Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, Vol. 92 No. 4, Winter 2016

SOLVING THE EARTH’S A BUILDING ALIVE WITH POSSIBILITIES

WATER PROBLEM

A L U M N I

Q&A WITH COACH PASTNER | FOR THE LOVE OF HONEY (BEES)

PURE GOLD HONOREES

M A G A Z I N E

VOLUME

92 NO.4 WINTER

2016

SUSTAIN +ABILITY A better world, built to last

“Co-op was one of the best opportunities given to me, and so was Georgia Tech.”

— Ernest L. “Les” Eaton, ChE 1957 Born and raised in Atlanta, Les Eaton was familiar with Georgia Tech’s outstanding academic achievements and sports

organization that helps veterans and underprivileged children.

A member of The Hill Society, he also demonstrated his deep

reputation from a young age. As a high school student, he

commitment to his alma mater through a retirement account

ushered at football games at Grant Field. When it came time to

expectancy to establish the Ernest L. Eaton Scholarship

choose a college, Georgia Tech was easily his first choice.

Endowment in the College of Engineering, which will provide

As an undergraduate, Eaton was a member of the Georgia

essential support for chemical engineering students who are

Tech Yellow Jacket Marching Band and participated in the

participating in the Co-op Program. He continues to support the

Cooperative Education Program, an experience that provided

scholarship fund through outright gifts as well. It is a plan that

him with valuable work experience and taught him the value

works for him, and benefits Tech students.

of perseverance.

After graduating, Eaton served his country in the United States

“I wanted to financially support Georgia Tech, as well as future generations of chemical engineers in the Co-op Program,

Army and ultimately retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. In addition

and this was an excellent way for me to accomplish that,”

to his military career, Eaton worked in jet engine and rocket

Eaton explained.

design at Pratt and Whitney Aircraft. He went on to fulfill his

His philanthropy helps to ensure that the Institute continues to

lifelong dream to become a commercial pilot, serving as a pilot

open doors of opportunity for academically qualified students

for United Airlines for nearly four decades until his retirement

who face financial challenges. By providing them with the

in 2001. Since then, Eaton has continued to explore the world,

resources necessary to reach their full potential, Eaton will make

pursuing his love of travel. He has also served in the U.S.

a true difference in the lives of Georgia Tech co-op students for

Power Squadron, and works in his Florida community with an

generations to come.

2 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | Volumeis 92the No.honorary 4 2016 Founders’ Council society recognizing donors who have made estate or life-income gifts of $25,000 or more for the support of Georgia Tech. For more information, please contact: 404.894.4678 • founderscouncil@dev.gatech.edu • www.development.gatech.edu

Courses

Certificates

Degrees

Workforce Development

pe.gatech.edu/alumni2017

SOME HING MISSING IN YOUR CAREER? CONTINUE YOUR SUCCESS STORY

PUBLISHER’S LETTER All the Buzz About Sustainability TO MANY, SUSTAINABILITY may seem like the latest buzzword that’s replaced “going green” as the catch phrase for acting environmentally sound. And while the term instantly evokes the need to be mindful stewards of our natural resources, sustainability is much more than that, as we explore in this latest issue of the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine.

Sustainability is interwoven through our lives and there’s no doubt our survival as a species depends on building a more sustainable global economy—one that looks beyond the status quo. After all, Albert Einstein once said that “we cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that caused them.”

Einstein’s words lead me to what we’re doing here at Tech. Our faculty, staff, students and alumni are advancing new ways of thinking about sustainability in very practical, efficient, down-to-earth ways as you would expect from your alma mater.

Our campus is home to the internationally recognized Brooks Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems, which drives scientific research to optimize global infrastructure and improve environmental, social and economic outcomes. Highlighting just one aspect of such research, in this issue Director John Crittenden and other faculty from multiple disciplines take a deep dive into how we need to tackle the world’s water crisis (see “Liquid Assets” on page 58).

Meanwhile, the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business in the Scheller College of Business, is rapidly building on the legacy of its namesake alumnus. Anderson, IE 56, Hon PhD 11, was ahead of the curve in realizing that running a successful, global business didn’t have to be at odds with doing what’s right environmentally and socially (see page 104).

Today, this is exactly what most enlightened CEOs are all doing; it’s called corporate social responsibility.

And plenty of opportunities abound on campus for students to make sustainability a core part of their education, from majoring in

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environmental engineering to serving as a campus beekeeper (see page 12) to participating in more than 70 affiliated courses set up by Tech’s new Serve-Learn-Sustain (SLS) initiative. Conceived by our faculty, SLS serves as the foundation of the Institute’s new, 10-year Quality Enhancement Plan designed to guide learning and co-curricular activities for the next decade.

Not surprisingly, our campus itself is a shining example of sustainability: We practice what we preach.

Tech will soon be home to what will perhaps be the most eco-conscious building ever to be built in the Southeastern U.S., thanks to the Living Building Challenge. Earlier this year, the Institute was awarded $30 million from the esteemed Kendeda Fund to construct a Living Building—tailored for academic use—that would meet the highest possible measures of sustainability, even generating more energy than it consumes (see page 54).

And if the issue wasn’t already packed enough, you’ll also find profiles of eight amazing alumni and friends named the 2017 Gold & White Honors award winners (page 68), an in-depth interview with new men’s basketball head coach Josh Pastner (page 26) and the Alumni Association’s annual report (page 77), which includes results of our latest alumni survey that I think you’ll find interesting.

Enjoy reading! And thanks for your support of Georgia Tech!

JOSEPH P. IRWIN, IM 80 PRESIDENT & CEO GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine Vol. 92, No. 4 PUBLISHER Joseph P. Irwin, IM 80 VP MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Dawn Churi EDITOR Roger Slavens ASSISTANT EDITOR Melissa Fralick DESIGNER Joshua Baker | joshbkr.com COPY EDITOR Rebecca Bowen STUDENT ASSISTANT Derek Nalodka EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Andrea L. Laliberte, IE 82, MS IE 84, Chair Benton J. Mathis Jr., IM 81, Past Chair David Bottoms, Mgt 01, Chair-Elect/Vice Chair of Roll Call Bird Blitch, IE 97, Vice Chair of Finance Jeni Bogdan, Mgt 89, MS MOT 96, Member at Large Elizabeth Bulat Turner, IAML 04, Member at Large James L. Mitchell, CE 05, Member at Large Tyler Townsend, IE 98, Member at Large Joseph P. Irwin, IM 80, President & CEO BOARD OF TRUSTEES Stanley E. Anderson, IM 75; Dorothy B. Autin, ChE 80; Lee A. Baker, IE 90; Julian A. Brown III, Mgt 97; Frank T. Campos, EE 80, MS MoT 96; Catherine C. Davidson, Mgt 89; Richard DeAugustinis, IE 92; W. Keith Edwards, ICS 89, MS ICS 91, PhD ICS 96; D. Shawn Fowler, Mgt 88; Jeffrey V. Giglio, EE 77; Samuel L. Gude III, MBA 08; Julie E. Hall, Phys 99; Cathy P. Hill, EE 84; Lara O’Connor Hodgson, AE 93; Ronald L. Johnson, MS OR 85; Plez A. Joyner, EE 89; Garrett S. Langley, EE 09; Mark E. Ligler, ME 76; Wonya Y. Lucas, IE 83; Robert D. Martin, IE 69; George R. Mason, IE 92; Valerie Montgomery Rice, Chem 83; Thomas J. O’Brien, IE 81; Shantan R. Pesaru CmpE 05; Amy H. Phuong, IA 05, MBA 14; Vicky S. Polashock, ChE 90, Phd ChE 95; William J. Ready, MatE 94, MS MetE 97, PhD MSE 00; John L. Reese III, BC 80; Kary E. Saleeby, NE 77, MS ME 78; Ricardo Salgado, IE 00; John W. Simmons Jr., EE 88; Mayson T. Spellman, Mgt 05; Jocelyn M. Stargel, IE 82, MS IE 86; James F. Stovall IV, CS 01; Kristen M. Thorvig, STC 98; David P. Touwsma, IE 97 ADVERTISING Holly Green (404) 894-0765 holly.green@alumni.gatech.edu GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI MAGAZINE (ISSN: 1061-9747) is published quarterly by the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, 190 North Ave. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30313. Periodical postage paid in Atlanta and additional mailing offices. © 2016 Georgia Tech Alumni Association POSTMASTER Send address changes to: Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, 190 North Ave. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30313 TELEPHONE Georgia Tech Alumni Association (404) 894-2391

TABLE OF CONTENTS D E PA RT M E N T S

CHANGE OF SCENERY

This tranquil spot perched on top of Clough Commons provides students with a sanctuary for studying.

42

Features 42

58

SUSTAIN+ABILITY

LIQUID ASSETS

Georgia Tech’s commitment to pioneering sustainable practices pervades not only its teaching and research, but also its facilities and landscape. Find out how our campus serves as a living laboratory for improving sustainability’s “triple bottom line” of planet, people and profit.

Water is critical to life on earth, but right now contamination, climate change and a growing global population loom as serious threats to our needed supply. Standing on the front lines for this battle are Tech researchers seeking ways to fight our world’s water problems.

Rob Felt

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D E PA RT M E N T S

HIVE MIND

This honey bee hive at Tech provides students opportunities to learn about the importance of pollinators.

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Josh Meister

TABLE OF CONTENTS

10 Around Campus

66 Alumni House

12 For the Love of Honey (Bees) Campus hives allow students to research the world’s threatened pollinators.

16 Ten Questions Faculty member Ted Russell wants to build healthier, more livable cities.

18 Talk of Tech Read compelling stories about our incredible faculty and students.

68 Pure Gold (& White) Meet eight alumni and friends who deserve recognition for their devotion to Tech.

77 Our Annual Report 80 Survey Says We asked, you responded. See the results of the 2016 Georgia Tech Alumni Survey.

83 Is Email Hurting Business? Al Simon, IM 77, explains the benefits of connecting in real life.

86 Ramblin’ Roll 89 Births 90 Weddings 92 In Memoriam

The latest news and views from Georgia Tech

24 On the Field

The scoop on Tech’s studentathletes and alumni 26 Motor to Win New Head Coach Josh Pastner is gearing up to rebuild the men’s basketball program.

30 Hall of Fame Eight Yellow Jackets were inducted into this year’s class of the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.

32 In the World

Ramblin’ Wrecks generating buzz beyond the Institute

12

All about what’s going on at 190 North Avenue

104 Tech History

Memories and artifacts of Tech’s storied past 104 A Sustainable Legacy Alumnus Ray C. Anderson was a pioneer for sustainable business practices.

105 Time Machine 106 Buzzworthy

34 Space Man Shane Kimbrough, MS OR 98, became the second Yellow Jacket to command the ISS this year.

36 What’s Old is New Again Tech alumni launched a nonprofit that keeps reusable building materials out of landfills.

40 Jacket Copy Check out the latest books published by alumni authors.

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FEEDBACK LEAVE NO TRACE?

Kudos to alumnus Michael Grigsby, IE 93, (“Rarefied Air,” Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, Fall 2016, Vol. 92 No. 3) for scaling Mount Everest and rest of the Seven Summits!

However, it’s jarring to see in his photo that Everest’s summit seems to resemble a garbage dump. I’ve read that lower slopes are even worse, with even the dead left behind. Could not the climbing community or Nepal organize some sort of (extremely difficult and dangerous) cleanup? A task for the future and better technology, I suppose.

BILL BROCKMAN, MGT 73 ATLANTA

[Ed. Note.: Michael Grigsby was happy to clarify what you saw at the summit: “The peak of Mount Everest is carefully adorned with Buddhist prayer flags left by climbers as they reach the summit in celebration and gratitude. It is a holy site for the Sherpa people who inhabit the Khumbu region. With possibly 10 feet of snow falling in a single day during the monsoon season and winds of 100 miles per hour as the jet stream sits over the peak of Everest, these summit markers are anything but permanent.

The sensationalist reports in the media about the trash on Everest do not reflect the reality. While there are some remnants of failed expeditions frozen into ice wall of the Lhotse face, the creed of “leave no trace” is strongly adhered to in the mountaineering community and tremendous efforts are made to leave the area just as it was found.”]

WHAT A WALK!

Alumni Magazine (Fall 2016, Vol. 92 No. 4), is another outstanding winner. Many of us try to think of ways to describe Georgia Tech to those who don’t know us well. This one, featuring numerous examples of how Tech alumni, faculty and students “make things work” was an excellent way to get that job done.

The magazine’s sharp content continues to be heartwarming to all of us Yellow Jackets, young and old.

DON CHAPMAN, IM 61 ATLANTA

BRAINTEASERS FOR TECH’S 131ST BIRTHDAY

The Georgia Institute of Technology was founded on Oct. 13, 1885. Three years later, Tech officially opened its doors to students on Oct. 3, 1888, when the first 84 students took the entrance exams. Classes began on Oct. 8. This year, Oct. 13, 2016, marks Georgia Tech’s 131st birthday and, for this occasion, I prepared the following numerical brainteasers as a birthday gift: 1. Last year, Georgia Tech celebrated its 130th birthday on Oct. 13, 2015 which was numerically special since 130 equals the product of 10 and 13,

Well, you’ve done it again. This “Walk This Way” edition of the Georgia Tech

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which are the month and day numbers of Tech’s birthday.

2. Tech’s 131st birthday is also numerically special since the reverse of 1310 representing Tech’s birth date of 13 Oct. results in 0131 (same as 131). Also, 131 is the 32nd prime number where the reverse of 32, namely 23, equals 10 plus 13.

3. Oct. 13 expressed as 1013 minus the sum of its digits, namely 5, results in 1008 representing Oct. 8, which coincides with the first day of classes at Georgia Tech in 1888.

4. This year, 10/08/2016 marks the 128th anniversary of Oct. 8, 1888, where interestingly enough, if 10/08/2016 is split into 1008 and 2016, twice 1008 yields 2016.

5. Furthermore, 131 (this year’s birthday number) is the 32nd prime number where 32 is 25, 128 is 27, and the product of the digits of 1888 (the year when Tech opened) is 29.

6. Moreover, if this year’s birthday expressed as 10/13/2016 is split into 1013 and 2016, the difference of these two numbers yield 1003 representing Oct. 3, the official opening day of the Institute in 1888.

7. If numbers 1 to 26 are assigned to the letters of the English alphabet as A being 1, B being 2, C being 3, etc., the sum of the numbers assigned to the letters of Georgia Institute of Technology equals 344. Interestingly enough, seven times the reverse of 344, namely 443, results in 3101, which is the reverse of 1013 representing Tech’s birth date, Oct. 13.

8. The sum of the digits of 10/13/1885 (Tech’s full birth date) equals 27.

Coincidentally, the sum of the numbers assigned to the letters of GT also equals 27.

Happy (Belated) 131st birthday to Tech!

AZIZ INAN, PROFESSOR OF ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND, PORTLAND, ORE.

Want to get in touch? Send letters to: Editor, Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, 190 North Ave. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30313, or editor@alumni.gatech.edu. Share your personal news, birth and wedding announcements (with photos!), out-and-about snapshots and in memoriam notices at gtalumni.org/magazine.

An MBA Dual Degree Program for Next-Level Leadership Businesses are demanding a new type of leader with deep technology knowledge paired with business acumen, an entrepreneurial mindset, and strong communication skills.

The MBA dual degree option allows you to combine an MBA with an M.S. or Ph.D. degree in programs within the Colleges of Engineering and Computing. Earning a Scheller MBA with another Georgia Tech graduate degree gives you a competitive advantage and a unique blend of skills to accelerate your career.

scheller.gatech.edu/DualDegree

Around Campus GONE WITH THE WIND Located on the ground floor of the Guggenheim Building, this state-of-the-art, low-speed wind tunnel has been used for experimental research and development of many things, including fighter planes and stadium lights. Learn more about Georgia Tech’s hidden spaces and forgotten places at www.news.gatech.edu/features/hidden-georgia-tech.

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Rob Felt

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AROUND CAMPUS

For the Love of Honey (Bees)

I

BY MELISSA FRALICK

Rooftop hives let Tech students research how to sustain the world’s threatened bee population.

IF JENNIFER LEAVEY, Chem 95, has learned one thing over the past four years, it’s that Yellow Jackets love honey bees.

In 2012, Leavey helped to establish honey bee hives on campus as a way to connect and focus a diverse range of students within the College of Sciences on a common goal. But soon, she started hearing from students, faculty and alumni from all across campus and beyond who also wanted to get involved.

“I had so much interest, I had to find a way to manage the enthusiasm for the bees,” says Leavey, a senior academic professional in the School of Biology and the integrated science curriculum coordinator for the College of Sciences.

So what started as a research project to investigate the effects of urban habitats on honey bees soon blossomed into something far broader. Today, the Urban Honey Bee Project offers monthly

the

BASELINE

programming and education about beekeeping, provides community outreach, and even produces honey and lip balm made from Tech’s bees.

The hives, located on the roof of the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons, serve not only as a refuge for bees in Midtown Atlanta, but also as a living laboratory for undergraduate research and a hub for learning about the plight of pollinators.

This year proved to be a tough year for Georgia Tech bees. At its peak, the Urban Honey Bee Project has maintained as many as seven hives at once. But this year, four hives were lost and just one survived.

Unfortunately, these losses aren’t isolated at Tech.

Leavey says that last year 40 percent of all managed beehives in the world were lost. That number is sobering when you consider that insect and animal pollinators like bees are responsible for the success of 75 percent of all food crops.

Parasitic diseases, as well as viral, bacterial and fungal infections, are partly to blame, Leavey says. And bees are also falling victim to pesticides, insecticides and toxins used in landscaping and agriculture.

Recent concerns over the spread of the Zika virus have proved especially harmful to beehives in South America and, now, even the Southern United States.

Why? Poisons strong enough to eradicate adult mosquitoes will also kill bees.

“Mosquito control is a huge issue this year,” Leavey says.

That said, scientists still don’t know exactly what is causing global bee populations to decline. It’s a big problem, and Tech students are stepping up to the plate to do what they do best: solve problems.

Student Arshiya Singh is part of an interdisciplinary research team using Big Data to search for answers.

If you’ve ever taken a photo of a bee landing on a pretty flower, you might be helping their cause. Tech students

Today, the Urban Honey Bee Project offers monthly programming and education about beekeeping, provides community outreach, and even produces honey and lip balm made from Tech’s bees.

#2

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RANKING OF TECH’S College of Engineering in the U.S. for overall quality by College Factual

118

MEGAWATT-HOURS of energy produced by solar panels on the roof of Clough Commons each year

OF COURSE: NOT NAUGHTY BY NATURE CEE 6345 – SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING The course is intended to introduce students to the interaction between human and natural environment, and provide an overview on the emerging science of sustainability.

INSTRUCTOR: John C. Crittenden, Director, Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems, Hightower Chair and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Environmental Technologies OBJECTIVE: At the end of the course, the students are expected to be cognizant about the concept of sustainability, the metrics of sustainability, and be able to use the principles of sustainability in their respective fields of practice.

PREREQUISITES: None. It requires basic mathematical skills, and the willingness to conduct quantitative analyses.

PROBLEM QUESTION: Our socioeconomic system is far from sustainable, and this may cause us guilt and perhaps frustration. What social conditions, economic opportunities and environmental qualities are essential if we are to reconcile society’s development goals with international environmental limitations?

COURSE TOPICS: The course is intended to introduce students to the interaction between the human and natural environment, focusing on how the anthropogenic activities have altered the natural environment, and provide an overview on the emerging science of sustainability. This course will identify the impacts associated with resource consumption and environmental pollution, and present the quantitative tools necessary for assessing environmental impacts and design for sustainability.

14

NUMBER OF GEORGIA TECH ASTRONAUTS who have been to outer space

Josh Meister

3,600

NEW GRADUATE STUDENTS enrolled at Georgia Tech this fall

97%

FRESHMAN RETENTION RATE at Tech, an all-time high

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AROUND CAMPUS and faculty are using data collected from more,” Vacovsky says. bee photos posted to the image-sharing Back at Tech, she started volunteerwebsite Flickr to search for patterns. And ing with the Urban Honey Bee Project this semester, they’re working to build a to help maintain the hives and worked mobile app that will make it fun for people with Leavey as a student assistant. Vato upload their images. covsky says she enjoyed handing out “We’re trying to create more geo-tagged pamphlets and talking to people about photos with this app so it’s easier to map bees while selling honey at the camout where bees are currently,” Singh says. pus farmer’s market.

“Its gotten me more interested in how “That was my favorite part—teachyou analyze data and collect it—and how ing people about honey bees and to engage people to help with important making them more aware of their causes like this.” dire situation,” Vacovsky says, pointA third-year computer science major ing out that if all honey bees were to at Tech, Singh is not exactly the type of die off, our food supply would be at student you would expect to be doing regreat risk and flowering plants would search on bees. be threatened as well. “For some “You’d think it’s just a biology thing,” people, it’s still kind of a shock that Jennifer Leavey, Chem 95, leads Tech’s Urban Honey Singh says. “But it’s relevant to my studpollinator populations are declining,” Bee Project. ies because it’s about more than bees; it’s she says. about collecting and analyzing and storing information.”

Vacovsky continued her passion for bees after graduation.

The hives are a great resource for research, but some This summer, she served as the assistant program coordipeople—both on and off campus—gravitate toward them benator for Bee-INSPIRED, a 10-week research and service cause of their general interests in bees and sustainability. program at Tech. Recently, she earned her beekeeper’s certification and started her own beekeeping company, called Southeast Beescapes. “I hope it’s a big part of my life moving forward,” Vacovsky says.

