The Institute for Data Engineering and Science, in conjunction with several Interdisciplinary Research Institutes (IRIs) at Georgia Tech, have awarded seven teams of researchers from across the Institute a total of $105,000 in seed funding geared to better position Georgia Tech to perform world-class interdisciplinary research in data science and artificial intelligence development and deployment. 

The goals of the funded proposals include identifying prominent emerging research directions on the topic of AI, shaping IDEaS future strategy in the initiative area, building an inclusive and active community of Georgia Tech researchers in the field that potentially include external collaborators, and identifying and preparing groundwork for competing in large-scale grant opportunities in AI and its use in other research fields.

Below are the 2023 recipients and the co-sponsoring IRIs:

Proposal Title: "AI for Chemical and Materials Discovery" + “AI in Microscopy Thrust”
PI: Victor Fung, CSE | Vida Jamali, ChBE| Pan Li, ECE | Amirali Aghazadeh Mohandesi, ECE
Award: $20k (co-sponsored by IMat)

Overview: The goal of this initiative is to bring together expertise in machine learning/AI, high-throughput computing, computational chemistry, and experimental materials synthesis and characterization to accelerate material discovery. Computational chemistry and materials simulations are critical for developing new materials and understanding their behavior and performance, as well as aiding in experimental synthesis and characterization. Machine learning and AI play a pivotal role in accelerating material discovery through data-driven surrogate models, as well as high-throughput and automated synthesis and characterization.

Proposal Title: " AI + Quantum Materials”
PI: Zhigang JIang, Physics | Martin Mourigal, Physics
Award: $20k (Co-Sponsored by IMat)

Overview: Zhigang Jiang is currently leading an initiative within IMAT entitled “Quantum responses of topological and magnetic matter” to nurture multi-PI projects. By crosscutting the IMAT initiative with this IDEAS call, we propose to support and feature the applications of AI on predictive and inverse problems in quantum materials. Understanding the limit and capabilities of AI methodologies is a huge barrier of entry for Physics students, because researchers in that field already need heavy training in quantum mechanics, low-temperature physics and chemical synthesis. Our most pressing need is for our AI inclined quantum materials students to find a broader community to engage with and learn. This is the primary problem we aim to solve with this initiative.

PI: Jeffrey Skolnick, Bio Sci | Chao Zhang, CSE
Proposal Title: Harnessing Large Language Models for Targeted and Effective Small Molecule 4 Library Design in Challenging Disease Treatment
Award: $15k (co-sponsored by IBB)

Overview: Our objective is to use large language models (LLMs) in conjunction with AI algorithms to identify effective driver proteins, develop screening algorithms that target appropriate binding sites while avoiding deleterious ones, and consider bioavailability and drug resistance factors. LLMs can rapidly analyze vast amounts of information from literature and bioinformatics tools, generating hypotheses and suggesting molecular modifications. By bridging multiple disciplines such as biology, chemistry, and pharmacology, LLMs can provide valuable insights from diverse sources, assisting researchers in making informed decisions. Our aim is to establish a first-in-class, LLM driven research initiative at Georgia Tech that focuses on designing highly effective small molecule libraries to treat challenging diseases. This initiative will go beyond existing AI approaches to molecule generation, which often only consider simple properties like hydrogen bonding or rely on a limited set of proteins to train the LLM and therefore lack generalizability. As a result, this initiative is expected to consistently produce safe and effective disease-specific molecules.

PI: Yiyi He, School of City & Regional Plan | Jun Rentschler, World Bank
Proposal Title: “AI for Climate Resilient Energy Systems”
Award: $15k (co-sponsored by SEI)

Overview: We are committed to building a team of interdisciplinary & transdisciplinary researchers and practitioners with a shared goal: developing a new framework which model future climatic variations and the interconnected and interdependent energy infrastructure network as complex systems. To achieve this, we will harness the power of cutting-edge climate model outputs, sourced from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP), and integrate approaches from Machine Learning and Deep Learning models. This strategic amalgamation of data and techniques will enable us to gain profound insights into the intricate web of future climate-change-induced extreme weather conditions and their immediate and long-term ramifications on energy infrastructure networks. The seed grant from IDEaS stands as the crucial catalyst for kick-starting this ambitious endeavor. It will empower us to form a collaborative and inclusive community of GT researchers hailing from various domains, including City and Regional Planning, Earth and Atmospheric Science, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering etc. By drawing upon the wealth of expertise and perspectives from these diverse fields, we aim to foster an environment where innovative ideas and solutions can flourish. In addition to our internal team, we also have plans to collaborate with external partners, including the World Bank, the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, and the Berkeley AI Research Initiative, who share our vision of addressing the complex challenges at the intersection of climate and energy infrastructure.

