science \u0026mdash; that led to his paper and latest honor from Sigma Xi.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/117\/48\/30252\/tab-article-info\u0022\u003EHidden symmetries generate rigid folding mechanisms in periodic origami\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026quot;, published in November 2020, appeared in\u0026nbsp;PNAS (the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe paper, which Rocklin co-authored with graduate student\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/james-mcinerney\u0022\u003EJames McInerney\u003C\/a\u003E, \u0026ldquo;gives us access to a lot of mathematical technology,\u0026rdquo; Rocklin says, by looking at origami sheets in a new way, which could lead to even more practical scientific and engineering applications for origami.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m a soft matter physics guy, so I study how the geometric structure of a system controls how it changes shape when you push on it,\u0026rdquo; Rocklin says. \u0026ldquo;On the one hand it\u0026rsquo;s something you can hold in your hand and feel it and see it moving in real space, but on the other hand, it embodies and obeys these really austere algebraic structures.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESince 1947, the Georgia Tech Chapter of Sigma Xi has annually honored faculty and students for their research at the annual Spring Awards Banquet. The Georgia Tech Sigma Xi Research Awards are made possible by the support of the Georgia Tech Research Corporation and the Ferst Foundation.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.sigmaxi.org\/\u0022\u003ESigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society\u003C\/a\u003E, founded in 1886 at Cornell University, is the honor society of scientists and engineers that recognizes scientific achievement. Its mission is to enhance the health of the research enterprise, foster integrity in science and engineering, and promote the public\u0026rsquo;s understanding of science for the purpose of improving the human condition.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EProfessors in the School of Biological Sciences and the School of Physics capture top annual honors from the Georgia Tech chapter of Sigma Xi scientific research society.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Professors in the School of Biological Sciences and the School of Physics capture top annual honors from the Georgia Tech chapter of Sigma Xi scientific research society."}],"uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2021-04-15 18:02:56","changed_gmt":"2021-04-19 16:27:46","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-04-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-04-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"636771":{"id":"636771","type":"image","title":"The team\u0027s interactive map shows the risk level of attending an event, given the event size and location (assuming 10:1 ascertainment bias). The risk level is the estimated chance (0-100%) that at least one Covid-19 positive individual will be present.","body":null,"created":"1594134068","gmt_created":"2020-07-07 15:01:08","changed":"1594134068","gmt_changed":"2020-07-07 15:01:08","alt":"","file":{"fid":"242262","name":"map copy.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/map%20copy.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/map%20copy.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":788820,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/map%20copy.jpg?itok=BOvNhCSu"}},"641986":{"id":"641986","type":"image","title":"Origami folding patterns (Photo Georgia Tech)","body":null,"created":"1607538714","gmt_created":"2020-12-09 18:31:54","changed":"1607538714","gmt_changed":"2020-12-09 18:31:54","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243901","name":"origami patterns.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/origami%20patterns.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/origami%20patterns.png","mime":"image\/png","size":725237,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/origami%20patterns.png?itok=N6O5P-DK"}}},"media_ids":["636771","641986"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"166937","name":"School of Physics"},{"id":"11599","name":"Joshua Weitz"},{"id":"186413","name":"David Zeb Rocklin"},{"id":"187583","name":"Clio Andris"},{"id":"184289","name":"covid-19"},{"id":"4332","name":"origami"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERenay San Miguel\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\/Science Writer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-894-5209\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["renay.san@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}