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Rob Felt
Alexander Memorial Coliseum was awash in RAT caps at last year’s convocation. This year more women are wearing the freshman caps than ever.
Maladen is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in Daniel Goldman’s Complex Rheology and Biomechanics Lab. Goldman, a co-author of the paper, said Maladen’s “collaboration with physicists in my group to develop predictive simulations of sand swimming could lead to improved understanding of movement in complex terrain as well as provide engineers with experimentally validated design tools.”
Student Center Revamps Menu
Returning upperclassmen tired of venturing off campus for fast, cheap food have a few new on-campus options this school year. The Pandini’s restaurant in the Student Center Commons closed in the spring to make way for three popular fast-food joints, Chick-fil-A, Subway and Taco Bell. “Students were looking for more value-driven brands, and after student research and brand research Subway and Taco Bell were selected,” said Dori Martin, district marketing coordinator and marketing manager for Georgia Tech Dining. The Student Center’s summer face-lift extended to the secondfloor food court, where a smaller Chick-fil-A and a Burger King were shuttered to make room for restaurants offering healthier, more exotic cuisine. Zaya, a Mediterranean restaurant, and Cafe Spice, an Indian restaurant, replaced the eateries. “With the increasing diversity and vegan and vegetarian dining preferences on Georgia Tech’s campus, Cafe Spice and Zaya were the perfect match,” Martin said, adding that people from several campus organizations tasted and evaluated dishes on their appearance, aroma, flavor, texture, authenticity and price. At press time, all of the new restaurants were scheduled to open by the end of August.
Freshman Class Most Diverse
This year’s freshman class is the most diverse in the Institute’s history. More than 35 percent of the freshman class members are women, the largest female population for a freshman class at Georgia Tech in the Institute’s 125-year history. “We’re excited to have such a talented and diverse class. Like many schools around the country, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of applications for freshman admission, but we are pleased that we continue to attract a quality pool,” said Rick Clark, director of Undergraduate Admissions. “I believe our augmented diversity is the result of more streamlined, timely and targeted messages, enhanced marketing and social media presence and dedicated counselors for underrepresented groups,“ Clark said. “In this economy, students and families are looking for an education that will prepare them well for the future,” he said. “Georgia Tech’s position in the top 10 for public institutions for over a decade — and our recent induction into the Association of American Universities — is absolutely helping us to attract the best students both nationally and internationally.” In addition, this year’s freshman class has 55 percent more African-American students and 65 percent more Hispanic students than last year. More than 61 percent of the incoming class is from Georgia. More than 13,500 students applied to Georgia Tech, an 18 percent increase over last year. Applications came from 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 89 countries. More than 21 percent of the class members are legacy students. The most popular majors for freshmen at Georgia Tech are undecided engineering, biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering and management. September/October 2010
Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine
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