PI: Jian Luo, Civil & Environmental Eng | Yi Deng, EAS
Proposal Title: “Physics-informed Deep Learning for Real-time Forecasting of Urban Flooding”
Award: $15k (co-sponsored by BBISS)

Overview: Our research team envisions a significant trend in the exploration of AI applications for urban flooding hazard forecasting. Georgia Tech possesses a wealth of interdisciplinary expertise, positioning us to make a pioneering contribution to this burgeoning field. We aim to harness the combined strengths of Georgia Tech's experts in civil and environmental engineering, atmospheric and climate science, and data science to chart new territory in this emerging trend. Furthermore, we envision the potential extension of our research efforts towards the development of a real-time hazard forecasting application. This application would incorporate adaptation and mitigation strategies in collaboration with local government agencies, emergency management departments, and researchers in computer engineering and social science studies. Such a holistic approach would address the multifaceted challenges posed by urban flooding. To the best of our knowledge, Georgia Tech currently lacks a dedicated team focused on the fusion of AI and climate/flood research, making this initiative even more pioneering and impactful.

Proposal Title: “AI for Recycling and Circular Economy”
PI: Valerie Thomas, ISyE and PubPoly | Steven Balakirsky, GTRI
Award: $15k (co-sponsored by BBISS)

Overview: Most asset management and recycling use technology that has not changed for decades. The use of bar codes and RFID has provided some benefits, such as for retail returns management. Automated sorting of recyclables using magnets, eddy currents, and laser plastics identification has improved municipal recycling. Yet the overall field has been challenged by not-quite-easy-enough identification of products in use or at end of life. AI approaches, including computer vision, data fusion, and machine learning provide the additional capability to make asset management and product recycling easy enough to be nearly autonomous. Georgia Tech is well suited to lead in the development of this application. With its strength in machine learning, robotics, sustainable business, supply chains and logistics, and technology commercialization, Georgia Tech has the multi-disciplinary capability to make this concept a reality, in research and in commercial application.

Proposal Title: “Data-Driven Platform for Transforming Subjective Assessment into Objective Processes for Artistic Human Performance and Wellness”
PI: Milka Trajkova, Research Scientist/School of Literature, Media, Communication | Brian Magerko, School of Literature, Media, Communication
Award: $15k (co-sponsored by IPaT)

Overview: Artistic human movement at large, stands at the precipice of a data-driven renaissance. By leveraging novel tools, we can usher in a transparent, data-driven, and accessible training environment. The potential ramifications extend beyond dance. As sports analytics have reshaped our understanding of athletic prowess, a similar approach to dance could redefine our comprehension of human movement, with implications spanning healthcare, construction, rehabilitation, and active aging. Georgia Tech, with its prowess in AI, HCI, and biomechanics is primed to lead this exploration. To actualize this vision, we propose the following research questions with ballet as a prime example of one of the most complex types of artistic movements: 1) What kinds of data - real-time kinematic, kinetic, biomechanical, etc. captured through accessible off-the-shelf technologies, are essential for effective AI assessment in ballet education for young adults?; 2) How can we design and develop an end-to-end ML architecture that assesses artistic and technical performance?; 3) What feedback elements (combination of timing, communication mode, feedback nature, polarity, visualization) are most effective for AI- based dance assessment?; and 4) How does AI-assisted feedback enhance physical wellness, artistic performance, and the learning process in young athletes compared to traditional methods?

-         Christa M. Ernst

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The Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research (VPIR) and the Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE) are excited to announce an institutionalization plan for Serve-Learn-Sustain (SLS) that will advance two of Georgia Tech’s Institute Strategic Plan (ISP) initiatives - Sustainability Next and Transformative Teaching and Learning (TTL) - and strengthen our service learning, community engagement, and sustainability ecosystems at Georgia Tech. Established as Georgia Tech’s last Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), SLS launched in 2016 as a unit in OUE and concluded its official QEP work in 2021. Its work on the QEP earned Georgia Tech a commendation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and established a strong foundation to build on moving forward.

Effective July 1, 2023, the current SLS team will establish a new center, the Center for Sustainable Communities Research and Education (CSCRE), under the VPIR. The Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems (BBISS), which is serving as a hub for coordinating Georgia Tech’s Sustainability Next Strategic Plan initiative, will serve as the administrative home for the new center.

CSCRE will collaborate with the sustainability cluster of the Interdisciplinary Research Institutes (IRIs), including BBISS, the Strategic Energy Institute (SEI), and the Renewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI), as well as Infrastructure and Sustainability, another key Sustainability Next hub, to enhance Georgia Tech’s competitiveness in applying for grants that require meaningful community partnerships as a key component of their research and education plans. It will also continue to support sustainable communities education, in close collaboration with the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), OUE, and Education and Learning, to assure the continuity of SLS’s signature programs.

Established as Georgia Tech’s last QEP, Serve-Learn-Sustain launched in 2016 as a unit in OUE and concluded its official QEP work in 2021. Georgia Tech earned a commendation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges in 2021 for the “exceptional execution” of the 2016 QEP, citing, among other things, that the program “inspired a closer dialogue among faculty regarding research and instructional practices, and thus serves as a model of how a QEP can transform an academic culture.”