The Urban Honey Bee Project offers monthly outreach programs, including an intro to beekeeping class and hive inspections. Vacovsky says inspections are important to catch any issues and ensure that the hives are healthy. During inspections, you’re looking for signs of the queen, eggs and larvae, food stores like pollen and honey, and harvest honey if there is extra. “Especially if there are signs of disease or virus, you want to catch that early,” Vacovsky says. “The worst threat, the most direct threat is called the varroa mite. It’s basically a tick for bees. It’s a tiny mite that stays on the back of While there isn’t a formal student club, there are lots of opthe bee’s neck and can transfer diseases.” portunities for students to volunteer, Leavey says. “We have a The success of the Urban Honey Bee Project, along with pretty established program and they can jump in and get inthe Institute’s overall sustainability push, led to Tech being volved in a variety of ways.” named the nation’s second Bee Campus USA affiliate last Brooke Vacovsky, CS 15, was first intrigued by honey bees year. Leavey says she couldn’t imagine four years ago how while studying abroad in Copenhagen. She was working with successful the Urban Honey Bee Project would be with stua community garden when she began looking into introducing dents, staff and alumni. “It’s been really fun,” Leavey says. “For a beehive as a way to improve crop yields. many who have participated, their curiosity about bees has “Everything I learned about them interested me more and turned into a passionate love for them.”

“That was my favorite part—teaching people about honey bees and making them more aware of their dire situation,” Vacovsky says.

the

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1913

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THE YEAR THAT DRAMATECH WAS FOUNDED, making it the oldest continuously running theater in the state of Georgia

#9

TECH’S RANKING as a U.S. research university, according to Best College Reviews Josh Meister

WHEN YOU NEED CARE, WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED Proud to be the largest health system in Georgia.

wellstar.org Volume 92 No. 4 2016 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | 15

10 QUESTIONS

Building Healthier Cities

BY TONY REHAGEN

Air quality expert and Tech professor Armistead Russell wants to make urban areas more sustainable and livable for the long term.

TECH ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING PROFESSOR Armistead “Ted” Russell has traveled the world, including China, India and Minneapolis, studying air quality and its impacts on urban life. He is also part of a team of scientists, policymakers and industrialists working with the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Sustainability Research Network (SRN) to build better cities. This year, the program’s second, Russell and his colleagues finally hit the pavement in Minneapolis to understand how things like climate change and parks affect city living.

1. WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THE NSF’S SUSTAINABILITY RESEARCH NETWORK PROJECT? Our focus is how infrastructure relates to or determines these various outcomes in cities. If we better understand variables such as transportation systems, pollution, the presence of greenspaces and pedestrian areas, and more, we can help cities address those issues and evolve into healthier, more livable places for human beings.

2. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE? People are focused on reducing climate change by looking pretty far— 50 to 100 years—down the road. My hypothesis has been that we can affect faster change by identifying drivers that are more immediate to people. In developing countries, people have to worry about their individual health and welfare on a daily basis. As part of the SRN project, we looked at air pollution and health drivers to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide. By doing this, we can identify strategies that will in the long run decrease global warming and, in the short run, also have tremendous benefits to improve citizens’ health.

3. SO YOU NEED TO FIND SHORT-TERM MOTIVATION FOR PEOPLE TO BUY IN TO CHANGE? Yes. For instance, on a previous

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project in India, we were looking at a couple of controls that could reduce the soiling of the Taj Mahal, the nation’s most visited architectural landmark. Meanwhile, this work also held long-term implications for reducing the emissions of radioactive gas so health conditions could be improved. Our study got quite a bit of press in India because it involved an iconic monument that most citizens held a personal stake in and because also we could make a quick, visible impact.

4. HOW DO YOU MOTIVATE PEOPLE TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS IN THE UNITED STATES? We focus on E,H,W and L: Environmental sustainability, Health, Well-being and Liveability.

We want to identify how people can be healthier and cities in which they will feel better. When people decide where they want to live and raise families, these factors are major drivers. We’re looking at how citizens are interacting with their city’s infrastructure, including the roads they drive on, the parks they frequent, the neighborhoods where they live, the services and amenities that are available to them, etc. We look at key things like water, transportation, waste management, energy and housing, too.

5. ARE THERE ALSO DIFFERENT OBSTACLES HERE IN THE U.S. THAN THERE ARE IN, SAY, CHINA? Over the next decade, China will be busy building the equivalent of the U.S. infrastructure. Their cities are growing that quickly.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has a variety of types of urban areas, and each has its own opportunities and challenges. We have Atlanta, which has been rapidly evolving over the last three or four decades. And Atlanta has the ability to sprawl. Then there’s New York City that is still growing, but has to grow in a different way because of geographic limitations. Then there’s Detroit, which has been devastated by economic impacts to manufacturing and other industries, but has tons of free space for revitalization and growth.

We’re working to identify how these cities can best evolve, and what changes people demand to make them more livable and healthy.

“In terms of health, particulate matter is one of the top five causes of premature death in countries throughout the world,” Russell says.

6. YOUR EXPERTISE IS IN AIR QUALITY. WHAT ARE THE MAJOR POLLUTANTS THAT CITIES IN PARTICULAR MUST CONTEND WITH? The biggest pollutants are particulate matter—small particles in the air of metals, ions, organics and soot. They come from virtually every activity that goes on in a city. There are even pollutants from trees and plants. They’re a major contributor in the Southeast.

Diesel trucks and cars that are not well maintained. Forest fires. Even livestock—their waste decomposes and releases ammonia. It comes from a huge variety of activities. In terms of health, particulate matter is one of the top 5 causes of premature death in countries throughout the world. It’s a problem even in the U.S. 7. HAVE YOU MET ANY RESISTANCE TO YOUR SUSTAINABILITY WORK FROM THOSE WHO STILL AREN’T ON BOARD WITH THE

Justen Clay

REALITY OF CLIMATE CHANGE? We work extensively with the cities themselves and, by and large, they are on board. The local level has actually been the leader in addressing climate change in the U.S. in terms of government. There has been much more resistance at the state and federal levels.

8. WHY IS THAT? Cities are just that much closer to their citizens and their needs and concerns. City governments are also the ones who have to address it much more intimately.

9. ARE THERE ANY GAME CHANGERS YOU SEE THAT CAN MAKE DRAMATIC IMPACTS ON THE HEALTH AND LIVABILITY OF CITIES? We see the use of autonomous cars as a potential game changer. They’re cleaner. There could be fewer of them, freeing up roads. And they can provide greater mobility for a broader swath of the population.

Renewable energy has been around for a while, but it will still continue to improve. Fossil fuel use will peak in 2030 because alternative, renewable energy options for powering the electrical grid will be far cheaper than running a coalfired power plant.

10. WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE SUSTAINABLE RESEARCH NETWORK? We’re going to be going out in the field this second year in Minneapolis. Eventually, we’ll have projects in Atlanta, India and New York City. My work is always full of surprises. But when you can identify new factors, it means you have another lever on the system that you can pull on to improve the situation.

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TALK OF TECH

But, But: Allow Me to Interrupt

BY VICTOR ROGERS

Candidates talking over each other was endemic in this year’s presidential debates, but how can we avoid the temptation to interrupt, interject and correct during normal conversations?

ONE OF THE HALLMARKS OF THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE SEASON was how often the candidates interrupted or outright talked over each other. Interruptions are a part of normal conversation, but made-for-TV debates are most definitely not normal conversation.

“Debates usually have a turn-taking system and a moderator that is meant to manage the turn-taking,” says Brian Larson, an assistant professor in Tech’s School of Literature, Media and Communication. “This is what allows each candidate to expose their ideas and personalities to the audience,” he says.

But during the presidential debates the moderators were mostly ignored while interruptions—driven by unchecked disagreement—took center stage. And most watchers agreed they demonstrated bad form.

“Such actions are often an effort by the interrupter to cast doubt on what the speaker is saying,” Larson say. “We call that a ‘face-threatening act’—one designed to exert the interrupter’s power over the speaker or to weaken the speaker’s position or credibility with the audience.”

But interruptions don’t just happen

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in front of millions of people. They happen in private life and at work, when there usually isn’t a moderator to manage the conversation.

“In an unmoderated conversation, turn-taking is negotiated differently,” says Richard Utz, chair of the School of Literature, Media, and Communication.

“Intonation, pausing, phrasing or non-verbal cues that one is winding down—such as raising one’s hand during class or a meeting—can all be read as an invitation to take the floor.”

Larson says that when you are in a new environment, a good strategy is to watch what other people are doing.

$606 MILLION

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ANNUAL REVENUE PRODUCED by the Georgia Tech Research Corporation

“In typical conversation, there should be give and take, with equal time for each party, but some people just like to talk or cannot seem to hear an interlocutor,” Colatrella says.

“For instance, if someone is speaking does everyone wait until there is a gap before interrupting—or do they wait until it sounds like the end of what the speaker is saying?” Larson asks. “Do they raise their hands? Does someone— a meeting leader or teacher— appear to be allocating speaking turns?”

Sometimes it’s just hard to get a word in edgewise.

“In typical conversation, there should be give and take, with equal time for each party, but some people just like to talk or cannot seem to hear an interlocutor,” says Carol Colatrella, professor and associate dean for graduate studies in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

She notes that some people are more polite than others who do not hesitate to interrupt.

“In everyday life, the person with more authority or fewer manners is more likely to speak over someone,” she says. “Adults will speak over children, and bullies speak over anyone else.”

In general, there’s a noticeable gender difference when it comes to interrupting, but relatively small across different types of conversations, according to Utz. He notes that interruptions are actually more common in all-male than all-female conversations.

“While men interrupt women at least as often or somewhat more often than women interrupt men, gender difference reveals itself more forcefully depending on whether the conversation is public or private,

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related to status and dominance, or to building community and connection,” Utz says. “In public conversations related to social status and competition, men will out-interrupt women. Women seem to ‘interrupt’ men more often in private conversations to perform socalled cooperative overlap to indicate interest, support or affirmation.”

Utz says that it isn’t surprising that in a hyper-public situation such as the presidential debates, Donald Trump interrupted Hillary Clinton considerably more often than she interrupted him. During the second debate he interrupted her 13 times while she interrupted him once.

Avoiding the temptation to interrupt someone else takes self-awareness, restraint and lots of practice, says Utz. “One technique I have found helpful is that of reflective listening,” he says. “Instead of immediately seeking to establish social superiority, making a conscious attempt at understanding the other speaker’s views by repeating his or her idea back to her or him in my own words can establish a better foundation for a collaborative conversation” Colatrella says that it has taken time for her to learn some strategies to express her point of view in a contentious meeting when it is difficult to take the floor.

“I try to speak only when I have something significant to say,” she says.

“I prepare to say something concise and relevant. And I raise my hand and wave it if necessary.”

NUMBER OF FLAGS hanging in the Smithgall Student Services Building, representing the countries from which Tech students hail

13

NUMBER OF CURRENT NFL PLAYERS from Georgia Tech

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING RANKED NATION’S BEST

THE WALLACE H. COULTER DEPA RT M E N T O F B I O M E D I CA L ENGINEERING at Georgia Tech and Emory has climbed to No. 1 in U.S. News & World Report’s latest ranking of the nation’s top undergraduate biomedical engineering programs.

The department is a partnership between Emory University’s School of Medicine and Georgia Tech’s College of Engineering.

“This ranking is a testament to the excellence of our faculty, staff and students, and to our culture of ‘fearless problem solving’ and effective communication that prepares our graduates for complex-real world challenges,” says C. Ross Ethier, interim chair of the department. “Further, the synergy between Georgia Tech engineering and the Emory School of Medicine is part of the magic that makes our program outstanding.”

Biomedical engineering joins the George H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering to give Tech’s College of Engineering two No. 1 ranked programs nationally. Overall, the College of Engineering ranked seventh in the nation, with all of its specialized areas of study making the top 10 in their disciplines.

WALTER RICH, BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

5

NUMBER OF CURRENT NBA PLAYERS from Georgia Tech

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TALK OF TECH

How Big Data and AI Could Help Solve Ecological Challenges

BY JASON MADERER

Tech faculty and students set to work with the Smithsonian Institute and IBM to unlock knowledge for making the world a better place to live.

SOON GEORGIA TECH SCIENTISTS AND STUDENTS will have the chance to easily test hypotheses about America’s ecological challenges with the help of an ensemble of cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence. Tech researchers will link their technology for “systems thinking” with IBM Watson and the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) at the Smithsonian Institute and then be able to use the shared information to create their new models for understanding and solving environmental problems.

The project is one of 10 “Big Data Spokes” announced by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF’s $10 million initiative was created to improve the ability to solve the nation’s most pressing challenges with the use of Big Data. The Georgia Tech, Smithsonian and IBM Spoke will receive $1 million from NSF. IBM will also provide in-kind gifts. Overall, the project engages 24 researchers from 14 institutions from academia, industry, government and nonprofit organizations.

“Environmental sustainability is a growing concern for our country,” says Tech professor Ashok Goel who serves as the principal investigator of the collaboration. “Scientists and citizens need better tools and data to rapidly build and test conceptual models of ecological phenomena. We want to empower them.”

The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL),

headquartered at the Smithsonian Institution, is an online, open-access database that gathers information about all biological species on Earth.

“Modelers tell us that predicting an ecosystem’s response to global changes requires knowledge of things like the mass of an algal cell, the lifespan of a copepod and the ecological partners of a reef-building coral,” says Bob Corrigan, EOL’s director of operations. “EOL is surfacing, structuring and sharing hundreds of years of careful measurements by generations of biologists. Combining these assets with the capabilities of Georgia Tech and IBM will give scientists and students alike the ability to model and study our biosphere at scales

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that have not been possible before.”

As part of the Spoke project, Watson Developer Cloud’s Language and Vision services will be trained to deeply understand the specialized ecology domain represented in the EOL webpages and images.

“Unlocking all of this unstructured information from the Smithsonian’s Encyclopedia of Life, bringing it into the context of other relevant structured knowledge, and making it available for further human and machine reasoning holds tremendous potential,” says Lisa Amini, director of Cognitive Computing: Knowledge and Reasoning at IBM Research. “The possibilities are endless.”

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TALK OF TECH THE TEXTILE THAT PROVES REAL ‘POWER’ TIES MAY BE IN OUR FUTURE FABRICS THAT CAN GENERATE electricity from physical movement have been in the works for a while now. But Tech researchers recently have taken the next step, developing a fabric that can simultaneously harvest energy from both sunshine and motion. Combining these two ways of generating electricity into one textile paves the way for developing garments that could provide their own source of energy to power devices such as smart phones or global positioning systems.

“This hybrid power textile presents a novel solution to charging devices in the field from something as simple as the wind blowing on a sunny day,” says Zhong Lin Wang, a Regents professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering.

To make the fabric, Wang’s team used a commercial textile machine to weave together solar cells constructed from

lightweight polymer fibers with fiber-based triboelectric nanogenerators. These nanogenerators use a combination of the triboelectric effect and electrostatic induction to generate small amount of electrical power from mechanical motion such as rotation, sliding or vibration.

Wang envisions that the new fabric, which is 320 micrometers thick and woven together with strands of wool, could be integrated into tents, curtains or wearable garments.

“The fabric is highly flexible, breathable, lightweight and adaptable to a range of uses,” he says.

While early tests indicate the fabric can

withstand repeated and rigorous use, researchers will be looking into its long-term durability. Next steps also include further optimizing the fabric for industrial uses, including developing ways to protect the electrical components from rain and moisture. JOHN BROWN, RESEARCH NEWS

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On the Field

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MAKING AN EARLY STATEMENT The Georgia Tech women’s basketball team snapped a five-game losing streak against a rival Georgia Bulldogs squad with a 52-45 victory, and moved to 4-0 early in the season.

Junior Zaire O’Neil (#21) scored a game-high 20 points, just four points shy of matching her career high, and added six rebounds, two blocks and one steal.

Danny Karnik

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ON THE FIELD

A Motor for Winning

J

BY ROGER SLAVENS

New head coach Josh Pastner seems to be a perfect fit for rebuilding the Yellow Jackets men’s basketball program.

JOSH PASTNER HATES TO LOSE. And by any objective measure, he hasn’t done much of it. Since his highschool hoops days in Texas and throughout his collegiate career as a player and coach at Arizona and Memphis, he’s never won fewer than 18 games in a season. Pastner even says that he’s never lost more than three basketball games in a row. And as a head coach, he holds a stellar winning percentage near 70 percent.

The Tech faithful hate to lose, too. They want their men’s basketball team to compete in the postseason year in, year out, and maybe even win an ACC championship now and again.

So don’t let Pastner’s baby-faced, Peter Brady-like good looks fool you. Though young, he has the championship pedigree and coaching experience to take the team to great heights—eventually. As the head coach of the Memphis Tigers, he guided the men’s basketball team to dance in four March Madness tournaments in seven seasons. The Yellow Jackets haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2011.

Pastner’s loathing of losing has given him intense focus and drive since he was a kid. By the age of 10, he knew he wanted to grow up to be a basketball coach (like his father).

And, as a teenager, not only did he start self-publishing the Josh Pastner Scouting Report that rated local high-school talent in Houston, but also he coached a top AAU hoops team.

As a freshman walk-on for the University of Arizona Wildcats, he won a 1997 NCAA championship playing

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“There’s tremendous potential already with the team I’ve inherited, and we’re going to fight and scrap and play as hard as anyone. We’re going to do all we can to win every time we step on the floor this season,” Pastner says. for legendary coach Lute Olson. Though Pastner primarily rode the pine all four years he was on the team, he was regarded as essential to the Wildcats’ success because he served as something of a player-coach, constantly working to help his teammates get better. And as a student, he earned his bachelor’s degree in just two-and-a-half years at Arizona—once taking 33 credit hours in a single semester— and his master’s degree the year after.

If that’s not focus enough, outside of basketball, Pastner today claims no real hobbies, except for spending quality time with his wife and three kids. He refuses to use profanity on or off the court. And he’s never touched a drop of alcohol or even carbonated soda in his life.

Pastner made time in his busy schedule to sit down with the Alumni Magazine to let Tech’s basketball fans get to know him and his approach to the game a little better.

NUMBER OF CAREER DIGS that made London Ackermann the Yellow Jackets volleyball team’s all-time leader

# 20

OFFICIAL WORLD Golf Ranking for Tech alum, Matt Kuchar, as of Nov. 20

HOW HAVE YOU BEEN RECEIVED

BY TECH ALUMNI, STUDENTS AND FANS SO FAR? PASTNER: There’s no doubt that Tech alumni and students love their sports, especially basketball. There is an amazing thirst for the men’s basketball program to be successful again. It’s been a long time and there’s an extreme desire to get the program back to where it was in the days of Coach [Bobby] Cremins when the team regularly danced during March Madness. For me, that’s exciting.

AND HOW LONG DO YOU THINK IT WILL TAKE FOR THEIR THIRST TO BE QUENCHED? PASTNER: I think people recognize it’s going to take some time.

When I was hired, they told me it was going to be like launching a startup company—starting from scratch, blowing the whole thing up. And because we’re hitting that reset button, almost every publication has us picked to wind up in last place in the ACC. Some publications even say that we’re not going to win a single game in conference play this season.

BUT YOU HATE LOSING.

WHAT HAS MOST IMPRESSED YOU THIS FIRST SEVERAL MONTHS AT GEORGIA TECH? JOSH PASTNER: To me, the Georgia Tech way is not just about the strength of the academics, but also about the strength of its work ethic. Whether you’re a student or a member of the faculty or staff, you’re going to struggle to succeed if you’re not properly motivated—no matter how smart you are. And it’s this motor that will get you through Tech’s toughest challenges and drive you to excel at one of the world’s premier institutions.

# 11 Josh Meister

NATIONAL RANKING OF THE GEORGIA TECH men’s swimming and diving team, according to collegeswimming.com, as of Nov. 22

PASTNER: My hope for this year is that we’ll undersell and overperform. There’s tremendous potential already with the team I’ve inherited, and we’re going to fight and scrap and play as hard as anyone. We’re going to do all we can to win every time we step on the floor this season.

Still, I’m here to build a sustainable, championship-level program. It’s going to take multiple recruiting classes to get there. The great thing in college basketball, however, is that you don’t need to sign 18 to 20 athletes every year like you do in football. You just need to sign a couple of talented and complementary players each season to build your program.

87%

GEORGIA TECH ATHLETICS’ NCAA Graduation Success Rate, an all-time high

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ON THE FIELD “We’re going to run a lot, play uptempo. ... We’ll be full-throttle, competitive, leaving it all on the line,” Pastner says.

That said, I’ve never been part of something that’s been picked last place, ever. So I’m going to hold myself to the highest standard and put pressure on myself to find ways to win despite the external expectations for us to struggle. And as a team, we’re going to fight to try to prove everyone wrong. We’re going to play with an edge and a chip on our shoulders.

I believe that we’ll be a much better team by the end of the season, and we’ll surprise a lot of people. Will we win 18 games? I can’t predict that but I know that we will try our hardest.

HOW HAVE YOU GONE ABOUT CHANGING THE MEN’S BASKETBALL PROGRAM CULTURE AND APPROACH? PASTNER: I started by looking outside the box and consulting with people in the private sector—leaders in the business world and from startup companies—to examine how they’ve been able to achieve success quickly and sustain it. Based on this and my own experiences in the coaching arena, I believe there are three important things to build a program from the ground up.

First off, you need to start by hiring a great staff, and I think I’ve done that. I looked to find people who knew Georgia Tech well or who have worked at institutions with both strong academic and athletic track records. And just like I do in recruiting student-athletes, I looked for assistants and staff with strong motors. If I have to motivate you to be driven, then we’re not aligned and you’re not a good fit. I don’t want entitlement—I want appreciation.