To continue advancing and scaling undergraduate service learning and community engagement as a high-impact practice, OUE will establish a new service learning team, as a priority that supports the Transformative Teaching and Learning ISP initiative. Institutionalizing the service-learning functions of SLS within OUE and aligning it with other high impact practices - such as undergraduate research, student innovation programs, first-year seminars, co-op and internships, and learning communities - will position these programs to work collectively in support of the development of Georgia Tech’s next QEP, which will begin in 2025.

Thank you to the SLS staff and to everyone who has collaborated with and supported the work that SLS has spearheaded to make Georgia Tech a better place for our students, our faculty and staff, and our surrounding communities. We look forward to continuing to advance this work, together.

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Amid the surge in demand for lithium-ion batteries, which power everything from smartphones to electric vehicles (EVs), there is a greater need to properly recycle them. The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is working to optimize Georgia’s EV battery supply chain by developing cost- and energy-efficient methods to recover materials from spent batteries so that more of them can be reused – and pose fewer environmental risks.

Georgia is quickly emerging as a hub for the electronic transportation industry. According to data from the Georgia Department of Economic Development, since 2018, 35 EV-related projects have contributed $23 billion in investments in the state.

South Korea-based Hyundai Motor Group recently broke ground on its first fully dedicated EV manufacturing facility in Savannah’s Bryan County. The company has also teamed up with LG Energy Solution to invest $4.3 billion in building an EV battery cell manufacturing plant at the same location.

EV manufacturer and automotive technology company Rivian, which is based on Irvine, Calif., has announced a $5 billion investment in its second U.S. plant located east of Atlanta in Morgan and Walton Counties.

Hyundai’s new facility is expected to reach full production capacity at the end of 2025, with 30 gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy anticipated to support the production of 300,000 EVs. Rivian, meanwhile, anticipates its Georgia plant will employ over 7,500 workers while producing up to 400,000 vehicles each year.

“This level of industry engagement in Georgia is unprecedented,” said Kevin Caravati, a GTRI principal research scientist, who is supporting this project. “The Hyundai plant, for example, could create tens of thousands of jobs in a very rural part of Georgia, which would be a step in the right direction for the entire state.”

The lithium-ion batteries that power EVs are seen as desirable over other battery technologies because of their high energy density, which allows electric cars to travel longer distances on a single charge. These types of batteries also have a low self-discharge rate, which means that the stored energy remains available for an extended period of time even when the vehicle is not in use. 

However, these batteries can easily turn into fire hazards – especially at the end of their life cycle. Very few batteries ever end up being recycled and those that do get recycled are often mishandled.   

“Currently, there are no recycling standards in place, which poses challenges for the entire supply chain,” said Milad Navaei, a GTRI senior research engineer, who is leading this project. “Our goal is to create circular economy for batteries in Georgia where we can reduce our dependence on raw materials that often come from overseas and can be very expensive.”  

Lithium-ion batteries use metals including lithium, nickel, manganese, and cobalt that are mined in locations such as Africa’s Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chile and Argentina. During the production process, the metals are combined with other materials to form the two key components of a battery cell – the cathode and the anode. Inside a battery, the cathode, which has a negative charge, and anode, which has a positive charge, interact to generate electrons that power the electronic device. Most lithium-ion batteries are currently made in China.  

Navaei noted that geopolitical sensitivities and lingering supply chain challenges in many of these regions makes GTRI’s work all the more crucial.

GTRI’s research consists of two parts: One, develop more advanced analytics capabilities for fleet management companies to monitor the health and performance of EV batteries, and two, optimize the recovery of raw materials from batteries at the end of their useful life.  

“The battery is the most important part of an EV, and it’s critical to know the battery’s state of health (SoH), which is the ratio of the present capacity to the initial capacity,” said Navaei. “Our goal is to utilize technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) to monitor the SoH of these batteries and estimate the life cycle, which heavily depends on the usage and the type of battery for its safe and reliable implementation in the next life application.”

GTRI aims to integrate these technologies into companies’ existing inventory management systems to streamline process management and reporting.

For the second part of the research, GTRI is utilizing a statistical technique known as parametric modeling to aggregate data about known behaviors and characteristics of EV batteries to help companies make more informed decisions about properly depowering them and repurposing their raw materials with minimal environmental impact.

“Developing a robust system-modeling approach to support our energy research is a primary focus of ours,” said GTRI Principal Research Scientist Ilan Stern, who is also supporting the project. “Since our ultimate goal is to utilize domestic sources in our supply chain, really the only way to do that is by building out strong recycling models to account for the fact that these companies are working with finite materials and many of them are coming from conflict zones.”

GTRI is working with a number of industry partners on this project, including many companies that participated in Georgia Tech Battery Day earlier this year. At the event, over 230 energy researchers and industry participants convened to discuss emerging opportunities in energy storage research. Some of the companies represented at the event included Hyundai Kia, Delta Airlines, Cox Automotive and Panasonic.

Writer: Anna Akins 
Photo Credit: iStock 
GTRI Communications
Georgia Tech Research Institute
Atlanta, Georgia

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Founded in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station, GTRI has grown to more than 2,900 employees, supporting eight laboratories in over 20 locations around the country and performing more than $800 million of problem-solving research annually for government and industry. GTRI's renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to solve complex problems for the U.S. federal government, state, and industry.

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One of the Institute Strategic Plan (ISP) goals is to connect globally and amplify impact by contributing “to global collaborative efforts that advance the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through our education, research, and service.” In response, Sustainability Next developed a plan to expand SDG concept and skill integration across the undergraduate curriculum. In support of the plan, 21 projects representing all six colleges and 15 schools were presented at the Undergraduate Sustainability Education Jamboree, held on April 26 in the Kendeda Building auditorium. With many winning projects featuring high enrollment and core courses, this first round of sustainability education “seed grants” will significantly expand the reach of Georgia Tech’s sustainability-across-the-curriculum initiatives.

“Our Strategic Plan commitment to bring the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into our teaching is part of our vision for transformative teaching and learning more broadly,” explains Larry Jacobs, Senior Vice Provost for Education and Learning. “Helping students identify connections between disciplinary concepts and skills and complex societal challenges enhances learning and supports Georgia Tech’s mission to equip students to improve the human condition.”

The Jamboree featured lightning presentations from the award winners, as well as presentations about related initiatives at Georgia Tech to help instructors, students, and staff better understand the landscape of sustainability education innovation on campus. Instructors engaged in course design or re-design through the awards will have opportunities to collaborate with and learn from their peers through a Community of Practice on Transformative Teaching with the SDGs and a SoTL (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning) research group. Many began identifying potential collaborators at the event, as they heard from other award winners. “The afternoon of lightning presentations by fellow faculty was exhilarating,” Sabir Khan, Associate Professor, Schools of Industrial Design and Architecture, shared. “I came away impressed and excited at the range of projects and have already invited a few instructors to join my class in the fall to discuss their approaches to tackling the UN SDGs."

Presenter Kate Williams, Interim Director, Transformative Teaching and Learning, Faculty Initiatives, shared connections between the Sustainability Innovation Awards and Georgia Tech’s Transformative Teaching and Learning (TTL) strategic initiative. “The success of the first round of Sustainability Education Innovation Grants demonstrates our faculty's commitment to creating innovative experiential learning opportunities for students,” Dr. Williams noted.

For more information about future award opportunities or the communities of practice described above, please contact Jennifer Leavey (Assistant Dean for Faculty Mentoring, College of Sciences) or Rebecca Watts Hull (Assistant Director, Faculty Development for Sustainability Education Initiatives, Center for Teaching and Learning).

Review all 21 awarded Undergraduate Sustainability Education Innovation projects.

The 2022-23 Micro-Grants Community-Based Research awardees presented their findings at the second annual symposium, held on April 18, 2023, in the auditorium of the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design, which is the region’s first Living Building. Ten teams presented to faculty, staff, students, and student family members. The topics were wide ranging, and dealt with both practical and theoretical issues. The work surpassed all expectations for quality and quantity.

Devised by the Kendeda Building Advisory Board and sponsored by the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems and the Kendeda Building, the Micro-Grants Research Program solicits proposals for very small scale ($50 to $500), short term, sustainability related, research studies to be conducted by members of the Georgia Tech community. Community investigators are encouraged to explore ways in which the Georgia Tech campus can continue to innovate, demonstrate, prove, and promote the adoption of best and next practices in regenerative design and operations. Researchers were also encouraged to use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a framework for research design. All members of the Georgia Tech community were encouraged to apply. The program especially sought proposals from students and staff that had little or no prior research experience.

The program has four objectives:

1. to expand scientific thinking and the understanding of the research process amongst those not (yet) directly involved in scientific research;
2. to bolster the use of the campus as a living laboratory;
3. to give voice to people and communities outside of research that have culturally novel perspectives on problems and their possible solutions, and to create new pathways for partnering with them; and
4. to seed novel ideas and nurture nascent investigators.

The 2022-23 awardees and the titles of their projects are:

• Alex Lomis, Devi Patel, and Dr. Jung-Ho Lewe, "Design and Development of a Low-Cost and Highly-Scaleable Occupancy Counter to Optimize the Utilization of HVAC Resources"
• Kaitlyn Tran, Shivani Potdar, and Amanda Janusz, "Bird Safe Campus"
• Ricardo Martinez, "Chiropterans at Georgia Tech"
• Elizabeth Umanah, "Reimagining Eco-Friendly Parking Lot Design Through Simulations"
• Lujain Diab, Ally Kimpling, Jenna Sitta, Marcus Morris, Skylar Ryan, Dr. Jennifer Leavey, and Steve Place, "A Greener Grey: “Ironing” Out Issues in Greywater Systems"
• Jun Wang and Yilun Zha, "Kendeda’s Educational Role in Waste Management and Recycling"
• Siddharth Sivakumarun, "Investigating Capacity for Regenerative Energy through Foot Traffic"
• Alexandra Rodriguez Dalmau and John Fortner, "Recognition of Insect Species in the Georgia Tech campus with Machine Learning"
• Gray Simmons, Kevin Leach, and Dr. Jung-Ho Lewe, "IOT Climate Sensor Development for HVAC Efficiency Analysis"
• Kaylin Cross, Pranav Jothi, Maanas Kumar, Brian Wu, Savannah Howard, and Sheng Dai, "Prototyping Bio-inspired Geothermal Energy Recovery for Space Heating and Cooling"

More details and links to all the presentations are available at this web page.