Second, you have to be relentless in recruiting talent. We need to go after players who are ACC caliber, but also look for guys who are underneath the radar a little bit. And we need student-athletes who want to be at Georgia Tech.

I would say the third thing is scheduling. It’s really

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important to be smart about our non-conference matches because we play in the best basketball league outside of the NBA. We need to build momentum early in the season so that when we reach conference play, we’re ready to compete for an ACC title or to do well in the conference tournament.

YOU WON A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AS A PLAYER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA AND STUDIED UNDER LUTE OLSON AND JOHN CALIPARI AS AN ASSISTANT COACH. WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT PROGRAM BUILDING FROM THESE LEGENDARY COACHES? PASTNER: Both Coach Olson and Coach Calipari are in the Basketball Hall of Fame, and deservedly so. I worked for two elite guys and I learned a number of things from both. But I can’t be either one of them—I can’t even be a combination of the two of them. I have to be Josh Pastner. I have to be comfortable in my own skin.

I evolved under their tutelage, but I also grew tremendously during my time on my own as head coach at Memphis. I learned that the No. 1 thing in being a good leader—a good coach—is self-awareness. I know what my strengths are, and the good Lord knows the thousands of weaknesses that I have. When I hired my staff, I consciously brought in people with the strengths to help me with my weaknesses.

To be part of a team that’s won a national championship in college basketball is such rarefied air these days that only a few people know what’s involved with that achievement.

I understand the blueprint of what it takes to get there.

And as much as this is going to be a new and unprecedented journey for me—building a program from the ground up— I’m excited about the challenge.

YOU’RE REGARDED AS A SAVVY RECRUITER. WHAT’S CORE TO YOUR RECRUITING PROCESS? WHAT DO YOU DO DIFFERENTLY THAN OTHER COACHES? PASTNER: The most important thing to succeeding in recruiting is that you have to enjoy it. You have to embrace it.

I’ve been in attack mode since I was an assistant coach hitting the recruiting trail during my early days in Arizona. I believe in the word “attack” when it comes to recruiting. It means you’re owning it.

COMBINED NUMBER of home games the Georgia Tech men’s and women’s basketball teams will play this season

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14

NUMBER OF SEASONS former Georgia Tech baseball player, Mark Teixeira, played before announcing his retirement this year

During a timeout, Pastner tries to rally the Yellow Jackets squad during a tough non-conference match against the Ohio Bobcats.

But it’s also important to know when to back off on recruiting a specific player, to know when to get out and move elsewhere. If you’re number five or six on the list for a top player, you’re often better off focusing on someone who’s almost as good whom you have a better chance of landing.

There’s nothing good about finishing second place in recruiting a player.

The clincher is follow-up and follow-through. When I tell a recruit I’m going to do something, I’m really careful with the words I use and I make sure that I’m able to back them up.

Otherwise, I’d lose all credibility.

WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES IN RECRUITING IN THE ACC AND FOR GEORGIA TECH SPECIFICALLY? PASTNER: Being in the ACC, first of all, opens up a lot of doors.

Kids want to play in the ACC, not only because it’s the best of the best, but also because of the sheer amount of media exposure.

As for Tech, we’re right smack dab in the middle of a major city like Atlanta which is as dynamic a place as there is in the entire country. There are tons of great players locally to go after. And Tech’s academics are a huge selling point for players who are serious about getting a great education. However, there are some challenges, too, because there are many great prospects who don’t fit the Georgia Tech mission or mold.

That means we have to find the right fit both in terms of basketball and academics.

WHAT TRAITS DO YOU LOOK FOR FIRST WHEN RECRUITING STUDENT-ATHLETES?

Danny Karnik

PASTNER: Purely in terms of basketball skills, I look for guys who can play on the perimeter and flat out put the ball in the basket, shoot threes. As a coach, you can never have enough scorers.

But what I really want are guys who are driven—gym rats with a distinct distaste for losing. It’s a perfect fit with that Georgia Tech mentality and work ethic we first talked about. I want them to hurt inside when they lose in a practice drill to one of their teammates.

I want them to be upset when they lose in a pickup game. I want them to want to win every time they play.

HOW DO YOU EXPECT YOUR TEAM TO PLAY THIS YEAR? PASTNER: We’re going to run a lot, play up-tempo. My guys will be in great physical shape, and that can be the difference between winning and losing close games at the end. There’s also going to be a lot of ball movement—space and pace. The open man will be the go-to guy. We’ll fight to win every 50/50 ball battle. We’ll be full-throttle, competitive, leaving it all on the line. It will be a fun team to watch.

THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR WHO HIRED YOU IS NO LONGER AT TECH. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH NEW AD TODD STANSBURY? PASTNER: I was obviously caught off guard big time when Mike Bobinski announced he was leaving [to be the AD at Purdue]. I love Mike and I’m so appreciative of the opportunity he gave me. However, Todd has an excellent reputation in the business and though I’d never met him before he came on board, I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about him from colleagues who worked with him at Central Florida and Oregon State.

We’ve now had the chance to get together several times and we’ve had excellent discussions about the program. I think he understands the situation that I was hired into, and he understands that it’s going to take some time to rebuild.

But he was at Tech back in the day of Coach Cremins and, like me, he wants to see Yellow Jackets basketball get back to that level. We share the same vision and I’m excited to have an opportunity to work for him.

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ON THE FIELD

EUBANKS CEMENTS TOP STATUS IN COLLEGE TENNIS RANKS IT’S BEEN A HELLUVA YEAR on the courts for Yellow Jackets’ men’s tennis standout Chris Eubanks. A junior and Atlanta native, Eubanks was recently selected to represent the U.S. in the annual Master’U BNP Paribas International Collegiate Team Competition held in France this December. He is among six collegians named by the United States Tennis Association to represent his country. Earlier this year, Eubanks led Tech to the NCAA Team Championship. He’s earned a berth in the NCAA Singles Championship each of his first two years, and became one of the top 10 players in the nation as a sophomore. He was ranked No. 5 in the nation this pre-season by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

8 STARS INDUCTED INTO TECH SPORTS HALL OF FAME GEORGIA TECH LEGENDS CALVIN JOHNSON AND JARRETT JACK as well as former major league infielder Eric Patterson and current PGA Tour player Nicholas Thompson, headlined eight former Georgia Tech sports icons inducted into the 2016 Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame class.

Here’s more about the inductees: LYNN HOUSTON MOORE, TRACK AND FIELD (1995-99) A 1999 All-American in the high jump, Moore won four ACC titles, two indoor and two outdoor, and earned All-ACC honors six times. She finished fourth at the NCAA Championships, and won the ACC indoor and outdoor titles in 1996 and 1997.

JARRETT JACK, BASKETBALL (200205) Jack led the Yellow Jackets as the team’s starting point guard into the postseason every year of his collegiate hoops career, including the national championship game in 2004. A veteran of 12 seasons in the NBA, Jack currently plays for the Brooklyn Nets.

CALVIN JOHNSON, FOOTBALL (2004-06) Over a three-year career, Johnson set Tech career standards for receiving yards (2,927) and touchdown receptions (28). He was a unanimous All-American selection as a senior and won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver in 2006. Johnson retired from the NFL this year following a stellar nine-year career with the Detroit Lions.

BRENDON MAHONEY, TRACK AND FIELD (2000-04) Twice named the ACC’s Most Valuable Performer, Mahoney won All-ACC honors 13 times and won seven ACC titles in his four years at Tech. He earned All-America honors in three different events, including the 800 meter, the mile and the 1500 meters.

ERICPATTERSON, BASEBALL (2002-04) Patterson earned All-America honors and helped spur the Jackets to their second trip to the College World Series his first year on the team. He made the All-ACC team three times in three years and helped Tech to 140 victories, including ACC Tournament and regular-season titles. Patterson played for four MLB teams from 2007-11.

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MICHAEL SORROW, BASEBALL (1993-96) A four-year starter on the infield for Tech teams that won 175 games and played in four NCAA Tournaments, Sorrow was named a secondteam All-American his senior year and earned All-ACC honors twice. In 1994, he helped the Jackets reach their first-ever College World Series and advance to the championship game.

NICHOLAS THOMPSON, GOLF (2001-05) A three-time All-ACC performer and a fourtime All-American, Thompson was played in four NCAA Championships, including on two teams that finished runner-up in 2002 and 2005. Thompson has played 11 years combined on the PGA and Web.com tours.

JAIME WONG, TENNIS (2000-03) One of the top performers in Georgia Tech tennis history, Wong left the Flats with a school record for career singles (101) and doubles wins (82), and became the first Tech women’s tennis player to play in the NCAA Singles Championship in 2002. She made first-team All-ACC three times and led Tech to the NCAA Team Championship all four years.

In the World 3... 2... 1... LIFTOFF! Shane Kimbrough, MS OR 98, and two Russian cosmonauts were launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Oct. 19 aboard a Soyuz spacecraft headed for the International Space Station (ISS). This marked Kimbrough’s second mission to outer space, as well as the second time this year Georgia Tech had an astronaut alumnus commanding the ISS.

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NASA

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IN THE WORLD

Space Man

BY JASON MADERER

Shane Kimbrough, MS OR 98, took command of the International Space Station this October.

THE LATEST CHAPTER IN GEORGIA TECH’S LONG HISTORY in space began Wednesday morning, Oct. 19, on a launch pad in Kazakhstan.

Shane Kimbrough, settled into his seat aboard a Soyuz spacecraft with two Russian cosmonauts bound for the International Space Station (ISS) for a four-month mission that will include science experiments, spacewalks and visits from several commercial and international resupply vehicles. Kimbrough had countless thoughts running through his mind while counting down to lift-off. Systems checks. Equipment. The months to come. But what weighed on him most was his family.

“I already miss them,” Kimbrough told Georgia Tech during an interview from Star City, Russia.

It was the second time this summer Tech talked with Kimbrough, and both times— when asked about the preparation for such a long mission—he quickly mentioned his

wife and three children. He will miss his twin daughters’ first semesters at college this fall and much of his son’s junior year of high school in the Houston area.

“Being a military officer, deployments and being gone are nothing new,” says Kimbrough, who served in Operation Desert Storm and is a retired Army colonel. “But I’m realizing that it’s not any easier. In fact, it’s probably harder because of the age of my kids.”

This is Kimbrough’s second trip to space. He flew in 2008 aboard the space shuttle Endeavour for a 16-day mission, far different from the four months or so he’ll spend away from family during this trek.

But in several ways, the missions are similar.

The main job for his shuttle mission was to deliver and install equipment that expanded ISS living quarters to accommodate a six-person crew. Three people were already on the space station, so Kimbrough and his two crewmates made for a cozy six aboard the orbiting station when he arrive. Also, just like in 2008, Kimbrough is scheduled for two spacewalks, tentatively set for January.

This time, however, his main task on the station is to conduct science experiments.

“A lot of the experiments will be done on our bodies,” he says. “For instance, we’re going to look at mini-exercise devices. In order to get to places like Mars, we’ll need

“I always wanted to be an astronaut, but it’s such a long shot to be chosen.

When I look back on it, having a master’s degree from Georgia Tech was a huge stepping stone,” Kimbrough says.

ALUMNI ASTRONAUTS Georgia Tech has produced 14 NASA astronauts, tied for secondmost among public universities.

They include John Young, AE 52, who walked on the moon and was on the first space shuttle, and Sandy Magnus, PhD MS 96, who flew on the last shuttle mission. When Kimbrough flew on Endeavour in 2008, he was joined by Magnus and fellow Yellow Jacket Eric Boe, MS EE 97.

Here’s a look at the Yellow Jackets who have flown in space so far:

Eric Boe, MS EE 97, was the pilot of Space Shuttle missions STS-126 and STS-133. He’s one of four astronauts selected and currently training for the first commercial crew spaceflights to the ISS. Michael “Rich” Clifford, MS AE 82, is a former United States Army officer and retired NASA astronaut. He flew on space shuttles Discovery, Endeavour, and Atlantis. His final flight, in

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1996, came after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Jan Davis, App Bio 75, flew on three space shuttles and was the first Georgia Tech alumna ever to orbit Earth (1992). She and then-husband Mark Lee were on the same crew, becoming the first (and only) married couple in space together L. Blaine Hammond, Jr., MS ESM 74, is a former NASA astronaut who served as pilot on STS-39 in 1991 and STS-64 in

1994, totaling more than 462 hours in space. He left NASA in 1998.

Scott “Doc” Horowitz, MS AE 70, MS AE 79, PhD AE 82, is a retired NASA astronaut who flew on four missions: Columbia (1996), Discovery (1997, 2000), and Atlantis (2000). Horowitz is the only astronaut with two Tech degrees.

Susan Still Kilrain, MS AE 85, flew on STS-83 in 1997, but a fuel cell problem forced the shuttle

NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough brought a flag from the Ramblin’ Wreck to display aboard the International Space Station.

to develop really small things to put in capsules. I’m one of the first people to get to try them, so I’m looking forward to that.”

Kimbrough is the second of two Georgia Tech alumni to live on the ISS this year. Tim Kopra, MS AE 95, served as commander of the station for four of his six months in orbit (he left in June). Kimbrough assumed command at the end of October.

Kimbrough grew up in Smyrna, Georgia, attending Georgia Tech football and basketball games. His plan was to play baseball at Tech, but life

to return after three days. The same crew relaunched a few months later, marking the only time in human spaceflight that the same multi-person crew flew together again.

Tim Kopra, MS AE 95, served as commander of the ISS from February to June of this year as part of a six-month mission.

It was his second time on the space station—he spent two months in orbit in 2009.

Sandra Magnus, PHD MSE 96, NASA

took him to the United States Military Academy after President Ronald Reagan wrote an appointment letter on his behalf. He earned an aerospace engineering degree at West Point, served in Operation Desert Storm, and eventually came back to Tech to study Operations Research in the Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering.

“It was nice to be home after moving around so much while in the military,” Kimbrough says. “I always wanted to be an astronaut, but it’s such a long shot to be chosen. When

flew on the final space shuttle mission, STS-135, in 2011.

She also spent four-and-a-halfmonths on the space station in 2008-2009. Magnus is currently the executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

William “Bill” McArthur, Jr., MS AE 83, is a veteran of three space shuttle missions and one expedition to the ISS via the Soyuz capsule. He has logged nearly 225 days in orbit, which includes four spacewalks.

I look back on it, having a master’s degree from Georgia Tech was a huge stepping stone.”

The next step took him 210 miles above Earth to an orbiting lab that moves 17,000 miles per hour. Fortunately, he has a few reminders of home on board, including a flag he brought that once waved on the Ramblin’ Wreck. He’s also taking a camera and plans to snap photos of Georgia Tech and other schools he attended.

“I’ll also have a few Tech football games piped up to the station,” he says. “That will keep me going.”

Alan Goodwin “Dex” Poindexter, AE 86, was a captain in the U.S. Navy and flew on two space shuttles: Atlantis in 2008 and Discovery in 2010. He graduated with highest honors. He died in 2012.

Richard Truly, AE 59, flew on two space shuttles. He was the commander of the first shuttle night launch and landing in 1983. He later became the eighth administrator of NASA and led the Georgia Tech Research Institute from 1992-1997.

Douglas Wheelock, AE 92, serves as NASA Director of Operations in Star City, Russia. He flew on one shuttle and spent five months onboard the ISS, including a stint as commander.

John Young, AE 52, was the first person to fly six times and is the only astronaut to go into space as part of the Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. He was the ninth person to walk on the moon in 1972 and was commander of the first shuttle (1981).

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IN THE WORLD

Opposite Page: Shannon Goodman, MS Arch 98, and Andrew Chew, CE 06, run the day-to-day operations at the Lifecycle Building Center in Atlanta.

Giving Old Building Materials New Life

S

BY MELISSA FRALICK

Several Tech alumni helped launch a nonprofit startup dedicated to keeping reusable items out of Atlanta’s landfills.

SHANNON GOODMAN, MS ARCH 98, may be one of the few people who can look at bathroom partitions in an old public restroom and see treasure.

As executive director of the Lifecycle Building Center, Goodman knows just how much it means to keep construction materials out of landfills and give them new life. A set of these partitions, which were donated to a school for children with special needs, were among 40,000 pounds of material her organization salvaged from a single office building undergoing renovations.

“Stainless-steel toilet partitions are expensive,” Goodman says. “All of the money we save these organizations is money they can put toward their missions.”

Goodman is one of several Tech alumni who helped to establish the Lifecycle Building Center, an Atlanta-based nonprofit dedicated to recovering reusable items from renovation and demolition sites and finding new homes for them. The many Yellow Jacket connections make sense—it’s the kind of cause

“All of the money we save these organizations is money they can put toward their missions,” Goodman says.

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THE LIFECYCLE BUILDING CENTER

BY THE NUMBERS

that efficiently tackles several problems at once.

“We all understand the value of solving problems—that’s one of the biggest gifts from Ma Tech,” says Alex Muñoz, Mgt 88, the current chairman Pounds diverted from landfills of the organization’s board of to date directors.

The Lifecycle Building Center’s main mission is to keep Money saved by the community useable building materials out of landfills. But on top of that, the organization also soNumber of organizations that licits donations, sells items to have received free materials the public, sources materials for other nonprofits, provides education to homeowners and even works with Georgia’s thriving film industry.

One thing that sets Lifecycle apart from other organizations that sell second-hand or repurposed items is that it maintains its own deconstruction crew. These staffers and volunteers go out to commercial and residential sites to evaluate items that can be saved, and then properly remove them so they can have new life.

Deconstruction Manager Andrew Chew, CE 06, leads the charge. Chew says cabinets are the “bread and butter” of the deconstruction effort, but items you might not expect, such as flooring and even toilets, often sell quickly at the Lifecycle warehouse, which has a store that’s open to the public.

“My biggest challenge is integrating those three parts of the process—deconstruction, warehousing and retail—and making sure we’re moving product and getting sellable product as quickly as we can,” Chew says.

2.2 MILLION

$1.4MILLION 90

Justen Clay

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IN THE WORLD Used appliances, windows and bathtubs are among the many treasures for sale at the Lifecycle Building Center.

THE HEART OF LIFECYCLE BUILDING CENTER is its 70,000 square foot warehouse in Southwest Atlanta.

The century-old industrial space has a gritty beauty, with rows of operable clearstory windows pouring sunlight into its cavernous space. Inside is a huge variety of wares: kitchen cabinets, doors, windows, ovens, bathtubs, light fixtures, lumber, water heaters, carpet tiles, duct work, and more—for sale at 50 to 95 percent less than they would cost new.

It seems hard to believe that at demolition or renovation sites, items like this are often destined for the dumpster.

However, it only costs around $25-$40 per ton to dump at landfills in the metro Atlanta area, compared with $100-$150 per ton in places like New York or California.

“Atlanta has been behind in salvage mostly because our landfill costs are much lower than other major cities,” Goodman says. “There’s far less incentive to not throw things away, financially.”

In total, Goodman and her team salvaged 125,000 pounds of materials during the renovation, which saved the nonprofits about $384,000 from what they would have had to buy new.

BUT SALVAGE FILLS A NEED in the community, and the desire for such a resource was there all along.

In 2009, Goodman worked as an architect for Perkins+Will, a firm with a growing Atlanta branch that needed a larger office. The company found a roughly 50,000-square-foot building in Midtown with a dated interior in need of updates.

During renovation, the firm pursued LEED certification, which recognizes environmentally conscious, sustainable building practices.

“Perkins+Will is very focused on sustainable design,” Goodman says. “They wanted to have more LEED points than any other project.”

As demolition got underway, Goodman says her team began to wonder if there was anything better to do with the old materials besides grind them up and recycle them.

So she began calling around to local nonprofits and found

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that there were many people interested in reusing building materials.

They were able to distribute items from the Perkins+Will building to 19 organizations, including the Atlanta Ballet, Horizon Theater, Southface, Camp Twin Lakes and Georgia Organics. In total, Goodman and her team salvaged 125,000 pounds of materials during the renovation, which saved the nonprofits about $384,000 from what they would have had to buy new.

“That was my wake up call,” Goodman says.

THE EXPERIENCE LED HER TO ADAM DECK—now operations manager for Lifecycle Building Center—who had already written a business plan for such an operation and developed relationships to support it. Aware of the huge need for salvage, she teamed up with Deck to help make

Lifecycle a reality. Soon, Goodman met fellow Tech alumnus Jimmy Mitchell, CE 05, at a sustainability roundtable event.

Mitchell was one of the first LEED managers in the state of Georgia and was frustrated by the lack of salvage options.

“One of the aspects of LEED certification that no one ever attained was salvage, because there weren’t any organizations out there,” Mitchell says.

When Goodman told the roundtable group that she and Deck were working to create a salvage organization, Mitchell wanted to get involved. “When I met these other people wanting the same thing, I said, ‘I have to make this happen,’” says Mitchell, who serves on the executive council of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association’s Board of Trustees.

Mitchell gave Goodman his business card that day, and he went on to become the first chairman of the Lifecycle board.

The nonprofit’s big break came in 2011, when an employee of a federal agency told Goodman they were preparing to demolish a building on their campus.

“Building No. 1,” as it was fortuitously known, was the first project for the fledgling Lifecycle Building Center. The directors recruited 70 volunteers over multiple weekends to pull 33 tons of reusable material from the building before it met the wrecking ball.

Those items—which otherwise would have ended up in the garbage—became Lifecycle’s inaugural inventory.

Justen Clay

The organization has grown by leaps and bounds since 2012. In the past year and a half, Lifecycle Building Center has gone from four to nine full-time staff members. Currently, almost 70 percent of the operating budget is covered by the sale of salvaged materials.