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As Georgia Tech continues to celebrate Earth Month, Friday's ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly expanded Community Garden represents another step in the Institute's commitment to a sustainable future.

First opened in 2012 with six small planting beds, the garden has received a complete transformation over the past decade. With the latest project, which began in July 2022, essentially doubling its square footage, the garden now touts 21 fruit trees and nine large beds that are free and open to students. Two additional medium and nine small beds are available for lease for the Tech community. A new shed for gardening tools has been constructed alongside a brand-new demo kitchen to feature the garden's produce in healthy recipes. With the inclusion of slate-chip pathways and high-density mulch, the garden is now fully ADA accessible — a primary goal of the expansion effort.

Elias Winterscheidt was drawn to the garden while touring the Tech campus in 2019. With prior planting experience, he immediately got involved with Students Organizing for Sustainability (SOS), taking over as the Community Garden director in April 2021. Over the past three semesters before construction began, the garden donated 50 pounds of produce to Klemis Kitchen — Georgia Tech's on-campus food bank — in addition to the produce harvested by 500 volunteers during that time.

Winterscheidt anticipates the growth of the garden community continuing, with hopes of doubling both donations to Klemis Kitchen and the number of volunteers.

SOS got a head start on its goal at the outset of Earth Month, when Winterscheidt and a group of volunteers planted the first seeds in the expanded garden during a pair of community workdays. Sweet potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries, and various seeds are already in the ground, but plenty more fruits, vegetables, and herbs will be added soon.

In addition to a passion for gardening, Winterscheidt arrived at Tech at a time when many students were seeking ways to get outside during the pandemic. A lasting effect of the interruption has been an increase in the number of virtual events, but the garden provides the perfect opportunity to interact with nature and with other people. 

"We're trying to get people to come outside. Our goal is to get Georgia Tech students away from their computers, away from their homework, and to de-stress and get their hands in the soil," he said, adding that the workdays give students a chance to interact with others from different majors and backgrounds. "Come for a few hours, chat with people, and after two hours, you feel refreshed. It's a kind of group therapy."

Community workdays in the garden are typically held on Saturday mornings, depending on the weather.

Beginning with summer programming, SOS will partner with the Wellness Empowerment Center to highlight the mental and physical health benefits of gardening. They will also be emphasizing sustainability. The Community Garden is entirely permaculture friendly, meaning it's a pesticide-free environment, and seeds are planted with purpose.

"We're mimicking nature in how we plant things," Winterscheidt explained. “Rather than spraying with pesticide, I can plant a basil plant that will deter hornworms from our tomatoes. Rather than spraying with herbicides, we can pluck all the weeds off individually. It takes a lot longer, but it's much better for our soil. Rather than growing for maximum output, we're growing in a way that benefits our soil the most."

While largely student-run, the garden does require constant upkeep, so in years past, the summer months could be challenging. However, with the expansion, Tamsin Leavy has been brought on as staff member to support the garden year-round.

"Like any garden or farm space, you don't want to lose all your hard work to the elements or other pests that can quickly annihilate a crop. We have put a lot of effort into this space and are looking forward to watching it grow. No pun intended," Leavy said. "It would be devastating to lose it to the harsh Georgia summer sun, so we will all be working together to keep our garden growing."

Volunteer opportunities remain plentiful over the summer, and in the absence of a large contingent of students, Malte Weiland, senior sustainability project manager for Campus Services, welcomes Tech faculty and staff to lend a hand. He encouraged all Tech employees to reach out to assist the team in maintaining the space and even urges entire departments to inquire about outings that can serve as wellness and team-building exercises.

For those looking to get involved with the garden or learn more about its expansion, Friday's ribbon-cutting ceremony will begin at 2 p.m.

“We all hope that the garden will continue to be a community gathering space where not just horticultural and agricultural education can happen, but anything adjacent to it — discussion on composting, urban gardens, or food justice issues. And day-to-day, for Tech students, I hope it can be a space where they are comfortable, where they can come to smell the flowers, put their hands in the dirt — even if it's just for a few minutes between classes to de-stress and reconnect to the earth," Leavy said.

The Community Market is another resource that brings sustainably sourced food to the Tech community every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. along Tech Walkway. The Office of Sustainability will wrap up the spring semester market at the end of April, but selective summer dates will be announced soon. When the market returns in the fall, Weiland said that vendors and patrons can expect several updates, including a market map, and students will be able to make purchases using dining dollars on their BuzzCards.  

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Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC) is at the center of a new statewide initiative combining artificial intelligence and manufacturing innovations with transformational workforce development and K-12 outreach. The Georgia Artificial Intelligence Manufacturing Corridor project (Georgia AIM) is supported by a record-shattering $65 million grant Georgia Tech received in September 2022 from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration.

Georgia AIM will support a total of nine inter-related projects throughout the state and is designed to increase job and wage opportunities in distressed and rural communities and among historically underrepresented and underserved people. Georgia AIM targets rural residents, women, Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), those living with disabilities, and veterans — groups historically underrepresented in manufacturing. Through innovation, collaboration, education, and participation, Georgia AIM will provide the tools and knowledge to empower these communities to participate fully in a diverse AI manufacturing workforce.

“Many people have preconceived notions about manufacturing and may not be able to see how they could possibly connect to it," said Roxanne Moore, Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering’s senior research engineer and director of CEISMC’s K-12 InVenture Prize program. “What they may not realize is that manufacturing is what brings new ideas to life. AI is rapidly reshaping the manufacturing industry and changing the landscape for job opportunities. The work that we are doing will position Georgia to lead the nation into the future of AI and manufacturing.”

Moore explains that through Georgia AIM, CEISMC will expand its K-12 InVenture Prize invention and entrepreneurship program to collaborate with school districts and businesses in Southwest Georgia, Southeast Georgia and Northeast Georgia. The initiative will expand on existing partnerships Georgia Tech has established with technical colleges and minority-serving institutions.

The project will reach at least 1,000 K-12 students and 100 teachers from underserved areas, with a focus on rural communities via existing programs at Georgia Tech, other nonprofits, the Technical College System of Georgia, the Southwest Georgia Regional Commission, local manufacturers, and K-12 school leaders, Moore said.

“We need to illustrate the powerful relationships between innovation, entrepreneurship, and manufacturing so that students can see how ideas come to life and how they can improve their communities,” said Moore. “It is my hope that these regional ecosystems become a role model for how educational institutions can support each other in expanding access to high-quality STEM experiences for diverse students who typically are not empowered to create their futures.”

As part of Georgia AIM, CEISMC will also expand its offerings through partnerships with the institute’s GoSTEM program to better serve Latino populations. GoSTEM is a collaborative partnership at Georgia Tech between CEISMC and Institute Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (IDEI). Its mission is to promote STEM academic achievement and college attendance among Latino and other cultural and linguistic minority K-12 students. Plans include translating existing invention and entrepreneurship curriculum into Spanish, adding lessons to the curriculum on AI and manufacturing, assisting with the development of regionally focused curricula, and expanding training and events to make them more inclusive.

“Our goal is to make invention education accessible to everyone in the state, especially those who may have been previously left out of the conversation,” said Danyelle Larkin, educational outreach manager with CEISMC. “By going into more rural areas of the state and working to develop multi-lingual curricula that is focused on the needs of the region, we hope to serve as a national model for how to accelerate the transition to automation in manufacturing while diversifying the next generation of AI leadership.

Additional Georgia AIM expansion plans for CEISMC and K-12 InVenture Prize include supporting an existing high school entrepreneurship program in Fitzgerald and working with Albany State University to host teacher workshops, support local schools, and host regional competitions with a focus on inventiveness and the entrepreneurial mindset.

"The overall goal of Georgia AIM is to establish the United States as a leader in AI manufacturing while making sure that these systems complement rather than replace existing workers,” Larkin said. “The work that we are doing in CEISMC plays an integral role in Georgia AIM with our specific expertise in weaving invention education and entrepreneurship into K-12 classrooms and connecting with diverse communities. This huge grant gives us a chance to amplify our work and bring even more people into the AI conversation. It’s about building a better, more equitable future for the people of Georgia.”

—Randy Trammell, CEISMC Communications

On April 22, communities across the U.S. and countries around the globe will come together in observance of Earth Day. Georgia Tech takes the opportunity to educate and celebrate the importance of protecting the environment a step further with Earth Month.

Events throughout the month allow students, faculty, and staff to familiarize themselves with sustainability efforts being put forward by the Institute and practices they can incorporate into their daily routines.

The global theme for Earth Day 2023 — the 53rd iteration of the event — and Tech’s month-long rendition is “invest in our planet.”

“The Earth Month lineup highlights the numerous ways that community members can embrace this theme,’” said Abby Bower, sustainability program support coordinator. “Today, the planet faces daunting challenges, but we all have the opportunity to pitch in to solve them. Georgia Tech has many great organizations, departments, and individuals dedicating their time and resources to making a better world, and we are excited to highlight them all month long.”

During Earth Month, you can participate in service opportunities, attend educational events, weigh in on ways Georgia Tech can meet our climate goals, and more.

Tech Beautification Day

April 1, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design

The kickoff event for Earth Month, organized by the undergraduate Student Government Association and Georgia Tech Greek Week, will see hundreds of volunteers completing projects all over campus. After a welcome breakfast, groups of eight to 10 will be assigned a task with the goal of keeping the Georgia Tech campus as picturesque as ever. With assistance from Georgia Tech Landscaping, projects include planting flowers, trees, and shrubs; pulling weeds; and spreading pine straw. A primary goal of this year’s event is to plant 200 native azaleas.