Mitchell says he’s excited about the future. The organization recently purchased its warehouse facility and is working on a strategic plan for the next five years. With continued growth and awareness, they are on a path to one day sustain the organization on the sale of materials alone, without having to rely on the support of donors.

“It’s an engineering-type nonprofit,” Mitchell says. “Here we are, using a waste stream to employ people and generate wealth to add value in a lot of different ways.”

Mitchell sees the Lifecycle Building Center through an engineer’s eyes, while Muñoz views it through a business lens.

Muñoz says he was drawn to Lifecycle because of its “triple bottom line”—people, planet and profits. In other words, providing discounted materials to help people improve their homes at a lower cost; helping the planet by keeping those items out of landfills; and funding the operation through the sale of items that would otherwise be considered waste.

“The triple-bottom-line approach is so attractive because it cuts across political, demographic and economic lines,” Muñoz says. “How could you say no to it?”

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JACKET COPY

Recently Published PHOTOGRAPHY

HISTORIC RURAL CHURCHES OF GEORGIA

SONNY SEALS, IM 65, AND GEORGE S. HART

Featuring nearly 300 hundred gorgeous photographs and an introduction by President Jimmy Carter, Cls 46, Hon PhD 79, this book showcases 47 early houses of worship located throughout the state of Georgia that date back as early as the 18th century. These structures ranged from primitive outbuildings to ones featuring more elaborate designs and they served rural communities that eventually begat the villages, towns, counties and cities that make up Georgia today. The images and the authors’ words capture the simple elegance of these sanctuaries and their grounds, even though many of the surviving churches have fallen into neglect and disrepair over the years. Historical Rural Churches of Georgia is a project created by a nonprofit of the same name whose mission is to preserve as many of these architecturally significant buildings as possible. The hope is that the endangered and important landmarks can continue to inspire the beauty and wonder for which they were originally erected.

PLAY ANYTHING

IAN BOGOST In his latest book, Georgia Tech interactive computing professor Ian Bogost contends that play isn’t what we think it is; it’s not just a mindless escape from boring reality. Instead, he says play is what happens when we accept limitations, narrow our focus and—consequently—then have fun. In other words, gaming our everyday life might be the key to having a good life.

Looking at everything from Internet culture to consumerism, Bogost shows how today’s world needs to be tamed to be enjoyed by imposing boundarCULTURE ies on ourselves.

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THE SOUL OF ARMIES

AUSTIN LONG, IA 98 In this book, the author takes a close look at counterinsurgency operations during the Cold War and in more recent POLI SCI years by the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps and the British Army. Combining research on campaigns in Vietnam and Kenya with the author’s personal experience as a civilian advisor to the military in Iraq and Afghanistan, The Soul of Armies examines how these three different forces operate, and how their differences can pose serious consequences, affecting the likelihood of success, potential for civilian casualties and the ability to support host nations.

BIOLOGY

HAIR: A HUMAN HISTORY

KURT STENN With more than 30 years of expertise studying hair follicles, Kurt Stenn serves as an adjunct research professor for Tech’s Parker H. Petite Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience. In Hair, A Human History, Stenn takes readers on a global journey through time, from fur merchant associations and sheep farms, to medical clinics and patient support groups, to show the remarkable impact hair has had on human life. He also puts the fiber into context: hair in history, hair as a construct for cultural and self-identity, hair in the arts (used for paintbrushes and musical instruments), hair as commodity (used in tennis balls), and even as crime evidence.

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From small meeting rooms to large-scale conference facilities, the Georgia Tech Global Learning Center offers purpose-built space to suit your company’s needs.

Featuring flexible room arrangements, a continuous refreshment service, dedicated event and technical support from start to finish, and more – the GLC is ideal for your next business event. Schedule your personal tour today!

Visit us for a site tour. www.gatechcenter.com/alumni2016

JUST WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY?

Though a popular buzzword in academic, business and policy circles today—sustainability remains a nebulous, elusive term for many who have yet to embrace it. Many are quick to assume it involves something to do with saving the environment or “going green.” However, sustainability is a much broader concept.

It embraces everything from promoting good health and eliminating poverty to building economic growth and fighting social injustices.

There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals that were set forth by the United Nations Development Programme in 2015—as well as 169 specific targets—aimed at creating a better world for all.

More commonly, for simplicity’s sake, they are often boiled down to three interdependent pillars: People (sustainability of our society), Planet (sustainability of our

SUSTAINABILITY = EMBEDDED AT GEORGIA TECH

GEORGIA TECH PRESIDENT G.P. “BUD” PETERSON

GEORGIA TECH’S COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY is embedded in just about everything we do. It is an integral part of the design of our buildings, like the Carbon Neutral Energy Solutions lab, Clough Commons and the Engineered Biosystems Building—plus the Living Building now underway.

Rob Felt

ecosystems) and Profit (sustainability of our economy).

Sustainability, of course, is very important to the Georgia Tech community, having been part of the Institute almost since its inception in 1885—decades before the term entered our everyday lexicon. Let’s take a look at how key Tech leaders define and apply sustainability in their work and research.

Our campus is a living laboratory. Our faculty serve in national leadership roles in energy, public policy and water conservation, and our sustainability research can be found in multiple disciplines.

Courses span every college, including our Serve-Learn-Sustain initiative. Our goal is to demonstrate leadership in sustainability, and then equip and inspire our graduates to design solutions with the potential for lasting global impact.

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SUSTAINABILITY = CREATING COMMUNITIES

JENNIFER HIRSCH, DIRECTOR OF GEORGIA TECH’S CENTER FOR SERVE-LEARN-SUSTAIN I’VE DONE MY BEST TO AVOID A STRICT DEFINITION for sustainability or sustainable communities, which is my specialized focus, because doing so would immediately lead to many people thinking, “Well, that has nothing to do with me”—and disengaging from the get-go.

Instead, I’ve embraced a very broad definition—communities where people and nature thrive—and then dive into an examination of the three Es of sustainability: Environment, Economy and social Equity.

But first, let me give you some context for my work here at Georgia Tech. A little more than a year ago, my family and I moved to Atlanta from Chicago, with more than a little trepidation. I grew up in Chicago and my whole family is there, but I had received an offer I couldn’t refuse: to be the director of a new Center at Georgia Tech formed to launch and implement Tech’s new 10-year Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP): Serve-Learn-Sustain (SLS).

SLS is a key component of Tech’s 2015 reaffirmation of accreditation with the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

The SLS center’s charge is to develop opportunities for undergraduate students in all majors across campus to learn about and engage in creating sustainable communities. While there are lots of university initiatives focused on sustainability or community, there are very few that operate at the intersection of the two areas. As a cultural anthropologist specializing in this intersection, this was an opportunity of a lifetime. So we sold our house, packed our bags, put the dogs and the snake in the car, said goodbye to grandma and headed south. Soon I started my new

job in one of the most sustainable buildings on campus: Clough Commons.

For much of my first year, I felt like a student—an anthropology student—studying Tech’s culture and, at the same time, getting to know Atlanta while meeting community, nonprofit, government and business leaders who might be valuable SLS partners.

Our core work includes, but is not limited to, the environment or “green” issues and actions. We’re helping people across campus to explore our need to improve conditions, not only for humans—as Georgia Tech’s mission states—but also for all living beings. The “communities” part of our charge dictates that we put community issues front and center, for example, by addressing equity concerns from the beginning, and highlighting culturally diverse perspectives and solutions to sustainability challenges.

Building on this loose starting point, SLS is following an approach promoted by Georgia Tech environmental philosopher Bryan Norton: learning our way toward sustainability, together. Early results are exciting. Highlights include: IDENTIFYING “BIG IDEAS” IN SUSTAINABILITY. We’ve developed an interactive tool presenting more than 50 ideas from faculty and staff across campus that they believe are important for creating sustainable communities.

OFFERING MORE THAN 70 AFFILIATED COURSES DURING THE 2016-17 ACADEMIC YEAR. These courses, ranging from “Sustainable Development of Construction Megaprojects Through Community Engagement” to “French Cinema I: Learning and Environmental Issues in Francophone Documentaries,” introduce and teach nearly 4,000 students about sustainability ideas and practices.

GETTING OVER 20 STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED WITH SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS. These include Net Impact, Engineers Without Borders, Arts@Tech Ambassadors, the College Diabetes Network and more, representing a wide range of activities.

OUR CORE WORK INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, THE ENVIRONMENT OR “GREEN” ISSUES AND ACTIONS. WE’RE HELPING PEOPLE ACROSS CAMPUS TO EXPLORE OUR NEED TO IMPROVE CONDITIONS, NOT ONLY FOR HUMANS—AS GEORGIA TECH’S MISSION STATES—BUT ALSO FOR ALL LIVING BEINGS. 44 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | Volume 92 No. 4 2016

ALL OF THIS WORK IS HELPING US START TO SHAPE A BROADER AGENDA OF TECH BECOMING A “THINK-AND-DO TANK” THAT FACILITATES WORK AND EFFECTS CHANGE AROUND SUSTAINABILITY. THERE WILL BE LOTS MORE TO COME SOON. DEVELOPING A YEAR-LONG ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE SERIES. The fall semester alone featured public talks, service activities and performances sponsored by SLS and 16 partners from Georgia Tech and Atlanta.

BUILDING A SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY NETWORK. Launched this summer, it’s part of the National Science Foundation Research Coordination Network, which focuses on strengthening collaborative work in the Atlanta region

SUSTAINABILITY = BALANCE WITH THE EARTH

MICHAEL TOBIAS, ME 04, LEED AP, CEM FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL OF NEW YORK ENGINEERS SUSTAINABILITY MEANS using our natural resources in a way that we humans can live on earth indefinitely. The world’s growing human population is the biggest cause of unsustainable natural resource usage.

Before the industrial revolution, the human impact on the earth was in balance.

But since then, the growing demand for more energy, more materials and more food, as well as the byproduct of more waste and more contamination, has lead to an unsustainable situation. If we continue on the path we’re on now, we won’t have enough food and water to nourish everyone, and we will run out of fossil fuels faster than they can be replenished. So the question is: How do we get back in balance?

related to the social part of sustainability, especially as it relates to engineering practice.

All of this work is helping us start to shape a broader agenda of Tech becoming a “think-and-do tank” that facilitates work and effects change around sustainability.

There will be lots more to come soon.

HOW ALUMNI CAN GET INVOLVED

The Center for Serve-Learn-Sustain (SLS) aims to give Tech’s students the knowledge and inspiration to use their education to make a positive difference in the world—and pursue more meaningful careers and lives. Tech wants to become known for this work, so that SLS becomes one of the reasons people hear about, and choose, the Institute. The link to careers is key: SLS is looking to partner with Tech alumni who want to share their stories, mentor students, and connect SLS with partner organizations and businesses. Visit SLS online at serve-learnsustain.gatech.edu and contact SLS Director Jennifer Hirsch at Jennifer.hirsch@gatech.edu to get involved!

Believe it or not, about half of all energy used in the U.S. is in and by buildings—that’s more then either the industrial sector or transportation sector consumes. At New York Engineers, we work at reducing a building’s energy consumption and increasing its energy generation in a more sustainable way through solar panels, fuel cells and micro turbines, among other technologies.

First, we focus on reducing energy loads by super insulating the envelope of buildings to nearly eliminate heating systems, something known as passive heating.

We also reduce solar thermal HVAC loads by using exterior wall projections and fins to let solar heat in through windows in the winter when you want it, and minimize it in the summer when you don’t. Then we design ultra-efficient HVAC systems to condition the space, LED lighting systems to reduce electric usage and an efficient control system to operate the building from your phone.

Anyone can build these exotic options with an exotic budget. But our goal is to reduce the construction cost and the energy cost of these buildings simultaneously. After all, an engineering project—or a project of any kind—is not truly sustainable unless it’s economical.

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SUSTAINABILITY = SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF BUSINESS BERIL TOKTAY, PROFESSOR AND FACULTY DIRECTOR, RAY C. ANDERSON CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS, SCHELLER COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, the most influential institution in the world is business. It connects communities across the globe, creates jobs and transforms lives through innovation. And business is increasingly expected to be the problem solver, the innovator and the leader in achieving responsible, equitable growth. In response, firms large and small, household names and startups alike, are stepping up to define their sustainability strategies. Based on my years of research on sustainable business practices, here’s how I define sustainability in action.

Sustainability is a journey, not a destination. Walmart evolved from a defensive posture to adopting ambitious environmental targets. Interface started out with an aggressive “Mission Zero” vision, and has now upped the ante further with its “Climate Take Back” vision.

(GE’s Ecoimagination strategy), social license (Coca-Cola’s water stewardship initiative) or competitive advantage through regulatory advocacy (Pacific Gas and Electric’s cap-and-trade lobbying).

Sustainability is not just about the environment. It’s also about people; it’s about partnering with the public sector and civil society organizations on creating sustainable communities. Some examples: Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan emphasizes social impact in communities it sources from; Ben and Jerry’s is committed to offering a livable wage; and Anglo-American deploys its Socio-Economic Assessment Tool (SEAT) at all of its operating sites every three years, shares the results publicly, and offers SEAT as an industry-wide tool for best practice. To accelerate such changes, Georgia Tech started its most ambitious undergraduate initiative yet, Serve-Learn-Sustain, to empower students to become alumni who create sustainable communities throughout their careers and civic lives.

Sustainability can be hard work. It takes daring leaders who stay on message year after year. In 1994, Ray Anderson, IE 56, Hon PhD 11, founder of Interface, stunned his employees with his “spear in the chest” speech, where he painted a bold vision: “To be the first company that, by its deeds, shows the entire industrial world what sustainability is in all its dimensions … and by doing so we will become restorative through the power of influence.”

Similarly, in 2005, Lee Scott of Walmart challenged his employees to be “at our best, all the time.” He asked them: “What if we used our size and resources to make this country and this earth an even better place for all of us: customers, associates, our children and generations unborn? … What if the very things that many people criticize us for—our size and reach— became a trusted friend and ally to all?”

At the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business here at the Scheller College of Business, we are committed to empowering the leaders of tomorrow to create sustainable businesses and communities. We engage with businesses to inform their goals and progress, and we create opportunities for our students to be the leaders of this powerful transformation. Visit the Center online at acsb.scheller.gatech.edu and contact Managing Director Michael Oxman at michael.oxman@ scheller.gatech.edu to become a mentor to our students and a partner in our work!

WE ENGAGE WITH BUSINESSES TO INFORM THEIR GOALS AND PROGRESS, AND WE CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR STUDENTS TO BE THE LEADERS OF THIS POWERFUL TRANSFORMATION. Sustainability is moving from being a cost center to an innovation center. Rubicon Global, “the Uber for recycling,” finds it is sustainability questions from customers that drive product innovation. IKEA relies on design innovation to deliver “low cost prices, but not at any price.”

The Living Building at Georgia Tech (see page 54) serves to spur innovation in the building materials and construction sector.

Sustainability is not a one-size-fits-all proposition for corporations. Value derives from cost reduction (Cox Enterprises’ Cox Conserves effort), risk reduction (Rio-Tinto’s Stakeholder Engagement Academy), product innovation (Interface’s bio-inspired design focus), revenue growth

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GOOD GOVERNANCE IS KEY TO ALL OF THIS. AS THE PROBLEMS IN OUR WORLD SEEMINGLY GROW MORE COMPLEX, IT TAKES COLLABORATION ACROSS ORGANIZATIONAL BOUNDARIES SO THAT PEOPLE ARE SOLVING PROBLEMS FROM THE PLACE WHERE THEY ARE LEADING. SUSTAINABILITY = BUILDING A HEALTHIER WORLD

LIZ YORK, ARCH 90, MS ARCH 95, FAIA, CHIEF SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER FOR THE CDC AND ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY I SPENT 10 YEARS WORKING FOR DESIGN FIRMS before joining the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). After working as an architect for the CDC for a few years, I became the chief sustainability officer in 2008. But I’ve long been interested and involved in sustainable design and practices. In fact, Georgia Tech is the place where I first heard the term “sustainability.”

My professors were teaching about it back in the late 1980s. Sustainability seems to have always been part of Tech’s DNA. Those who are new to learning about sustainability may at first recognize the financial benefits of efficiency. They are pleased to hear that by definition something cannot be sustainable if it is not financially feasible. In my role, I examine solutions that best impact our people, our planet and our bottom line .

It won’t surprise you, but one of the things we at the CDC always connect to sustainability is health. My work focuses on creating systems and environments that support human health. Whether you’re a part of the government, a business or an individual, we all

need to be responsible for the things we do.

Good governance is key to all of this. As the problems in our world seemingly grow more complex, it takes collaboration across organizational boundaries so that people are solving problems from the place where they are leading.

At the CDC, I collaborate with partners to facilitate communication around water and energy conservation. It takes partnerships from across the agency to make any initiative happen and that’s where my office comes in to bring them together. One example of how we made an impact at the CDC is the Freezer Challenge. In a beta test of sorts, we worked with laboratories across the agency to have them evaluate their freezer use, share freezers, and get rid of old freezers that waste energy in lieu of new models that are energy star compliant. With eight CDC labs participating, we saved approximately $125,000 annually.

Another major initiative is Fitwel, a new buildingcertification program much like LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design), but one that measures a building’s impact on occupant health rather than energy conservation. Fitwel looks at myriad aspects of occupant well being, such as the presence of natural light, encouragement of stair use, healthy food choices, architecture, overall walkability and much more. Fitwel takes the public health science around built environments and puts it into language and standards that builders and owners can understand and use.

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A LANDSCAPE TO LAST A

LIFETIME Creating a sustainable campus doesn’t just happen overnight. It takes years of planning. Find out how Tech is committed to making a positive environmental impact across its 400 acres—one that elevates the Institute’s sense of social community while optimizing operational efficiency and minding the bottom line.

BY MELISSA FRALICK THERE’S A TON OF BEAUTY ON DISPLAY on Georgia Tech’s campus, from classical architecture to the bustling energy of ultra-modern facilities. And in between these buildings lies a dynamic landscape of rolling hills, footpaths and an almost endless canopy of trees.

At the center of campus lies the lush, new grass of Tech Green, with rows of sprinklers pumping out water to keep the lawn healthy during Georgia’s dry fall and winter months. But here—and throughout campus—there’s also a lot of beauty you cannot see. The water irrigating the grass is being pulled from a 1.4-million-gallon cistern buried underground, where it stores rainwater collected from the surrounding 13-acre area.

“It holds about as much as an Olympic-sized swimming pool,” says Jason Gregory, Tech’s senior educational facilities planner. “It’s a lot of water.”

The cistern—one of 28 tucked away on campus—is an excellent multitasker. It helps to keep the landscape pretty by providing ample water for the greenery, saves the Institute money on its water bills, and helps the environment by reusing stormwater and minimizing damaging runoff.

Those three functions overlap in what JulieAnne Williamson describes as the “triple bottom line” of sustainability: making positive social, environmental and financial impacts.

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To be truly sustainable, you must satisfy all three areas, says Williamson, who serves as Tech’s assistant vice president for Administration and Finance, and as the interim director for the Office of Campus Sustainability.

Indeed, over the past decade, Georgia Tech has made a significant commitment and effort to improve the sustainability of campus systems and facilities. Hidden throughout Tech are smart, innovative systems like the underground cisterns and thousands of solar panels installed to generate clean, renewable energy.

Tech began these efforts in earnest with the establishment of the Office of Environmental Stewardship more than a decade ago. It didn’t take long for campus leaders to realize that focusing solely on the environment (for the environment’s

“IN ALL THAT WE DO, WE ARE BUILDING FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS,” SWANT SAYS. sake) wasn’t enough. The name was changed to the Office of Campus Sustainability, and expanded to encompass the mindful stewardship of resources and expenditures, as well as sensitivity to the social needs of the Institute’s students, faculty, staff and surrounding communities.

Williamson says campus leaders serve as stewards for not

only academic tuition, fundraising dollars and tax money, but also the time, energy and passion invested by students and staff at Tech. Additionally, these administrators have the immense responsibility of maintaining the physical campus, an irreplaceable natural resource. The challenge is to create strategies that use all of those resources in the best possible way.

“Our sustainability efforts need to be effective and efficient, and this is where the concept of resiliency comes in,” Williamson says. “How do we create a thriving economy, natural environment and place that people flourish?”

To underscore Tech’s commitment to sustainability, the office was

moved under the direct supervision of Steve Swant, executive vice president for Administration and Finance, who oversees all facilities and services on campus, including housing, capital planning and information technology.

“Working individually, campus units can positively impact our environment,” Swant says. “But together, we can positively address our broader goals and the grand challenges facing all of us in the future.”

Georgia Tech has set benchmarks to achieve big sustainability goals. The Institute is working to be carbon neutral by 2050, meaning that it will generate or conserve enough energy to offset the amount used. Campus officials

GREEN GOALS

Establish the “Eco-Commons” as an open

Georgia Tech has made several public commitments—through various organizations, master plans and guidelines—to address the sustainability needs of its campus. The Institute’s near- and long-term strategic planning includes campus initiatives to:

Ensure that all major capital construction

projects meet the highest environment building standards in the industry.

space landscape system that threads together existing and new campus spaces, improves stormwater retention and provides expanded informal recreational spaces.

Reduce storm water runoff on campus by 50 percent.

Reduce energy use by 15 percent by 2020.

Expand renewable energy use to 10 percent of energy consumed on campus by 2040.

Become carbon neutral by 2050.

are also working to reduce stormwater runoff by 50 percent to match the footprint of 1950. (See the full list of goals diplayed below.)