For registration and additional information, click here.

Earth Day Clothing Swap at The Kendeda Revolving Closet

April 3 -7, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Basement of The Kendeda Building

Sustainable fashion is a pillar of this year’s global event. According to earthday.org, 87% of the 150 billion garments produced by the fashion industry each year eventually end up in landfills, and just 1% of discarded clothing is recycled. This weeklong event is a chance to donate gently used, clean clothes and recycle torn clothes and textiles.

Earth Day Bird Walk

April 5, 8:30 a.m. – 10 a.m., The Kendeda Building

The 400-acre Tech campus is home to diverse wildlife populations, including many species of birds. Learn more about the region’s birds from an expert guide during the Bird Walk organized by The Kendeda Building and Georgia Audubon Society. The reintroduction of native plants around Kendeda has created a habitat for birds, and the adjoining EcoCommons is part of a wildlife sanctuary certified by the Georgia Audubon, making Tech the first main campus in the state to receive the designation.

For registration and additional information, click here.

Southern Energy Conference

April 7, 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., Bill Moore Student Success Center

With the theme of “building blocks for a zero-carbon future,” the Energy Club will host the conference featuring keynote speakers, company demos, and panels discussing the technology and economics behind the future of the energy sector. Students are invited to compete in the Energy Research Poster Competition with cash prizes on the line.

For registration and additional information, click here.

EcoReps Earth Month Celebration

April 11, 1 – 3 p.m., West Village Dining Commons

Hosted by the 2022-23 EcoReps, this event is a celebration of all things sustainability in Housing and Residence Life, highlighting recent successes such as the Energy Competition, the ECGO app, and its growing composting program.

For additional information, click here.

Earth Month Bike Ride

April 11, 4:30 – 6 p.m., Meet on the Front Lawn of the Campus Recreation Center (CRC)

Hosted by the CRC, the leisurely 7-mile, no-drop ride promotes an alternate form of transportation and a healthy lifestyle. The ride will begin with a welcome from noted bike enthusiast President Ángel Cabrera and provide an overview of infrastructure projects that are making campus increasingly rider-friendly from Institute Landscape Architect Jason Gregory.

Registration and completion of a waiver are required. Riders are strongly encouraged to wear a helmet. Tech students, faculty, and staff can get a free helmet by completing the online Ride Smart Bike/Scooter Safety class.

For registration information, click here.

Propel ATL City Cycling Class - Georgia Tech Community

April 13, 4 – 5 p.m.

Propel Atlanta invites the Georgia Tech community to learn the rules of cycling during this instructional group ride. Participants will practice skills in a safe and supportive environment.

After getting the hang of the basics with a few drills, the 45-minute ride of 3 to 4 gentle miles will begin. Riders will experience Atlanta’s existing bicycle facilities, such as two-directional protected and single-directional bike lanes and sharrows, and learn to ride safely on streets without bike lanes by exercising their legal right to “take the lane.”

For registration information, click here.

Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems Seminar Series: Anjali Thomas

April 13, 3 – 4 p.m., Economic Development Building (BBISS Suite 118)/Online

In the first of two seminars in this series, Anjali Thomas, associate professor and director of the Nunn School Program in Global Development, explores how “bureaucratic hurdles and identity politics shape water access in urban India.”

For additional information, click here.

Earth Day Org Fair and Celebration

April 18, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., The Kendeda Building

Student organizations, academic departments, and groups around Atlanta will have tables set up in The Kendeda Building atrium and patio to promote a sustainable and environmentally conscious community. Enjoy free King of Pops, and bring a t-shirt, tote bag, or other item to be screen-printed with Earth Day designs. The Office of Sustainability will also have recovered shirts that can be used.

For additional information, click here.

Climate Action Plan Student Engagement Workshop

April 20, 5 – 6 p.m., Room 102, Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons

With a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050, Georgia Tech is developing and implementing a comprehensive, cross-cutting Climate Action Plan. Students are invited to learn more about the plan and offer their thoughts on how the Institute can meet its climate goals during this engaging workshop hosted by the Office of Sustainability.

For additional information, click here.

Community Garden Ribbon Cutting

April 21, 2 – 3 p.m., Community Garden (Instructional Center Lawn)

Located along the Experiential Walkway, this event invites the Georgia Tech community to check out the newly renovated Community Garden and learn how to get involved.

For additional information, click here. 

Film Screening: Making Pandemics at the Global Media Fest

April 23, 2 – 5 p.m., John Lewis Student Center

The French department in the School of Modern Languages will host a screening of Making Pandemics, a film that “seeks to understand the causes of this epidemic of pandemics” over the past four decades. The screening is free and open to the public.

Following the film, a panel of guest speakers will discuss its findings.

For more information, click here.

Sustainable-X Hangout

April 26, 3 – 4 p.m., Center for Sustainable Business Suite/Online

A partnership between the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business and CREATE-X, Sustainable-X is a Sustainability Next Institute Strategic Plan project. With events occurring on the fourth Wednesday of every month, this session will examine social and environmental entrepreneurship and how to access resources for projects.

Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems: Jenny McGuire

April 27, 3 – 4 p.m., Economic Development Building (BBISS Suite 118)/Online

Continuing the series hosted by the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems, Jenny McGuire, an associate professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, will host a seminar focused on “conserving the fabric of life given the complexities of global change.”

 For additional information, click here.

Explore the Earth Month calendar for a comprehensive event lineup and updates. Campus groups, departments, and organizations interested in adding their sustainability-focused event to the Earth Month Calendar can submit this form or email Abby Bower. 

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Women make up just 24% of the automotive industry, but Georgia Tech graduates Jenn Voelker and Julia Vorpahl haven't let statistics stop them from paving their own way in a male-dominated field.

Both Voelker and Vorpahl work for Karma Automotive, a luxury electric vehicle manufacturer based in California. Beginning with their time at Tech, they've never let gender bias stop them from pursuing their passion.

"It's math," Vorpahl, a visualization and digital design modeler at Karma, said. "You either get the question right, or you get the question wrong. I think that attitude really helps when you get into a professional environment. It teaches you to have tougher skin where if you are the best for that job, you will get the job. That's what Georgia Tech instilled."

Vorpahl grew up in the industry watching her family operate what is now the oldest independently owned Mercedes-Benz dealer in metro Atlanta after her grandfather, an engine designer for the German automaker, came to America and opened the shop in 1967. She arrived at Georgia Tech unsure if she'd follow in her family's footsteps, but ultimately, she landed an internship at Daimler, the nation's largest commercial vehicle manufacturer.

While other interns came in with a background in automotive design, Vorpahl’s willingness to learn and tireless work ethic landed her a full-time job as the only woman in the company's design studio.

During her three years at Daimler before accepting her position at Karma in 2022, she'd occasionally make the drive from Portland, Oregon, back to Georgia. Along the way, she crossed paths with truckers, who often expressed surprise that Vorpahl was among those behind the scenes designing their rigs. She often heard questions like “Why do you work there?” or “How did you end up there?”

And her response was simple. "Women like cars, too.” 

That rang true through Voelker's childhood as well. When the senior director of program management for Karma arrived in Atlanta for her first year at Georgia Tech, she knew she'd found a place that could help her turn an aptitude for math and science, and a fervor for cars, into a career.

"Best move I ever made," Voelker said on her decision to enroll at Tech, although it wasn't just the Institute's stellar reputation that lured her from her home state of New Hampshire. "I visited campus in February. There was 6 feet of snow on the ground and then I came to Atlanta, and the flowers were blooming."

After changing her major from mechanical engineering to industrial design, Voelker got her foot in the door through an internship with Masterack, a commercial cargo vehicle equipment manufacturer based in Atlanta. She attended Tech at a time when women made up around 27% of the undergraduate population, so when she entered the workforce, she wasn't fazed. "It never bothered me. I have always felt like I fit right in, especially when it's the right school, the right class, or the right company where everybody appreciates learning from each other and working together towards a common goal," she said.

In fact, her experience on North Avenue taught her to always keep learning and never give up, a piece of advice she now passes along to other women entering the industry.

"Don’t be afraid to give your opinion in meetings, speak up and use all of the knowledge that you've learned over the years toward whatever project you're working on," said Voelker, who worked her way up the ladder at Masterack for 18 years before seeking a new challenge at Karma. “That's one thing that I haven't backed down on. If I have a strong opinion about something, I have no fear of saying it.”

Vorpahl and Voelker each commended Karma for their dedication to promoting hard-working women and a culture that fosters diversity — a principle that Vorpahl especially values after completing two study abroad programs at the University of Singapore and the University of Strathclyde.

“One of the biggest advantages was seeing how people from different countries approach design and how different schools approach design. You don’t want a bunch of people who all think exactly the same way. Otherwise, we’d all be driving around in the exact same vehicle,” she said.

Leading Karma’s commercial vehicle product line, Voelker noted that she has continued to see more women in leadership positions and at industry conferences, and she hopes that momentum carries over to the next generation. Highlighting the importance of igniting both young girls’ and boys' interest in STEM, Voelker recently spoke to a local second grade class to share her experiences.

"I've been really fortunate to have had some great mentors over my career, so I love to pay it forward to the younger generation," she said. "They were so excited, and I hope that stays with them and excites them to learn more about engineering."

In addition to providing an example to young women of how to succeed in a competitive industry, Vorpahl also hopes to share the technical aspects of what she's learned in the field with her alma mater and offer future graduates a roadmap to a career in automotive design.

"The students would thrive in this industry because it is so nitpicky, and Tech minds would just love it," she said. "There's not really a direct path from the Georgia Tech studios into car studios, so I'm hoping that I can show them that path."

Voelker and Vorpahl are bonded by their employer and their alma mater, but it’s their shared passion for seeing their hard work hit the pavement that continues to drive them.  

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