Exhaustive planning has gone into making that vision a reality. In addition to creating an overarching campus master plan, campus administrators also have put together a landscape master plan, a stormwater master plan, and even a bicycle master plan to ensure that growth will happen across a number of areas in a sustainable and holistic manner.

All around campus, the results of the planning are evident. There are now 21 buildings at Georgia Tech built to meet green certifications and standards. Thanks to a recent gift from the Kendeda Fund, officials have announced plans to participate in the Living Building Challenge and create what is expected to become the most environmentally advanced education and research building in the Southeastern U.S. (see page 54).

Also this year, Georgia Tech was designated a Level II Arboretum for cataloging its extensive tree canopy— nearly 12,000 trees and 130 species. And Tech’s programs to research and support the sustainability of honey bees led to the Institute being named the nation’s second affiliate of Bee Campus USA. The ultimate goal of sustainability on campus is to prepare for the future.

By protecting the physical environment, building high-quality facilities and fostering relationships with the surrounding community—all while keeping a close eye on costs and efficiency—Georgia Tech can continue to be a model institution for technical education and research, and practice what it is preaching in its classrooms and laboratories.

“In all that we do, we are building for future generations,” Swant says. “Georgia Tech has been here for more than 120 years. We’re making decisions to sustain our positive momentum, both environmentally and organizationally, for the next 1,000 years.”

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ECO-FRIENDLY

EFFICIENCY TEXT BY MELISSA FRALICK | PHOTOS BY JUSTEN CLAY

Behind the state-of-the-art buildings and recent improvements to campus are smart systems that help Georgia Tech operate more efficiently and sustainably. Take a look at some of the eco-friendly features designed to keep campus strong for the next 131 years.

Ó CLOUGH UNDERGRADUATE LEARNING COMMONS ROOFTOP GARDEN COMPLETED IN 2011, the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons helped to set the stage for high-performance buildings at Georgia Tech.

The most prominent amenity of the 230,000-square-foot facility is its roof garden. Using the full area of the roof, a landscaped terrace featuring trees, plants, benches and tables provides an oasis for students to work on laptops or relax with friends overlooking the Atlanta skyline.

In addition to its beauty, the green roof also helps to minimize and filter stormwater runoff and reduce heat from the sun hitting the building.

Ò ARBORETUM GEORGIA TECH HAS ALWAYS HAD a beautiful, tree-covered campus. But this year, Tech officially became an arboretum. To achieve the designation of a Level II Arboretum, officials needed to catalog at least 100 different species of trees on campus—but closer to 130 were identified. Markers with information about each different tree species can now be found throughout campus. By cataloguing campus trees, officials are able to monitor older trees for signs of decline and better manage Tech’s forest canopy for the future. Strong, healthy trees provide habitat for wildlife and much-needed shade for students walking through campus during Atlanta’s brutally hot summer months.

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Ó ENGINEERED BIOSYSTEMS BUILDING THE ENGINEERED BIOSYSTEMS BUILDING is the latest example of high-performance building at Georgia Tech. The high architectural and engineering standards for sustainable building technology used in this facility are outlined in Georgia Tech’s Yellow Book, the guide for all new construction on campus. Built to the meet the high-performance building standards, the Engineered Biosystems Building includes many novel sustainable features. A buried stream underneath the building was used to supply water to a decorative fountain; cisterns collect condensation from the HVAC system and stormwater from the Eco-Commons for use in irrigation and flushing toilets; and a central staircase was built using wood from trees cut down on the site before construction.

Ô ECO-COMMONS FOLLOWING THE NATURAL TERRAIN of now-buried historic streams, the Eco-Commons is 80 acres of ecologically based landscape currently under development to restore the environment and provide recreational spaces on campus. The circle of connected green spaces, known as the “emerald necklace” of campus, is being built in phases with the goal of reducing stormwater runoff to 1950 levels.

As part of the Eco-Commons, a large retaining pond will be built adjacent to the new Engineered Biosystems Building on the west side of campus. In addition to its practical and environmental benefits, the Eco-Commons will provide a series of passive green spaces for people to enjoy—and help them forget they are just a stone’s throw from bustling Midtown Atlanta.

Ò TECH GREEN BURIED UNDER THE MANICURED LAWN of Tech Green is a 1.4-millio- gallon cistern, which holds about as much rainwater as an Olympic-sized swimming pool. The water collected in the cistern is used to irrigate the grass and flush toilets in Clough Commons. The cistern at Tech Green is one of 28 on campus, including several under Bobby Dodd Stadium that are used to irrigate the field. Collecting rainwater in cisterns prevents it from running into storm drains and sanitary sewer lines. “We’re reducing our dependency on potable water from the city,” says Jason Gregory, senior educational facilities planner. “It seems silly to use water that’s fully processed and refined to flush toilets and water plants.”

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Ô BIKING AT TECH AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF a sustainable campus is providing a variety of options for transportation. Tech officials are responding to the increasing popularity of bikes by improving options for cyclists on campus. Georgia Tech has implemented a bicycle master plan to continue to create a campus that’s easier for cyclists to navigate in the future. Recent improvements include adding more bike racks around campus and green-striped bike lanes to streets, including Ferst Drive, to improve visibility and safety. On Nov. 8, construction began to convert the southbound lanes of Tech Parkway into a bicycle and pedestrian corridor. The northbound lanes will be reconfigured to accommodate automobile traffic in both directions.

Ó CARBON NEUTRAL ENERGY SOLUTIONS (CNES) LABORATORY USED FOR CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH in clean-energy technologies like solar, combustion, gasification, catalysis and bio-catalysis, and carbon capture and sequestration, the building itself is a living laboratory.

The 42,000 square-foot complex demonstrates one of the highest standards for sustainable design by optimizing passive energy technologies, reducing electricity loads, and maximizing the use of renewable energy.

CNES creates around 388,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year through an array of photovoltaic panels on its roof. Other sustainable features include large interior fans to circulate air and maintain temperature, and big windows with coated glass to maximize daylight in the building while reducing heat from the sun.

It’s one of two buildings certified at the highest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) level.

Ò RAIN GARDENS AS AN URBAN CAMPUS, Georgia Tech is surrounded by a lot of asphalt and concrete. During heavy rains, that can cause drainage issues as water runs off those surfaces instead of being absorbed into soil. To help address this, Georgia Tech has built several “rain gardens” throughout campus. Mimicking natural dams, the rain gardens help to slow down and disperse water from heavy storms, so it can percolate into the soil. This prevents erosion, and keeps dirt and grit from running into city sewers and clogging the system.

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CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY

BY THE NUMBERS Over the past few years, Georgia Tech has made significant progress in improving the sustainability of campus, with big goals on the horizon. Here’s a quick breakdown: AIR AND CLIMATE

BUILDINGS

In 2007, Georgia Tech President Emer-

21 projects on Georgia Tech’s campus

ENERGY

CLEANING

The Carbon Neutral Energy Solutions

Tech’s green cleaning program uses 70

itus G. Wayne Clough signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, pledging to reduce energy use, expand the use of renewable energy and become carbon neutral by 2050.

Tech has already reduced emissions per 1,000 square feet by about 8 percent since 2011—despite operating research and lab facilities with high-energy requirements.

Ó WASTE MANAGEMENT TAKE A WALK AROUND GEORGIA TECH, and you’ll notice that instead of single garbage cans, there are several bins to consider before you toss that empty can of Coke. Next to garbage cans are bins for aluminum, paper and plastic to make recycling convenient and accessible. In addition to recycling, Georgia Tech helps reduce its contribution to landfills by composting food waste from dining halls. Composting reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and the resulting product can be used to improve soil. In 2016, Georgia Tech composted more than 295,575 pounds of food waste.

Laboratory has more than 1,200 photovoltaic solar panels to generate an estimated 388,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year.

TRANSPORTATION

According to the 2015 Georgia Tech

Commute Survey, 36 percent of commuters to campus use modes other than driving alone.

In 2013, Tech won the regional Clean Air Campaign’s PACE award as state employer of the year for its clean commute options program.

Georgia Tech was the first university to earn the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Workplace Electric Vehicle Charging Challenge Partner status.

ARBORETUM

In 2016, Georgia Tech was awarded a

Level II Accreditation by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and the Morton Arboretum, for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens.

There are approximately 12,000 trees representing 130 different tree species on campus.

were built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) architectural standards.

Two buildings have attained LEED Platinum, the highest certification level: Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons and the Carbon Neutral Energy Solutions Laboratory. While not currently certified, the Engineered Biosystems Building and the Caddell Building were built to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

percent less water and 90 percent fewer chemicals than traditional methods.

American School & University named Tech the 2015 Grand Award winner in the higher education category for the Annual Green Cleaning Awards for Schools & Universities.

FOOD

Leftover food from dining halls is packaged

and donated to Klemis Kitchen, which provides meals to students in need, and Campus Kitchen, which has donated more than 1,500 meals and 2,000 pounds of food to community partners.

In 2016, Tech composted more than 295,575 pounds of food waste.

A GreenKey bio-digester at the North Avenue dining hall converts up to 700 pounds of food waste into water within 24 hours using natural bacteria and enzymes.

WATER

Georgia Tech has 28 cisterns on cam-

pus for collecting rainwater for reuse in smart irrigation and toilet flushing.

35 percent of campus irrigation water is from cisterns and wells. Tech plans to increase that number to 50 percent on all new construction projects.

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ALIVE WITH

POSSIBILITIES

Georgia Tech took up the Living Building Challenge to create the most eco-forward education and research building in the Southeast.

BY OSAYI ENDOLYN IMAGINE A WORLD where we held our buildings to a similar standard of care as doctors. That’s not quite as strange as it sounds. Consider, doctors take an oath before serving their communities: First, do no harm. And beyond that, virtually all practitioners strive to do good—they aim to leave patients healthier than the way they found them.

So what would it look like if the buildings that we occupy every day not only caused no harm to their surroundings, users and the broader ecosystem, but also contributed to the greater good?

Imagine a world where buildings function not as unavoidable blemishes on a stressed planet, but as restorative, self-energizing, zero-waste properties built as natural extensions of their environments. These kinds of buildings actually exist in the world; they’re rare but their numbers are growing. And Georgia Tech will soon be erecting one—the first education-themed Living Building to be designed and built in the Southeastern United States.

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What exactly is a Living Building? It’s a structure that follows such rigorous guidelines of sustainability—including a Red List of common construction materials that can’t be used because they’re harmful—most diehard environmentalists won’t know what they are. These building guidelines were issued as a challenge by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), which certifies that its rules have been strictly followed.

The Living Building Challenge, as it’s known worldwide, is not a competition, but rather a call to action. The ILFI’s mission is to transform the world into an ecologically just place, one building and one community at a time. While multiple tiers of certification are possible, in general, a design team seeking Living Building certification must incorporate location impact, renewable water and energy usage, and the quality of materials into their plans.

A building is only eligible to receive certification after one year of full occupancy and daily use, since the measures are performance-based. Unlike most construction projects, a Living Building doesn’t exist just to do less harm. It exists to make the world a better place.

PASSERS-BY WOULDN’T KNOW IT, but the southwest corner of Ferst Drive and State Street is the site of the future.

That’s where construction of Tech’s Living Building is expected to begin in October 2017. The Kendeda Fund—a private grantmaking foundation based in Atlanta focused on building more sustainable, resilient communities—has committed $25 million for design and construction, and $5 million for future programming. Kendeda’s goals for the

One early idea for Tech’s Living Building, designed by Atlanta-based architectural firm Lord Aeck Sargent.

project are threefold: Raise the bar for sustainable design, prove what’s possible in the Southeast, and blaze a trail that others can follow.

“The Living Building is a natural evolution for us,” says Howard Wertheimer, FAIA, Arch 81, M Arch 85, Tech’s assistant vice president of Capital Planning and Space Management. Since 2006, he’s served as the university’s architect, overseeing a wide range of duties such as building and landscape development, public art, historic preservation, storm water planning and strategic sustainability. Wertheimer manages the campus master plan, an evolving document that charts the course of Tech’s growth over years at a time. The future Living Building will go up in the Eco-Commons area of campus, an 80-acre swath of land that will re-expose streams buried underground and create a greener space meant for passive recreation.

“It’s been in Georgia Tech’s DNA to design in a sustainable manner since the beginning,” Wertheimer says.

“We’ve used red clay brick that’s indigenous to Georgia. In the 1920s, our baseball, track and football fields were on the same piece of dirt. Today we have almost 3 million square feet of LEED certified/certifiable space in 21 LEED certified projects—including Clough Commons, which at 230,000 square feet is one of the largest LEED platinum buildings on a university campus in the United States.”

For the Institute, the Living Building is no doubt one of the most ambitious

PUT THE PETALS TO THE METTLE

and challenging projects yet.

Earning certification as a Living Building by the International Living To process such a huge notion, Future Initiative (ILFI) is no mean feat. Performance is measured against 20 imperatives within seven performance categories, representatives from Tech and called “petals”, and to be fully certified buildings have to meet all Kendeda launched an ideas 20 imperatives one year after construction is completed. competition.

PETAL ONE – PLACE. REALIGNING HOW PEOPLE UNDERThree design teams—which STAND AND RELATE TO THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT included architects, engineers, THAT SUSTAINS US. landscape architects, cost estimators and high-performance IMPERATIVES building experts from profes1) Limits to Growth (can only be built on grayfields, brownfields sional firms—were given a or previously developed sites not on or near sensitive ecological stipend in pursuit of a range habitats); 2) Urban Agriculture (must integrate opportunities for agriculture onsite); 3) Habitat Exchange (must donate an of ideas related to the specifequal amount of land elsewhere for the ILFI or an approved Land ic requirements of the Living Trust organization) and 4) Human-Powered Living (must proBuilding Challenge. These inmote walkable, pedestrian-oriented communities). tegrated teams had to consider PETAL 2 – WATER. REALIGNING HOW PEOPLE USE WAtopography, stormwater, tree TER AND TO REDEFINE “WASTE” IN THE BUILT canopy, pedestrian and vehicuENVIRONMENT, SO THAT WATER IS RESPECTED AS A lar circulation, and utilities, and PRECIOUS RESOURCE. then recommend where the future 42,500-square-foot building IMPERATIVE: should go. Over two workshop 5) Net Positive Water (100 percent of the project’s water needs meetings in January and Febmust be supplied by captured precipitation or other natural, ruary, the teams worked on the closed-loop water systems, or by recycling used project water; all stormwater and water discharge must be treated and manproject possibilities. Faculty and aged onsite). staff were invited to observe the process. Tech graduate architecPETAL 3 – ENERGY. RELYING SOLELY ON RENEWABLE ture students were included as FORMS OF ENERGY AND OPERATING YEAR ROUND IN A SAFE, POLLUTION-FREE MANNER. well; they worked concurrently with the firms as part of a stuIMPERATIVE: dio project.

6) Net Positive Energy (105 percent of the project’s energy Atlanta-based Lord Aeck Sarneeds must be supplied by onsite renewable energy on a net angent joined with The Miller Hull nual basis, without the use of onsite combustion; also must Partnership out of Seattle and provide onsite energy storage for resiliency). ultimately won the contract.

This duo is currently in the schematic design phase.

“Georgia Tech is where I first learned be involved with a project as transto love architecture as an undergradformative as this is really an honor,” uate student, so the opportunity to says Joseph Greco, Arch 86, president Volume 92 No.4 2016 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | 55

of Lord Aeck Sargent. “We’ve always prioritized sustainable design, but the opportunity to help design and construct a Living Building Challengecertified building takes our firm’s abilities to do regenerative design to a

new level—one that is grounded in the Southeast but also influential around the world.”

Tech gave the designers a clean slate from which to start, Greco says. This forced his team to anticipate the project’s challenges and to think about what this building PETAL 4 – HEALTH AND HAPPINESS. CREATING could mean for the future, ENVIRONMENTS THAT OPTIMIZE PHYSICAL AND rather than simply drawPSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH AND WELL BEING. ing a static design.

IMPERATIVES: “Georgia Tech has the ability, and the responsibility, to 7) Civilized Environment (Every regularly occupied space effect positive change,” he says. must have operable windows that provide access to fresh air and daylight); 8) Healthy Interior Environment (Must cre“I hope the Living Building will ate a plan that explains how the project will achieve an influence the next generation exemplary indoor environment and high air quality); 9) Bioof planners, designers, engiphilic Environment (Must be designed to include elements neers and thinkers.” that nurture the innate human/ nature connection).

The ILFI models the Living PETAL 5 – MATERIALS. USING PRODUCTS THAT ARE Building Challenge after a flowSAFE FOR ALL SPECIES THROUGH TIME. er: a sophisticated plant with characteristics rooted in its IMPERATIVES: natural environment, which 10) Red List (Cannot use or contain any Red List materials or generates its own energy using chemicals deemed harmful to the environment by the ILFI); 11) renewable resources, and which Embodied Carbon Footprint (Must account for the total emfacilitates its own water treatbodied carbon (tCO2e) impact from construction through a one-time carbon offset); 12) Responsible Industry (Must adment, and is pretty to look at. vocate for the creation and adoption of third-party certified The 20 imperatives are grouped standards for sustainable resource extraction and fair labor pracinto seven petals, or categories, to tices); 13) Living Economy Sourcing (Must incorporate help teams plan their builds. place-based solutions and contribute to the expansion of a regional economy rooted in sustainable practices); 14) Net Beyond the strict specifiPositive Waste (Must strive to reduce or eliminate the produccations, part of what makes tion of waste through end of life; also, must feature at least one a Living Building project so salvaged material per 500 square meters of gross building area or be an adaptive reuse of an existing structure). groundbreaking in the Southeast is the hot, humid climate PETAL 6 – EQUITY. SUPPORTING A JUST, EQUITABLE here. Atlanta is in the middle WORLD REGARDLESS OF AN INDIVIDUAL’S of what industry people call an BACKGROUND, AGE, CLASS, RACE, GENDER OR SEXUAL ORIENTATION. “energy-intensive region,” especially when compared to the IMPERATIVES: mild Pacific Northwest, where the ILFI is based. Buildings in 15) Human Scale and Humane Places (Must be designed to create human-scaled places so the experience promotes culture the Southeast use a lot of air and interaction); 16) Universal Access to Nature and Place conditioning, which poses en(Transportation and non-building infrastructure must be equalergy challenges, impacts the ly accessible to all members of the public regardless of durability of natural materials background, age and socioeconomic class); 17) Equitable Investment (For every dollar of total project cost, the and requires heavy-duty pollen development must set aside and donate half a cent or more to a extraction. charity of its choosing or the ILFI’s Equitable Offset Program); 18) Jimmy Mitchell, CS 05, is Just Organizations (Must help create a more just, equitable heading up pre-construction society through transparent disclosure of business practices). planning for SKANSKA, the PETAL 7 – BEAUTY. CELEBRATING DESIGN THAT builder of record. “I’m helping UPLIFTS THE HUMAN SPIRIT. to guide the costs, schedule and constructability of the project,” IMPERATIVES: Mitchell says. “What’s unique 19) Beauty and Spirit (Must contain design features intended about constructing a Living solely for human delight and the celebration of culture, spirit and Building is that it also requires place); 20) Inspiration + Education (Educational materials budgeting the carbon footabout the project must created to share successful solutions and to motivate the public to foster change). print, the number of different 56 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | Volume 92 No. 4 2016

materials used, the health of the materials and the efficiency of the final product to ensure the building meets its sustainable goals.”

Mitchells says the Living Building at Georgia Tech, when completed and certified, will be one of the largest buildings of its kind in the world.

If the timeline remains intact, the building will be complete by the end of 2018, and move-in will begin in January 2019. No occupants for the building have been identified yet, but it’s intended to be an interdisciplinary, academic-focused building.

“There will be centrally scheduled classrooms, student gathering spaces, some offices and some research activities,” Wertheimer says. Even Atlantans and city visitors not affiliated with the university are invited. “We will have a larger community outreach component with a lecture hall of at least 150 seats. We also would like to have evening and weekend activities programmed in this space.”

MUCH LIKE OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE, where developers are encouraged to improve upon the code for the benefit of all, Tech and Kendeda want this Living Building to be transparent in its process and practice. “We want to make this replicable so other building owners can learn from our experiences,” Wertheimer says.

A project like this is a win-win for everyone, Wertheimer says, including the participants, the community and the environment itself. He hopes that other builders in Atlanta and the Southeast will take notice of what Georgia Tech is doing with its Living Building. It’s a project that will raise the bar and reduce impact. And hopefully, it will give something back.

EVERY GIFT HAS A PURPOSE

Continue the tradition and make a difference for outstanding students, world-class programs, and the value of your Georgia Tech degree.

MAKE YOUR GIFT TO THE 70TH ROLL CALL:

gtalumni.org/giving

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From the drinking-water contamination in Flint, Mich., to the seemingly endless drought in California, good old H2O pools at the heart of many of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most pressing and headline-grabbing problems. Find out how the work and ideas of Tech researchers are helping us understandâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and solveâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;these planet-wide challenges.

YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND why California has been suffering from a persistent and troubling drought— if it’s just an unlucky streak or if it’s a change that might have staying power—you might begin your quest in Borneo. The equator-straddling island, just southeast of the Philippines, holds some intriguing clues.

While Borneo doesn’t have any mystical connection to the Golden State, what it does have may be even more powerful, says Kim Cobb, ADVANCE Professor and Georgia Power Faculty Scholar in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. The island’s

remote jungle caves offer what Cobb describes as “the best, highest resolution archives of past climate.”

Specifically, the stalagmites on the island are among the very best artifacts in the world to study how precipitation patterns have changed over the course of timeframes, including the past century as well as the past few millennia. Cobb has spent nearly two decades traveling to and from Borneo to study water isotopes— chemical variations of the same element—within coral and stalagmites that are helping unlock details of precipitation variability over time.

Such research allows scientists to understand the natural variations of precipitation over long periods of time.

They also allow researchers to pinpoint variations that seem to depart from the norm. In Borneo, there have been dramatic swings in precipitation

OCEANS OF WATER: WHY DESALINATION ISN’T AN ANSWER (YET) OUR NEED FOR FRESH WATER seems nearly insatiable, which raises a question: With literal oceans of saltwater available to us, why aren’t scientists focusing on pursuing desalination, the alchemy that could transform saltwater into fresh?

In fact, desalination is common in areas such as Saudi Arabia, where surface water and groundwater supplies are scarce. But in most other areas, it’s not nearly ready for primetime.

“Economically, it’s still prohibitive— not just the technology, but transporting

the water,” says civil and environmental engineering professor Aris Georgakakos, noting that costs hover around $3 per 1,000 gallons—quite high compared to almost all other alternatives. Another stumbling block is the byproduct of the process—environmentally harmful brine.

While desalination holds promise, costs will have to be at least halved before water-scarce regions will consider it a priority option. “It’s a promising technology,” he says. “But it is not yet a panacea, particularly for agriculture.”

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over the geologic past, but Cobb’s research suggests that climate change is responsible for recent trends in tropical rainfall. Specifically, in applying oxygen isotopes to corals from the Central Pacific, Cobb has shown that the salinity of the ocean water has declined significantly, suggesting that precipitation is markedly higher than normal.

But what does this have to do with California? More than you might think.

A deeper understanding of precipitation changes and variability in the relatively recent past may offer the best opportunity to predict—and plan for—what lies ahead in a world with a rapidly changing climate.

“Apart from coastal sea rise, rainfall changes are one of the most important things we need to understand about the effects of climate change,” Cobb says. “Fresh water is essential for agriculture, and we’re starting to see the vulnerability of places like California. But it’s also more than that: Many regions of the world have set up agricultural practices in line with centuries of specific rainfall patterns. And that may all be changing.”

Her research has borne out the idea—once marginalized—that indepth study of isotopes could offer a robust understanding of past climate as a way to predict its future.

Her work could help others pursue isotope-based climate science in areas most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. e may have long taken it for granted, but there is no question that water is humanity’s most precious resource. It’s what helps us power our cities and nurture our crops.

Clean water is one of the most powerful tools to keep communities

“Fresh water is essential for agriculture, and we’re starting to see the vulnerability of places like California. But it’s also more than that: Many regions of the world have set up agricultural practices in line with centuries of specific rainfall patterns. And that may all be changing,” Cobb says. healthy. And understanding and maintaining our planet’s delicate water balance is essential if we want to continue to support our world’s growing population.

At Georgia Tech, faculty, researchers and students across multiple disciplines are using their expertise to think about the water challenges our world faces in unique ways. Here, we dive into four of our planet’s biggest water problems by examining some of the big ideas that drive our researchers’ work, the ways they’re working to develop solutions, and what they foresee about our water future.

THE PROBLEM OF CLEAN WATER HEN THE WATER CRISIS IN FLINT started dominating the news in 2014—lead levels in the drinking water were sky high, caused by changes in water sourcing and aging infrastructure—it seemed almost unthinkable. As a whole, Americans had confidently assumed that the water that pours from their faucets was clean, safe and drinkable.

Flint proved otherwise. Up to 12,000 children have suffered lead exposure high enough to cause them

IT TAKES HOW MUCH H2O?

severe health problems.

Some experts have linked Flint’s water problems to an outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease, a deadly form of pneumonia caused by waterborne bacteria, which has affected more than 80 of the city’s residents.

For Tech civil and environmental engineering professor Joe Brown, the details were particularly alarming.

“Our public health is based on clean water and sanitation,” he says. “This is a battle we fought and largely won in the 20th century, but it’s become clear that we haven’t been properly investing in infrastructure.”

Brown knows perhaps better than anyone the dangers of crumbling infrastructure. “I’m very interested in how the type and function of infrastructure influences the transmission of infectious diseases through water,” he says. “My work lies at the

Source: The World’s Water and U.S. Geological Survey

THAT CUP OF COFFEE you drank this morning and the burger you had for lunch may be more water-intensive than you could have ever imagined. Here’s how much water it takes to produce common food, drinks and other goods: ONE POUND LOAF OF BREAD: 200 gallons

ONE POUND OF CORN: 110 gallons

ONE ORANGE: 13 gallons

ONE POTATO: 100 gallons

ONE POUND OF CHICKEN MEAT: 500 gallons

ONE EGG: 50 gallons

ONE GLASS OF ORANGE JUICE: 45 gallons

ONE COTTON SHIRT: 650 gallons

ONE CUP OF COFFEE: 35 gallons

ONE 1/4 LB HAMBURGER: 460 gallons

ONE SHEET OF PAPER: 3 gallons

ONE POUND OF STEEL: 30 gallons

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WATER RICH VS. WATER POOR WEALTHY, INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES and developing nations use their water in strikingly different ways: HIGH-INCOME COUNTRIES

LOW- AND MIDDLEINCOME COUNTRIES

Domestic use:

Domestic use:

Industrial use:

Industrial use:

Agricultural use:

Agricultural use:

11% 8% 59% 10% 30% 82% Source: United Nations World Water Development Report

intersection of environmental engineering and public health.”

For the most part, Brown does his work overseas, focusing on urbanizing areas of Cambodia and India. In these cities, water is often only available for a few hours of the day, typically in the morning and evening.

Such systems are uniquely vulnerable to contamination.

The intermittent water flow can leave water pipes vulnerable to leaks that bring dangerous bacteria. Improperly treated, these bacteria can cause serious conditions including cholera and giardia.

Because almost all Americans live in areas with continuous water supplies, the positive pressure from the pipes keeps these bacterial baddies from seeping into the water supply. But the troubles in Flint highlight what is almost certainly going to become a bigger problem over time. “We have a multi-trillion dollar funding gap in terms of

water infrastructure, and because those problems are literally underground, we often aren’t even recognizing that there’s a problem at all,” he says.

While politicians often insist it’s time to upgrade our nation’s infrastructure by pointing out our crumbling roads, Brown suggests that they may actually be in far better shape than our water infrastructure. “When you see a pothole, there’s maybe one out of a thousand people driving down the road who will call about it to make sure it gets fixed,” he says. “There’s monitoring and feedback. And while there are certainly ways for us to test water samples in the lab, a similar kind of feedback loop just doesn’t exist in the same way for water supplies.”

Despite what appears to be a steady drumbeat of bad news when it comes to both acute and long-term water infrastructure issues, there is no question that Flint has spurred a new sense of urgency for solutions. That includes one that Brown and his team are working on now: sensors that could catch problems like Flint’s long before they spiral out of control. “Right now, low-cost sensor networks that could provide health-relevant water data at a massive scale could make a huge impact,” he says. “We need to make investments in the development of these networks that could monitor, in real time, microbial and chemical water quality.”

THE PROBLEM OF ENOUGH WATER S THE WORLD’S POPULATION continues to skyrocket—by 2050, the global population is expected to top 9 billion people—the demand for water for drinking, power production and agriculture will continue to surge. Without big changes, our water needs will outstrip the supply, says John Crittenden, a Georgia Tech civil and environmental engineering professor and director of the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems.

“Our public health is based on clean water and sanitation. This is a battle we fought and largely won in the 20th century, but it’s become clear that we haven’t been properly investing in infrastructure,” Brown says.

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It can seem like an unfathomable problem. After all, we’ve been taught since elementary school that two-thirds of the Earth’s surface is covered in water. Water is, essentially, a renewable resource. Could we really run out?

For Crittenden, the real issue is our cavalier overuse of the resource. “We really haven’t had any adult supervision when it comes to water,” he says.

Crittenden, who has been studying water sustainability for decades and was recently awarded the Clarke Prize for his pioneering work from the National Water Research Institute, argues that we must build water-based systems and infrastructure that work in concert with one another, instead of independently.

For example, he says, the water that flows from your tap is probably part of a “once-through” linear system. “Locally in Atlanta, we take water out of the Chattahoochee, we treat it and send it into the city, then we send it back into the river after we treat it again,” he explains.

He sees opportunities to use much of that water more than once. For example, we could easily use grey water—water from showering, hand washing and laundry—for watering plants and fruit trees. By some estimates, simply using this water twice could slice household water usage by 28 percent.

Meanwhile, energy companies that churn through millions of gallons of water to produce power could commit to helping people lower their energy use. It’s a tough problem to crack, Crittenden admits, since the incentives aren’t properly aligned. “These companies are always going to make more money if they make more electricity,” he says. “What might be useful are programs like those in California, which decouple a utility’s profit from the electricity they produce.”

A third area that Crittenden believes is ripe for improvement is the water-intensive agriculture sector—linked to about two-thirds of all water use worldwide. One solution, particularly for urban areas, is an idea known as controlled environment agriculture. Technologically advanced greenhouses grow plants without soil, pack far more produce in less space, and can produce crops all year round.

Based on some projections, such approaches could slash water usage for some crops by 97 percent.

While some of these solutions require sophisticated technology or upgraded infrastructure, they are—at their heart—also something simpler and more elegant than that. They are the embodiment of the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra at the very grandest scales.

THE PROBLEM OF WATER MANAGEMENT OR DECADES, Aris Georgakakos has been working to answer one essential question: How do we divide up water in ways that help its users get what they want while also being environmentally sustainable?

Georgakakos, a civil and environmental engineering professor and director of the Georgia Water Resources Institute, looks at the problem through the lens of river basins. River basins, which are a bit like bathtubs, collect the water that falls within them and send it, through creeks and tributaries, to a main river that makes its way to the sea. No matter where you live, a river basin is part of your “ecological address.”

Managing the water uses within a river basin is a particularly complex riddle. “This is water that is used for many purposes,” Georgakakos explains. “Domestic and industrial water supply, irrigation, power production, navigation, recreation, the environment,” he says.

It’s not always clear how to best manage water so that everyone gets what they need—because everyone has their own ideas about what’s most important. These disputes can become heated.

For example, Atlanta and southwest Georgia derive their water supply that powers their economy from the Appalachacola, Chattahoochee and Flint

AN UNINTENDED EFFECT: COULD SELF-DRIVING CARS HELP SOLVE OUR STORMWATER RUNOFF PROBLEMS? THE EMERGENCE OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES is generating plenty of excitement. One unexpected proponent is environmental engineering professor John Crittenden. He sees the new technology not just for what it could do, but also for what it could eliminate: excessive burdens on our stormwater systems.

“If we had full penetration by autonomous vehicles, we could dramatically reduce the number of required parking lots, which are the impermeable surfaces that water doesn’t flow into,” Crittenden says. In some cities, that could free up a full 20 percent of the land for green spaces which could soak up water and ease the burdens on the storm water systems.

“Disruptive technologies can have a lot of unintended effects,” he says. “And in this case, it could be a huge benefit.”

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(ACF) river basin, which also extends over Alabama and Florida.

Georgakakos has worked with stakeholders in each and all three states for years to develop a plan to share the water equitably and sustainably, but compromises have been hard to reach.

“Stakeholders in Florida believe that too much water is taken out upstream in Georgia for irrigation and general water supplies,” he says.

“They believe that they’re not getting enough water for their own economic sectors, like fishing and tourism. They’re also worried about the health of important ecological areas, like the Apalachicola Bay.” Many in Georgia disagree. Georgia argues that it has been a responsible steward of water resources and has made large investments to increase the quantity and quality of flows returning to the river from urban and industrial areas, with some counties, like Gwinnett, being at the forefront of

WET FOOTPRINTS

wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies.

Despite multi-year negotiations, there has been no easy resolution, and the dispute has recently escalated to the very highest levels. “The case is currently litigated before the Supreme Court,” Georgakakos says with some resignation. “Can the Supreme Court judges gain the holistic understanding that’s required to address fairly and decisively a complex problem like this in such a short order? It remains to be seen.”

Sending a water-use issue to the highest court in the land may seem extreme. But Georgakakos says that water disputes are flaring up worldwide and can have even more dire consequences.

For instance, Ethiopia is currently in the process of building a very large dam on the Blue Nile River near the border with Sudan. “The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, as it’s called, is so big that it will change the way

Source: Water: Use it Wisely Campaign

PEOPLE NEED JUST OVER A HALF GALLON OF WATER each day to live, but Americans use far more than that in their everyday lives. Here’s a daily breakdown for the average person living in the United States: 6 GALLONS Direct consumption, including drinking and cooking 18 GALLONS Toilets

16 GALLONS Showers and baths 22 GALLONS Household cleaning, including washers, dishwashers, & faucets

74 GALLONS Outdoor uses including landscaping and pools

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that the Nile flows through the downstream countries, Sudan and Egypt,” he says.

This dam is expected to generate large amounts of energy, helping the Ethiopian economy grow, and provide flood protection for flood prone areas in Sudan, including the capital Khartoum.

It will also enable increased agricultural water withdrawals in Sudan. These river flow alterations have the potential to impact the water supplies that Egypt has come to depend on for its economy and livelihood.

That’s no small matter, Georgakakos says. “A large percentage of the Egyptian economy depends on the flow of the Nile,” explains Georgakakos, noting that agricultural production could be particularly affected. “If you read the local newspapers, you can see that all sides are willing to go to war over this—a real war, not a war of lawyers and words.”

Georgakakos has played a key role in helping to develop peaceful, equitable, and sustainable water sharing solutions for the East Africa region, but the case highlights a larger truth about the importance of well-managed water resources.

If there is one water issue that keeps Georgakakos up at night, it is the specter of climate change. Typically, water management plans are put in place to last for decades, but climate change could cause unprecedented droughts and decreases in river flows, soil moisture, and groundwater supplies.

“If the climate changes its historical patterns in the next few decades and water supplies decline by 10–20 percent, how can we cope with this recession, particularly in light of steadily rising populations and water demands?” he asks “We need to find better ways to inform our policy makers of the emerging new risks, fashion more effective management and adaptation strategies, and demand that our water institutions adopt them to balance economic growth, environmental sustainability, and quality of life.”

WATER’S DOMINO EFFECT UMANS HAVE PROVED to be remarkably adept at transforming the landscape in ways that allow us to live more comfortably, but less skilled at seeing the long-term consequences of our actions.

For Rafael Bras, Georgia Tech provost and professor of civil and environmental engineering, as well as Earth and atmospheric sciences, deforestation in the Amazon is a key illustration of this idea. Over the past four decades, deforestation along the Amazon River has grown alongside huge increases in cattle ranching. By some estimates, nearly 20 percent of the rainforest has been cut down. The growth in ranching has lifted many out of poverty, but the environmental consequences have been severe.

For example, the bare soil and grass absorb far less moisture than trees they replaced. While some of that unabsorbed water runs off to the river, some evaporates into the air, increasing cloudiness and warming the area like a blanket.

Right now, satellite data of rainfall and soil moisture levels collected by NASA-funded spacecraft is helping scientists like Bras understand the nuances of these changes, but he admits that solutions to the problems potentially caused by the changes are far in the future.

Annalisa Bracco, an Earth and atmospheric sciences professor, is also studying the unintended consequences of commercial development. New dams along the Mekong River that run through China, Thailand and Vietnam are being developed to produce the additional power needed to support the nations’ population growth. While the dams are a better option than coal for producing clean energy, there are still major concerns.

“These dams are completely changing how the river works, and it could have a huge effect on the productivity of their coastal oceans, which provide about 20 percent of the food supply for Vietnam,” Bracco says.

It can seem like a faraway problem, but America has had its own blind spots. When farmers in the Midwest first began pumping up their use of fertilizers in their crops, the nitrogen-filled soil made its way to the Mississippi River, leading to massive algae blooms that continue to plague certain areas. In late 2015, a record-breaking level of toxic algae led to beach and oyster reef closures in Mississippi.

Emanuele Di Lorenzo, professor of ocean and climate dynamics, also sees the effects of these unexpected interdependencies. He has long studied the climate of the Pacific Ocean, and climate-related events are beginning to take their toll. A one-two punch of a prolonged marine heatwave starting

“Today’s threats to water require a synergistic approach. We must take into account the physical, biological, chemical and human dimensions of these problems,” Di Lorenzo says.

“Eventually, this information and these tools could help us create better patterns of development that would be less harmful to the whole ecosystem,” Bras says. “With the help of policy and decision makers, we could provide ideas about how to do things better.”

in 2013, followed by one of the largest El Niños on record in 2015 and early 2016, had startling effects, including massive die-offs of birds, mammals and other marine life.

Humans, too, feel the effects of these events in real ways. “The heat wave was

associated with severe droughts along the west coast of the United States, and the emergence of toxic plants near the coasts that led several fisheries and beaches to close,” Di Lorenzo says.

The domino effects of changes worldwide, both natural and man-made, can seem overwhelming. But the work that scientists are doing to understand the changes will be what helps us minimize or halt the consequences.

FROM PROBLEMS TO SOLUTIONS HE LARGER LESSONS OF WATER teach us that there are rarely simple, individual challenges, but rather complex and interconnected ones. In the past, big breakthroughs that solve important problems could be dreamed up by lone geniuses in a lab—think Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin—yet today the answers are more complicated and nuanced. They require high-octane thinking from researchers with diverse specialties and expertise, who can pull back and look at the problems we face at a much higher level.

Di Lorenzo sees this truth in his own work, but it could be said of nearly every water-linked problem that we face.

“Today’s threats to water require a synergistic approach,” he says. “We must take into account the physical, biological, chemical and human dimensions of these problems.”

In a way, this may be why a place like Georgia Tech is uniquely poised to bring real solutions to the problems we face with clean water, sustainability and climate change. These are not, fundamentally, problems that can be solved only with better technology.

Instead, they will be solved by better collaboration that seeks to address issues holistically, Georgakakos says.

“Solving water problems requires us to build strong connections—between atmospheric scientists and hydrologists, ecologists and engineers, economists and sociologists, policy makers and water stakeholders—to underwrite a sustainable and prosperous future.”

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Alumni House

A HOMECOMING TO REMEMBER More than 1,100 alumni, family and friends returned to campus this October to enjoy summer-like weather, a big Yellow Jackets win and a host of Homecoming activities, including the Ramblin' Reck Parade and a huge tailgate on Tech Lawn. Meanwhile, the classes of 1966, 1976 and 1991 held helluva reunion parties and raised significant funds for future classes of Tech students.

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Roger Slavens

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ALUMNI HOUSE

Pure Gold (& White) Meet eight Tech alumni and friends who do the Institute proud and deserve its highest honors.

BY ROGER SLAVENS PHOTOS BY JOSH MEISTER, REBECCA JAFFE AND JOSH RITCHIE

For more than 131 years, Georgia Tech has educated, fostered and empowered some of the most influential people of the 20th and 21st centuries—not only engineers and designers, but also pioneers in business and technology, and leaders in government and education.

SInce 1934, the Alumni Association has been proud to formally recognize the many Yellow Jackets who have distinguished themselves through outstanding achievements in their fields and generous contributions to society. That year, L.W. “Chip” Robert Jr., CE 1908—for whom the

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Alumni House is named—was bestowed the very first alumni award for his success in industry and public service, which included helping to run President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1933-36.

Now officially called the Gold & White Honors, these awards recognize career accomplishments, service to society, dedication to their communities and generosity to Tech.

Without further ado, let’s introduce you to the next eight Yellow Jackets who will receive our highest accolades in January at the 2017 Gold & White Honors Gala in Atlanta.

TOM GAY, IM 66 PRESIDENT OF GAY CONSTRUCTION CO GAY HAS LONG BEEN A LEADER at Tech and throughout his life. He served as president of his freshman class and president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Since 1973, he’s been at the reins of Gay Construction, a company founded by his father, Logan T. Gay Sr., Cls 41. A former Marine Corps officer and Vietnam veteran, Gay has devoted much of his time and effort to helping Atlanta's youth. He’s served the Boy Scouts of America for more than three decades, including a three-year term as Atlanta Area Council president. He’s also been president and a board member of Hillside Hospital in Atlanta, a psychiatric treatment facility for teens.

Being a Yellow Jacket remains important to him, and he's served as past chair of the Alumni Association Board of Trustees and as a member of the Georgia Tech Foundation.

THE JOSEPH MAYO PETTIT DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD This is the highest award conferred by the Alumni Association. It honors alumni who have provided outstanding support of the Institute and the Alumni Association throughout a lifetime, while also providing leadership in their chosen professions and local communities.

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ROD ADKINS, EE 81, MS EE 83, HON PHD 13 PRESIDENT OF 3RAM LLC ADKINS EMBARKED ON A STELLAR CAREER after “getting out” of Tech, including becoming the first African-American to become a senior vice president at IBM, a position which he held from 2007-14. During his 33 years in technology and business, he helped developed solutions for personal, mobile and super computing,and was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering for his lifetime of work. Currently he leads 3RAM, a company specializing in capital investments and business consulting, while also serving on the board of directors for UPS Inc., W.W. Grainger, Avent Inc. and PPL Corp. He’s held numerous roles with his alma mater, such as helping to lead Campaign Georgia Tech and sitting on the Georgia Tech Foundation Board, Georgia Tech Advisory Board and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Board.

THE JOSEPH MAYO PETTIT DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

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WADE BARNES, BIO 71 FOUNDING PARTNER AND PHYSICIAN AT NORTH FLORIDA OB/GYN ASSOCIATES HOW MANY DOCTORS can say they've presided over more than 9,000 births? Barnes credits Tech with fostering the analytical mindset to keep detailed records of every single one of them. After earning his medical degree, Barnes set up a private practice in Jacksonville in 1978, and also works as an assistant clinical professor at the University of Florida School of Medicine. Today, North Florida OB/GYN Associates has grown to include 47 locations employing 73 physicians. Barnes remains actively involved at Tech, serving as a member of the College of Sciences Advisory Board and a former Alumni Association trustee, as well as leading the Georgia Tech Jacksonville Alumni Network in numerous roles over the years.

THE JOSEPH MAYO PETTIT DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

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STEVE CHADDICK, EE 74, MS EE 82 MENTOR CAPITALIST AT RIDGEWOOD ADVISORS LLC

GEORGIA TECH’S WORLD-CLASS entrepreneurship and startup programs owe a huge debt to Chaddick, who has been a serial investor in technology companies spun out of the Institute and a devoted mentor to students and alumni. As a student, he paid for most of his college expenses by working at the Georgia Tech Engineering Experiment Station, as well as for Harris Corp. Upon graduation, he started at GTE Sylvania as a research engineer, but throughout his career sought out opportunities to launch new tech businesses, including AT&T Tridom and Ciena. He founded Ridgewood Advisors in 2004 as a platform for angel investing in tech-based companies in Atlanta and commercializing innovative ideas. He’s a past chair of the Alumni Association board, and currently serves as a trustee of the Georgia Tech Foundation, chair of the ECE Advisory Board and Arts Advisory board, and is a member of the College of Engineering board.

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BETSY BULAT TURNER, IAML 04 ATTORNEY AT MARTENSON, HASBROUCK & SIMON LLP A FORMER VARSITY CROSS-COUNTRY and track-and-field runner for Tech and a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, Turner currently serves on the executive council on the Alumni Association’s Board of Trustees. She has been among the board’s most active volunteers in recent years, and has played an instrumental role in reshaping the Association’s programs to appeal to her fellow young alumni. Turner has also mentored a number of Yellow Jacket students interested in legal professions. She represents companies and managers in labor and employment disputes, and has been named a Rising Star in her field by Georgia Super Lawyer magazine, and for the past four years a Legal Elite by Georgia Trend magazine.

THE OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD The award is given to young Georgia Tech alumni (under 40 years old) who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and service to Tech, the Alumni Association, the community and their profession.

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GEORGE CATES, IE 59 RETIRED CHAIRMAN, DIRECTOR AND CEO OF MID-AMERICA APARTMENT COMMUNITIES INC.

DEAN GRIFFIN COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD This award recognizes alumni who have performed exemplary community service in the following ways: service in a long term volunteer capacity, impact on the quality of life of others, leadership and creativity in dealing with societal problems, and the ability to serve as a source of inspiration for others.

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FOLLOWING HIS RETIREMENT in 2009 from the real estate investment trust he co-founded, Cates helped start Neighborhood Preservation Inc., an organization dedicated to fighting large-scale property blight in Memphis, Tenn., as well as the Overton Park Conservancy, which has revitalized the city's core park. His vast real-estate experience has been invaluable in helping to rejuvenate his community in these and many other roles.

Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also faithfully served Tech as an emeritus member of the ISyE Advisory Board and a former officer of two Tech alumni networks. As a student, Cates served as chair of the Interfraternity Council Honor Board, the Koseme Society, and was president of the Ramblin' Reck Club. He also was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and lettered in golf.

BEVERLY SEAY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NEBRASKA APPLIED RESEARCH INSTITUTE (NARI) A LONGTIME FRIEND OF GEORGIA TECH, and a particular champion of Tech’s applied research efforts, Seay led the innovation of key pioneering approaches in systems engineering, modeling and simulation, and the delivery of complex composable software and hardware systems that have become the foundation of major modeling and simulation systems.

She helped launch NARI at the University of Nebraska at Omaha this year, using the successful work of the Georgia Tech Research Institute as a model for advancing research, as well as driving workforce development, technology transfer and regional economic growth. She currently serves as chair of Tech’s College of Computing Advisory Board, and was a past chair of the Georgia Tech Advisory Board and a member of the Georgia Tech Foundation board.

THE HONORARY ALUMNI AWARD This award bestows an honorary degree to those who didn’t earn a degree at Georgia Tech but have devoted themselves to the greater good of the Institute.

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ALUMNI HOUSE

BARRETT H. CARSON VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT AT GEORGIA TECH CARSON HAS BEEN A FAMILIAR FIXTURE and formidable force at Georgia Tech since 1997. He’s led the last two capital campaigns at the Institute, exceeding expectations on both. At the end of 2000, his first campaign raised more than $712 million, far surpassing its original goal of $300 million. Even more impressive, in 2015 he helped close the books on Campaign Georgia Tech— which initially had its sights set on raising $1 billion—with a whopping total of $1.8 billion. Carson’s unflappable attitude, great sense of humor and commitment to overachievement make him worthy of being named an honorary “helluva engineer” to the Institute he’s so honorably served over the past two decades.

THE HONORARY ALUMNI AWARD

About the Gala: The 2017 Gold & White Honors Gala, presented by Georgia Power, will be held Thursday, Jan. 26 at The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead in Atlanta. Attendees will not only get to meet the eight new awardees, but also they'll get to mingle with generations of Tech’s movers and shakers during a festive cocktail reception and dinner. The Gala also serves as a crucial fundraiser to support future generations: Last year’s event, which included a silent auction, raised more than $452,000 for the Alumni Association’s award-winning student programs.

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Annual Report 2016 (Fiscal Year)

Buzzing with record participation in events, programs, giving and more, your Alumni Association completed one of its finest years on record. Find out how together we made a major impact on the Instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s academic mission while building strong bonds among past and future generations of Yellow Jackets.

ALUMNI BY COUNTRY, TOP 5

ALUMNI BY AGE

FRANCE

#1

150,364

INDIA

#2

S. KOREA

#4

Total Tech Alumni in the World

CHINA

#3

GERMANY

#5

ALUMNI BY STATE, TOP 5

GEORGIA

FLORIDA

#2

#1

7%

45%

TEXAS

#4

ALUMNI BY COLLEGE

5%

CALIFORNIA

#3 6%

N. CAROLINA

#5 3%

ENGINEERING 91,208 61% BUSINESS 22,351 15% SCIENCES 12,099 8%

COMPUTING 10,397 7% DESIGN 8,904 6% LIBERAL ARTS 4,744 3%

20-29 25,992 17%

60-69 17,018 11%

30-39 36,071 24%

70-79 10,899 7%

40-49 28,620 19%

80-89 5,664 4%

50-59 24,439 16%

90-99 1,645 1%

41%

OF GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI ARE UNDER 40

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ANNUAL REPORT

Letter from the Chair DEAR FELLOW ALUMNI, this past year was another great one for Georgia Tech and your Alumni Association.

From longstanding traditions like Homecoming and Commencement to our efforts to build loyal alumni among the student body, all our activities made for a very busy and rewarding year of engagement and supporting Georgia Tech.

You know from your own time here what Georgia Tech meant to you as an individual. Being the father of two Tech undergraduates has given me the unique opportunity to see the profound impact our school continues to have on students from the perspective of both a parent and as your Association Chair. The transformative experience from our time has only been enhanced for today’s students, and that unique experience is a major reason why Georgia Tech is a global leader in higher education.

Campaign Georgia Tech finished in December of 2015, and what an amazing success it is. The final tally was $1,812,429,271. We started out with a $1 billion goal and, after meeting that challenge, extended the campaign and moved the goal to $1.5 billion under President Peterson’s leadership. (This is Georgia Tech—we can do that!)

You’ll be interested to know that the Association, through Roll Call, brought in nearly $70 million dollars alone to Campaign Georgia Tech.

During the campaign, Roll Call also was supported by more than 89,500 donors—97.7 percent of the campaign’s total donors.

Even more importantly, the campaign was not just about the total money raised or number of donors, but Campaign Georgia Tech was about the tangible impact your generosity will have on our students and faculty in the future. The result is many new academic and athletic facilities, enhanced faculty, endowment of hundreds of scholarships for students and much, much more. As Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson said: “Because of this campaign, and the support of so many, the future is exciting. There’s no limit to what we can accomplish.”

Indeed, the future of Georgia Tech is bright thanks to the robust and continuous support of our alumni. We thank you for that support and your passion for Georgia Tech. Finally, on a personal level, thank you for the past year and the opportunity to represent you— talented and successful graduates who are the most loyal alumni in America!

Sincerely, Ben Mathis, Mgt 81 Fiscal Year 2016 Chair Georgia Tech Alumni Association

24,987 ALUMNI DONORS gave in FY16 for an 18% PHILANTHROPIC PARTICIPATION RATE. The national average is 10%. Tech historically ranks in the TOP 3 INSTITUTIONS in annual philanthropic participation among public research universities in the United States.

The Alumni Association drove ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT with

1,588,157 direct participations by alumni, DOUBLE THE ENGAGEMENT OF FY12.

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AN ALL-TIME RECORD OF $9.45M was given back to Tech for the Alumni Association’s 69th Roll Call.

SUPPORTIVE ENGAGEMENT, which includes indirect engagement and communications like reading the Alumni Magazine and visiting gtalumni.org, reached an all-time high of

19,520,213.

ASSOCIATION FINANCES FISCAL YEAR 2016 REVENUES

BUDGET ACTUAL VARIANCE

GT Foundation Georgia Tech Advertising & Sponsorships Career Services Tours Merchandise Sales (Net of Cost of Sales) Royalties Event Registrations Other Sources of Revenue Gold & White Honors Gala/Contributions

$4,725,760 629,324 456,000 255,000 115,000 19,500 2,400 158,612 218,304 434,488

$4,725,800 597,802 382,499 228,000 142,705 22,803 1,171 201,887 216,737 452,225

$40 (31,522) (73,501) (27,000) 27,705 3,303 (1,229) 43,275 (1,567) 17,737

Total Revenues

$7,014,388

$6,971,629

$(42,759)

EXPENDITURES

BUDGET ACTUAL VARIANCE

Administration Career Services Communications Alumni Relations & Tours Roll Call & Business Development Campus Relations Event Management Marketing Services

$2,538,202 291,200 673,340 474,400 860,800 564,625 1,193,697 418,124

$2,661,174 283,374 627,570 334,796 860,455 448,480 1,271,245 457,791

$122,972 (7,826) (45,770) (139,604) (345) (116,145) 77,548 39,667

Total Expenditures

$7,014,388

$6,944,885

$(69,503)

$0

$26,744

$26,744

2016

2015

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Accounts Receivable less Allowance for Doubtful Accounts of $3,000 in 2016 and $3,000 in 2015 Prepaid Expenses

Inventory Property, Plant and Equipment, net

Antique Ramblin' Wreck

$381,414

$52,966

132,715 26,575 2,651 214,039 12,500

Total Assets

$816,234

$441,446

Excess (Deficiency) of revenue over expenses

ASSETS

61,439 90,534 11,621 258,726 12,500

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS 2016 LIABILITIES Accounts Payable Accrued Expenses

2015

357,852 391,668

167,680 381,249

$749,520

$548,929

UNRESTRICTED NET ASSETS Expended for Property, Plant & Equipment Available for Operations

271,226 (204,512)

226,539 (334,022)

Total Liabilities

Total Unrestricted Net Assets

$66,714

$(107,483)

Total Liabilities and Net Assets

$816,234

$441,446

Volume 92 No. 4 2016 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | 79

ANNUAL REPORT

Survey Says: What Alumni Think of Tech POSITIVE ATTITUDES

2016 Georgia Tech Alumni Survey Results Every five years, the Georgia Tech Alumni Association fields a major survey to keep up with how Yellow Jackets think and feel about their alma mater. You told us a lot about what matters most to you, and we are committed to making your input a part of our process to improve your student and alumni experiences. The following are some of the surveyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highlights.

SURVEY RESPONDENTS 4,806 alumni responded from all six colleges, 45 states (including the District of Columbia) and 10 countries, spanning graduation years 1937 through 2016.

97% 98%

said attending Tech was a good or great decision

promote Georgia Tech to others

had a good or excellent student experience

have a good or excellent current opinion of Tech

90% 96%

WHY TECH STANDS OUT

97% 88% 84% 82% 82% Value / Respect for Tech Degree

School Rankings

Alumni Accomplishments

History and Tradition

Student Accomplishments

HOW WELL DID TECH PREPARE YOU FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE? POOR PREPERATION

FAIR PREPERATION

GOOD PREPARATION

GREAT PREPARATION

Current work status

Getting a job/graduate program I wanted soon after I graduated Responding to new career opportunities Contributing to my community via service philanthropy

80 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | Volume 92 No. 4 2016

WHY ALUMNI GIVE BACK We asked you what were the most important factors driving you to participate philanthropically with Tech. Here’s what you said: NOT IMPORTANT

SOMEWHAT IMPORTANT

VERY IMPORTANT

CRITICALLY IMPORTANT

Hiring best in class teachers and researchers

TECH’S WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT

69% of Alumni respondents said they have household incomes over $100,000

Knowing how gifts are used World-class campus facilities Providing financial support to current & future students Enhancing the market value of my degree It's the right thing to do

PERSONAL IMPACTS Alumni named the one person who had a special impact upon them as a student.

TOP 5 AREAS OF SUPPORT ALUMNI WANT FROM THEIR ASSOCIATION 1. Career Services 2. Serving as Ambassadors for Georgia Tech 3. Providing Financial Support to Georgia Tech 4. Networking with Other Alumni 5. Student Programs

TOP 3 COMMUNICATION METHODS (In order of importance to alumni) 1. Alumni Magazine 2. Alumni Emails 2. Invitation to Alumni Association Events

49%

of recent grads who currently contribute to Georgia Tech plan to continue/increase giving in the future

Volume 92 No. 4 2016 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | 81

ANNUAL REPORT

Alumni Engagement and Impact NETWORK AND AFFINITY SCHOLARSHIPS Approximately $380,000 in alumni scholarships were raised by 65 Alumni Networks and Affinity Groups and were granted to 150 students (from 2,000 applicants nationwide). The average scholarship amount was $2,533.

ALUMNI NETWORKS AND AFFINITY GROUPS

100 17,023

active Alumni Networks and Affinity Groups across the U.S. and in 35 countries

alumni, parents and students participated in 611 events in FY2016, including new student send-offs, sports watching parties, scholarship drives and more.

2016 GOLD & WHITE HONORS GALA

8

extraordinary alumni and friends bestowed with the Association’s top honors in leadership and service

$452K

raised for award-winning student programs

CAMPUS RELATIONS: STUDENT ALUMNI ASSOCIATION All-time record of 6,154 SAA members/donors, an increase of 16.5% over FY 2015. SAA remains the largest student organization at Tech.

Raised $40,000 for the Annual Gift to Tech, which went to the Excel Program, providing intellectually and developmentally disabled students a chance at a four-year college experience

CONNECTING THROUGH COMMUNICATIONS

35.1K

alumni registered at gtalumni.org 398,999 annual circulation of the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine in print and online

SAA President Ria Banerjee, BA 16, was named CASE ASAP’s National Student Leader of the Year, the second time in three years a Tech student won this award.

GEORGIA TECH STUDENT FOUNDATION In just 30 years, the initial GTSF $100,000 (1986) funding has grown to $1.2 million, with $600,000 given back to student initiatives.

More than 8 million interactions with over 106,000 social media followers

CAREER SERVICES

ALUMNI TRAVEL

1,284

In FY16, 36 tours were hosted for 501 alumni and guest travelers. 60% were repeat travelers with Tech.

More than 106 employers and 650 attendees at the 33rd Annual Alumni Career Fair

career advising sessions and followups, as well as 1,194 workshop, webinar and online networking session attendees

82 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE GTALUMNIMAG.COM | Volume | Volume 92 No. 492 2016 No. 4 2016

MENTOR JACKETS

1,180

Alumni Mentors were paired with 1,499 Students (1,038 undergraduates and 461 graduate students across all six colleges) to help them navigate Tech and start their careers.

WRECKS AT WORK

How Relying on Email Can Derail Your Business AL SIMON, IM 77

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION has changed at a remarkable pace over the span of my career. Back in the late 1970s when I was first starting out, a person would dial (yes, really dial) the phone, get the secretary, and ask to speak with a decision maker. You would either get connected or a message would be taken on a pink message slip that was placed directly on the decision maker’s desk. The call was almost certain to be returned. I swear.

Then along came voicemail. The decision maker could listen to the message and decide whether the issue was worth a return call. Thus, in the mid-1980s, voicemail became the first business prevention technology. There weren’t many of us who recognized it as a negative influence on selling, but it was, and still is.

Email is even worse. Have you ever noticed how people love to brag about how many emails they get? Some people seem to think the number of emails they receive is an indication of how important they are. People complain about getting them, but love to get them! Now we even have smartphones that receive email automatically and portably, so we can get our email anytime, anywhere.

Well, I’ve had enough. Business used to be done face to face, and that is still the best way to connect with people.

We have a saying around our office: “All things being equal, people do business with people they trust. All things NOT being equal, people STILL do business with people they trust.” How do you create and foster trust with someone?

Not with email.

Granted, there are positive aspects to email. It’s perfect for communicating a message to multiple people quickly and simultaneously. Emails can be filed, sorted and passed on to others. Fine. Now let’s take a look at the negatives: 1. TIME MANAGEMENT Most people have no idea how to structure their time so that they maximize their productivity. You wouldn’t believe how many people tell me they have no time to make business calls because they are always responding to email messages.

2. DISTRACTIONS I was sitting in a business prospect’s office

on a sales call. His inbox chime sounded, and in mid-sentence he turned to his keyboard to see what it was. He just couldn’t help himself. Studies show that people check their email inbox 50 or more times per day!

3. ABUSE Studies show that in a face-to-face communication, 55 percent of the message is communicated through body language, 38 percent in tonality (pitch, volume, pace, voice inflection, etc.) and only 7 percent in the actual words. So by definition, email is an ineffective way to communicate. Yet professionals insist on emailing proposals, quotes, employment queries and other critical messages without getting that body language and tonality feedback.

Let’s all get back to doing business like it is supposed to be done. We can still use email, if we do it right. Send documents and links, confirm appointments, and communicate to multiple people at once. Other than that, try to call people to set appointments and work out business issues. Look them square in the eye, and talk business in an environment where you can respond to each other’s questions, feelings and emotions in real-time. Let’s go back to the good old days—when business communication was a real conversation.

Al Simon is president of Simon Inc., which provides sales training, coaching and business development services.

Interested in more workplace advice from Tech experts?

Check out our list of workshop offerings at www.gtalumni.org/ professionaldevelopment

Volume 92 No. 4 2016 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | 83

ALUMNI HOUSE

Save These Dates!

2017 GOLD & WHITE HONORS GALA: JAN. 26, 2017 The Gold & White Honors Gala is an evening to celebrate the alumni leaders of Georgia Tech and raise money to support the leaders of tomorrow. The gala, to be held Jan. 26 at the Ritz Carlton Buckhead in Atlanta, features a cocktail reception and silent auction, an elegant dinner and an awards ceremony. Last year the Gold & White Honors Gala raised more than $452,000 to support student development through Alumni Association student programs.

2017 ALUMNI CAREER FAIR: MARCH 8 Looking to try something new? Come see what opportunities are out there at the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Career Fair. Coming up March 8 at the Cobb Galleria Centre, this is a recruiting event exclusively for Tech alumni.

Dozens of top employers will there looking to hire Yellow Jackets like you.

84 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | Volume 92 No. 4 2016

45TH ANNUAL PI MILE 5K ROAD RACE: APRIL 22 Mark your calendar for this long-standing spring tradition! The 45th annual Pi Mile 5K Road Race is coming up April 22. Join us for a race through Tech’s beautiful campus with fellow alumni, students, family and friends. There will be music, food and, of course, Buzz on site to ensure a fun morning.

2017 PRESIDENT’S DINNER CELEBRATING ROLL CALL: JUNE 16 This elegant event brings together Georgia Tech’s most generous donors for an evening with President G.P. “Bud” Peterson. Those who donate $1,000 or more to Roll Call, Tech’s annual fund, are invited to the soiree. Make sure to make a gift to Tech if you’d like to snag a spot at this year’s celebration.

Learn more about all upcoming Georgia Tech Alumni Association events at gtalumni.org/events.

“I have a deep sense of pride in Georgia Tech’s mission. Those who supported Roll Call shaped this school so that I benefitted from a full and rich experience. It is now my honor and duty to do the same for the next generation of students. Just as my father did with us, I look forward to my family continuing the tradition of pride for our beloved Georgia Tech.”

“Most all I have in this world comes as a result of my Georgia Tech experience … the education I received and the friends I made at Tech and have kept close through the years. I give because of the love I have for this institution and the gratitude I feel for all I have received from my Georgia Tech experience.”

-MAYSON THORNTON SPELLMAN MGT 05 BOARD MEMBER, GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

-BERT THORNTON IM 68 BOARD MEMBER,

GEORGIA TECH FOUNDATION

FORMER CHAIR,

GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Leadership The Leadership Circle is the cornerstone of Roll Call - Georgia Tech’s annual fund.

BURDELL SOCIETY

a gift of $25,000

PHOENIX CLUB

$10,000 - $24,999

TRADITIONS CLUB

$5,000 - $9,999

TOWER CLUB

$2,500 - $4,999

CORNERSTONE CLUB

$1,000 - $2,499

We hope you’ll join us and enjoy benefits such as a limited edition tie or scarf and an invitation to the annual President’s Dinner.

www.gtalumni.org/giving

Please send your gift or pledge to: ROLL CALL, GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Volume 92 No. 4 2016 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | 85

190 North Avenue | Atlanta, Georgia 30313-9806 o r c a l l (4 0 4) 8 9 4 - 075 6

RAMBLIN' ROLL

Up, Up and Away WHEN MOST PEOPLE THINK OF TEST PILOTS, they think of Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier or U.S. fighter jocks like John Glenn and Alan Shepard becoming the Mercury astronauts back in the 1960s. Today’s test pilots, however, are more likely to operate in the commercial sector, like Greg McCann, AE 90, and Mike “Wingnut” Bryant, AE 86, who put aircraft through their paces for aviation giant Boeing.

McCann and Bryant got to show off the new Boeing 737 Max at the Farnborough International Airshow in Great Britain earlier this year. McCann was eager to share this picture of himself (pictured right) and Bryant (sitting in the captain's chair) in the cockpit wearing their Georgia Tech gear with Buzz perched at the controls.

“It’s amazing to me that of the 12 test pilots Boeing sent to the Farnborough Airshow, four of us were Yellow Jackets,” McCann says. “That’s an impressive percentage.” The select group of test pilots making the trip also included 737 Max backup pilot Chris Dobb, MS AE 96, and F-18 demo pilot John Tougas, AE 88, MS AE 90.

The Max is the latest generation of the seemingly ubiquitous 737 series, whose first model went into production way back in 1967. The Max boasts updated safety

1950s Robert Gotsch, IM 59, was awarded with Delta Tau Delta Fraternity’s Distinguished Service Chapter Citation, the fraternity’s highest service honor. In the past 20 years, Gotsch has served as chapter advisor for Emory University and Georgia Tech. For the past nine years, he has volunteered as house corporation president at Georgia Tech. Gotsch lives in Roswell, Ga., where he is a supply chain consultant with Lean Concepts Inc.

1970s Glenn Gottfried, NRE 78, is the co-founder and president of NeuroLucent Inc., a biotech firm with promising new compounds designed to halt the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

NeuroLucent Inc. was one of just 36 companies

selected to present at the Congressional University Startups Demo Day held at the U.S. Capitol complex in Washington, D.C.

1980s Robyn Gatens, ChE 84, has been named deputy director for the International Space Station Division and NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

1990s Mike DeFranks, ME 91, has been promoted to senior vice president, advanced technology at Simmons Beautyrest.

Cynthia Jenkins, Arch 98, was appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal to the Georgia Commission

86 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | Volume 92 No. 4 2016 GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLUME 92 NO.2 2016

technologies and an advanced, split-tip winglet designed to boost fuel economy. “It will have 20-percent-less fuel burn per seat mile and a 40 percent smaller noise footprint than previous versions,” McCann says.

Boeing maintains a tight relationship with the Institute and employs numerous Tech alumni across a wide range of roles, from pilots and engineers to Big Data gurus. All of these Yellow Jackets, no doubt, have the right stuff.

for Service and Volunteerism. Jenkins is the Mayor Pro Tem of Newnan, Ga., and the owner of C.E. Jenkins Construction. She is a founder of the Newnan Youth Council and coaches cheerleading with the Coweta Cobras Foundation. Jenkins also sits on the PiedmontNewnan Hospital Community Advisory Board.

James Tefend, Arch 92, and his firm, Form 4 Architecture, have been recognized with more than 60 industry accolades in the past year, including the ARCHITECT 50 list, the World Architectural Festival Shortlist for Future Projects, the A+Awards for Conceptual Design and the Green Good Design Awards for Sustainability.

Suzanne Bradley VanPatten, Mgt 91, was promoted to principal professional services engineer out of Atlanta for Palo Alto Networks, a company headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif.

New Vehicle Service Contract Program Available at Discounts Exclusive to Georgia Tech Alumni Friends and Family How it works:

• •

Protect yourself from unexpected and costly vehicle repairs from mechanical and electrical breakdowns.

Car repairs are easy! Take your vehicle to ANY licensed repair facility.

We work directly with your repair facility and pay them directly.

How to get coverage:

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Our representatives will work with you to determine the best vehicle protection coverage and the most convenient payment options for you.

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GT16

Yellow Jackets on the Move Another benefit from the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Preferential YELLOW JACKET treatment * * * * * * *

Minimum of a 55% discount on all interstate relocations.

Free Full-Value Coverage up to $50,000.

15% discount on all Georgia and Florida intrastate moves.

Guaranteed on time pick-up and delivery.

Personalized attention from start to finish.

Top rated drivers will be assigned to all Yellow Jacket shipments.

Sanitized air-ride vans.

Contact Tom Larkins (The Ramblin’ Relocator) for details on this program

1-800-899-2527 or e-mail him at tom.larkins@atlanticrelocation.com

Atlantic Relocation Systems/ Interstate Agent for

ATLAS VAN LINES 1909 Forge Street Tucker, GA 30084

* A portion of the proceeds collected from the transportation costs will be paid to the Georgia Tech Alumni Association

RAMBLIN' ROLL

Kovac Elected President of Sheridan Construction CHRISTY PEACOCK KOVAC, BC 91, has been elected as president of Sheridan Construction—making her the first woman to lead a major construction company in Middle Georgia. Kovac has more than 20 years of experience in the construction industry in both preconstruction and project management. The Macon native began her career with Sheridan Construction more than a decade ago as an estimator. She was promoted to vice president of preconstruction in 2011 and was named executive vice president in 2014. As president of Sheridan Construction, established in 1947, Kovac will lead day-to-day operations. Kovac graduated from Georgia Tech in 1991 and earned an MBA in finance from Mercer University in 1994. She chairs the Associated General Contractor’s Central Georgia Workforce Development Alliance and is vice president of the Macon Area Habitat for Humanity board. She is a LEED Accredited Professional, a member of the U.S. Green Building Council Central Georgia Branch Leadership Group and a member of the Downtown Macon Rotary Club.

2000s Aman Advani, IE 07, co-founder and president of Ministry, announced his company has opened its first retail store in Atlanta at the Shops Around Lenox. Ministry sells performance professional clothing for men and women.

Paul Judge, MS CS 01, PhD CS 02, has been named in Fortune’s 40 Under 40. The serial entrepreneur founded PureWire, an

Internet traffic scrubber; Pindrop Security, which fights phone fraud; and Luma, which makes Wi-Fi devices.

Erika Gemzer, ChBE 09, established Artocr.at, an art company that creates custom oil and watercolor paintings.

Salil Sethi, CS 05, founded GoSchoolWise. com, an EdTech startup that helps high school students with college admission using data analytics and artificial intelligence.

88 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | Volume 92 No. 4 2016

WEITNAUER NAMED ECE SENIOR ASSOCIATE CHAIR MARY ANN WEITNAUER, PHD ECE 89, has been appointed senior associate chair for Georgia Tech’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She succeeds Douglas B. Williams, who has been named as the associate dean for administration and finance in Tech’s College of Engineering.

Weitnauer joined the ECE faculty after graduating with her PhD in electrical engineering in 1989, becoming the school’s third female faculty member.

She is the director of the Smart Antenna Research Laboratory and currently advises three PhD students. She has been active in course development, most recently by helping develop the blended method of teaching ECE 2040 Circuit Analysis and in recording some of the MOOC videos for ECE 3710 Linear Circuits.

Weitnauer is the author or co-author of more than 190 refereed journal and conference papers, including four conference papers that won Best Paper awards. She also holds 23 patents and invention disclosures. She was an associate editor for the IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing from 2009-2012 and is currently associate editor for the IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications. Weitnauer is a senior member of IEEE, and has been a visiting professor at Aalborg University in Denmark and Idaho National Labs.

Throughout her career, Weitnauer has been involved in many different Georgia Tech faculty governance committees, most recently as a member of the Institute's Statutes Committee and the Georgia Tech Executive Board, and in creating a supportive environment for women at Georgia Tech. From 2006-12, Weitnauer held the Georgia Tech ADVANCE Professorship, where she led activities to support the advancement of female tenure-track faculty in the College of Engineering. She has served on several search committees, including committees for the Steve W. Chaddick School Chair, the ELSYS lab director at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, and the vice president for Institute Diversity.

BIRTHS

2

3

4

5

6

7

9

10

11

1

8

1. Matthew Madsen, ME 06, MBA 14, and wife Heather welcomed son Nolan Reed Madsen on April 20. The family lives in Smyrna, Ga. 2. Lindsey Kerns Cottingham, CE 05, MS CE 06, and husband John Cottingham, IE 04, MBA 09, welcomed daughter Avery Jane on July 20. The family lives in Atlanta.

3. Melissa Vander Wood Holman, IE 05, and Brian Holman, EE 06, welcomed daughter Sadie Amelia on April 28. She joins big brother Bennett at the

family's home in Roswell, Ga. 4. Chrissy Stovall, ChE 01, and James Stovall IV, CS 01, welcomed Luke Taylor Stovall on April 25. Luke joins siblings Jay and Anna. The family lives in Marietta, Ga. 5. Megan Winn Freeman, IA 01, and Stephen Freeman, ME 00, welcomed daughter Elizabeth Anne Freeman on July 13.

Elizabeth is the granddaughter of Yellow Jackets Larry Winn, Mgt 73, Paula Foster Fowler, IM 75, and Tom Fowler, Mgt 73.

6. Adriane Butler, IA 07, and husband Cameron Butler, IE 09, welcomed daughter Ellison Nichole Butler on June 9. The family lives in Atlanta.

7. Robert Lindley, AE 71, and wife Sherry, welcomed grandson Thomas Egan on Aug. 21.

8. Julie Chu Carter, IE 00, and Ryan Christopher Carter, Mgt 00, welcomed daughter Allison Catherine on April 26. She joins big sister Abigail, 7. Julie is a 3PL Transportation Solutions Manager with UPS, and Ryan is a Tax Manager with Bennett Thrasher.

They live in Roswell, Ga. 9. Paige DePetro Baker, IAML 03, MS IA 05, and Courtney Baker, Mgt 03, welcomed son Conrad Martin on Feb. 21. The family lives in Washington, D.C. 10. Anne Burley, PTFE 09, and husband Brian welcomed son James on Aug. 16. The family lives in Chattanooga, Tenn.

11. Megan Satterfield Blackburn, BME 04, MS MP 06, PhD NRE 09, and husband David Blackburn ME 04, MS ME 06, welcomed son Rhys. He joins big brother Conor.

Volume 92 No. 4 2016 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | 89

RAMBLIN' ROLL WEDDINGS

2

4

1

3

5

6

7

8

1. Kimberly Holland, BME 10, and Matthew Duane, PTFE, 12, on May 28 in Macon, Ga. Kimberly is a manufacturing engineer at Alcon and Matthew is a software engineer for Intelligrated. They live in Suwanee, Ga. 2. Fitrah Hamid Golden, CM 12, and Christopher Golden, ChBE 13, on Aug. 13 in Big Canoe, Ga. The couple lives in Knoxville, Tenn.

3. Joe Charbonnet, EnvE 12, and Elizabeth Jones on Aug. 1, 2015, in San Jose, Calif.

Joe is a graduate student at the University of

California. They live in Berkeley, Calif.

4. Benjamin Craig, ME 13, and Megan Smith, IAML 13, on Aug. 6 in Marble Hill, Ga. Ben is a product engineer for John Deere, and Megan is a registered nurse. They live in Augusta, Ga. 5. Lance Whatley BME 12, and Nicole Ikeda on May 7 in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. Lance is a software engineer at UserIQ. Nicole is an events marketing manager at the Georgia Tech Alumni Association. They live in Atlanta.

6. Rohit Sud, MS CS 09, and Astha Sud in

90 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | Volume 92 No. 4 2016

New Delhi, India, on Feb. 24. Rohit is a software development engineer for Microsoft Corp. They live in Redmond, Wash.

7. Joy Vaughan, Mgt 08, and Benjamin Smith, CS 04, on Aug. 13 in Atlanta. Joy is an analytics consultant for Slalom Consulting and Benjamin is a development manager for McKesson. They live in Smyrna, Ga. 8. Kristen Laquidara, Mgt 06, and Jon Clausen married on Nov. 14, 2015 in Atlanta. Kristen is an academic advisor at Georgia Tech. The couple lives in Atlanta.

Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation (Required by 39 USC 3685) Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, Publication No. 014-073 Frequency: Quarterly. No. of issues published annually: Four. Annual subscription price: None. Publisher: Joseph P. Irwin Editor: Roger Slavens Owner: Georgia Tech Alumni Association, 190 North Ave. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30313 Known bondholders, mortgagees and other security holders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages or other securities: None Tax Status/The purpose, No. of Average function and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status copies of No. of for federal income tax purposes: Has not changed during the preceding 12 single issue copies each months. published issue during nearest to preceding filing date 12 months Extent and nature of circulation a. Total No. Copies

SPURLOCK HONORED BY GERMAN GOVERNMENT BARRY LEE SPURLOCK, ME 65, has been awarded Germany’s highest civilian honor, the Order of Merit First Class. Spurlock received the honor for his philanthropic leadership fostering German-American cultural relations in the Southeast.

Spurlock serves as the chairman of the board of the Goethe-Zentrum Atlanta, a German culture and language center. German Consul Olaf Ladegast presented the decoration to Spurlock during the 40th Anniversary Ball of the Goethe-Zentrum Atlanta on August 27.

After his election as Chairman of the Board of the Goethe-Zentrum in 2007, Spurlock used his leadership skills to guide the institution out of its financial crisis, helped pave a new direction for language classes and intensified the organization’s commitment to volunteer work. Spurlock has also dedicated his time to being an active member and board member of the German Church in Atlanta for more than two decades.

Spurlock’s affinity for German culture began with a love of German cars. While restoring a Mercedes Benz in the 1970s, the only manuals he could find were in German. He enrolled in a German class at the Goethe-Zentrum, and has been involved ever since.

Spulock also supports German-American relations through the German program at Georgia Tech, where he provides financial support as well as mentorship for young students.

"The future of transatlantic relations will need to be maintained by future generations," Spurlock said. "This is why my wife Gail and I helped to underwrite a scholarship for German students at my alma mater."

83,609

135,162

b. Paid Circulation (1) Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on 82,475 PS Form 354

None (2) Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541

(3) Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales Through Dealers and None Cariers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales & Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS

None (4) Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS

134,120

c. Total Paid Distribution

134,120

82,475

None None

None

d. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (1) Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County None Copies Included on PS Form 3541

None (2) Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541

None

(3) Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other Classes Through the USPS None

None

(4) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail

None

634

542

e. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution

634

542

f. Total Distribution

83,109

134,662

g. Copies not Distributed

500

500

h. Total

83,609

135,162

i. Percent Paid

99.4%

99.6%

This statement of ownership has been printed in the Vol. 92, No. 4 issue of this publication. I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete.

Joseph P. Irwin, IM 80 President & CEO, Georgia Tech Alumni Association

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IN MEMORIAM

Charles K. “Pete” Cross Businessman and Loyal Alumnus

Charles K. “Pete” Cross, Cls 50, of Winter Park, Fla., on July 19 CROSS WAS DEVOTED TO HIS FAMILY, his career, his church and Georgia Tech. Cross graduated from North Fulton High School in 1946 and attended Georgia Tech, where he was part of the V-5 Naval program and Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He continued his academic journey at the University of Georgia, the Louisiana State University School of Banking and the Emory University Advanced Management Program.

In the Korean War, Cross served in the United States Air Force’s Ninth Air Force Tactical Air Command from 1950-52. During this time, Cross married the love of his life, Ann Green. Pete and Ann enjoyed 65 years of marriage and had four sons, 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Following service in the Air Force, Cross embarked on a successful business career. He worked at First National Bank in Atlanta for 16 years, rising to the position of vice president. He then joined one of his best friends, Bob Holder, at Holder Construction Co. as vice president of finance. After two years, the banking industry came calling and Pete moved to Columbia, S.C., to become president of South Carolina National Bank.

This move was followed by an even bigger opportunity in 1974, when he moved to Winter Park, Fla., to become chairman, president and CEO of Barnett Banks of Central Florida—a position he held until his retirement in 1993.

While working his way up in the banking industry, Cross was also becoming recognized nationally in the corporate

community. In 1968, he joined the Board of Directors of Texas Gas Transmission, which later became part of CSX Railroad. Cross spent 25 years on the board of CSX Corp. and also spent time on the board of directors of the Federal Reserve in Jacksonville, American Century Mortgage Investors, the Presbyterian Church USA and the Columbia Theological Seminary.

Throughout his life, Cross was loyal to Georgia Tech.

He served as president of Tech alumni networks in Atlanta, Columbia, S.C., and Orlando, Fla. He also worked tirelessly for the school serving the Alumni Association and the Georgia Tech Advisory Board. In 2010, he was given the Joseph Mayo Pettit Alumni Distinguished Service Award.

In death, Cross continues to honor his alma mater by endowing three academic scholarships to be awarded to students from either Winter Park High School or Edgewater High School in Central Florida who attend Georgia Tech.

1930s Harris H. Hooker, EE 39, of Naperville, Ill., on July 19. WWII. Nuclear reactor research, Argonne National Laboratories.

Earl C. Horton, Cls 39, of Jekyll Island, Ga., on July 20. President and founder, Kusan Plastics.

Founders Council, Georgia Tech.

1940s William H. “Bill” or “Butch” Lowery, EE 37, of Decatur, Ga., on Aug. 16. Superintendent of substations for the Atlanta district, Georgia Power Co. Daughter: Martha Reinhardt, FRD. Son-in-law: Jon Reinhardt, ME 65.

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Lindsay S. Acuff Jr., EE 48, of Atlanta, on Aug. 10. WWII. Eagle scout. Field service engineer, Allis Chalmers. Plant and consulting engineer, Cleveland Electric. President, American Institute of Plant Engineers. Children: Lin Acuff, IE 76; Juliane Acuff, IM 83. Grandson: Matthew Acuff, IE 08.

Hugh E. Carmichael, EE 49, of Torrance, Calif., on Aug. 20. Navy. WWII. Electrical engineer, General Electric. Aerospace Corp. Grandson: Andrew Biederman, AE 08.

KRISTINA SELF

John W. Crawford, IM 46, of Columbus, Ga., on June 24. Georgia Tech football and baseball player. WWII. District sales manager, Mead Containers. Member and past president, Georgia Tech Alumni Association.

KRISTINA SELF, IE 11, OF CHICAGO ON AUG. 28.

Kristina Self died in a swimming accident in Aqaba, Jordan, while traveling abroad with classmates from the University of Chicago.

Self began her early education at St. Scholastica Catholic School in Manila, Philippines before moving to Georgia. She graduated from Vidalia High School in 2007 and attended Georgia Tech, where she was an active student. She was a President’s Scholar, a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and was chosen to deliver the Convocation speech in 2008.

Self was also one of the students that worked to relaunch Georgia Tech’s Student Alumni Association,

Joseph Freedman, PH 43, of Melbourne, Fla., on July 21. Established some of the first offices, World Health Organization and Pan American Health Organization. Helped organize a National Ministry of Health. Developed a national village water supply program, UNICEF and CARE. State Department USAID. Inter-American Development Bank. World Bank.

Michael “Mike” Giannattasio, EE 47, of Wakefield, Mass., on June 24. Navy. WWII. Stone and Webster Engineering. Commissioner, Wakefield Gas and Light.

Lovic P. “Bub” Greer Jr., EE 42, of Toccoa, Ga., on June 30. Tau Beta Pi. Navy. Plant engineer, Kendall Co. Vice president of manufacturing division, J&P Coats. Designed and constructed L.P. Greer Plant in Toccoa. Mayor, Toccoa. President, Georgia Textile Manufacturing Association. Georgia Ports Authority.

Trustee, Georgia Tech. Grandson: J. Bradley Chambers, Mgt 99.

James R. “Jim” Magbee, IM 49, of Atlanta, on July 22. Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. Magbee Lumber Co. Magbee Brothers Lumber and Supply Co. President, Georgia Lumber Dealers Association and National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association. Charter member, Cherokee Town and Country Club.

Dan R. Melton, Text 49, of Monroe, Ga., on Aug. 5. WWII. Walton Mills.

Lawrence L. Orr Jr., IM 49, of Marietta, Ga., on June 30. Navy. Manufacturing engineering specialist, Lockheed Martin.

William F. “Bill” Roche, ME 48, of Newport, N.C., on July 26. Merchant Marines.

Navy (Lt. j.g.). Advanced officers training program, Georgia Tech. WWII. Marine power plant

STANDOUT STUDENT AND BUSINESSWOMAN which is now the largest student organization on campus.

After graduating with a degree in industrial engineering in 2011, she worked in the health care section of Deloitte Consulting. At the time of her death, she was a graduate student at the University of Chicago.

On Aug. 6, Self married Alex Pagsanjan in Savannah, Ga. She is the daughter of Lee and Hilda Self of Lyons. Her brother Peter Self and his family live in Holly Springs, N.C. She achieved much in her short life will be sorely missed.

designer, Gibbs and Cox. Maiden voyage, SS U.S. (Blue Ribbon Medal). Nuclear powered submarines and power plant designer, Combustion Engineering.

Ga., on July 20. Management of all NATO transportation activities, Army (Capt.). Alexander Contracting Co. Inc. Board of Directors of SunTrust Bank.

John M. Sena Sr., CE 40, of Roswell, Ga., on Aug. 19. Army Air Corps. Aviation instructor and P-38 fighter pilot, WWII. President, Cherokee Town and Country Club and Northside Kiwanis.

Leland B. Arnold, CE 51, MS CE 54, of Vestavia Hills, Ala., on Aug. 12. Charter member, Southminister Presbyterian Church and Vestavia Hills Civitan. Conner Steel. Rust International.

Crawford M. Sites, IE 49, of Atlanta, on Aug. 27. Chi Phi Fraternity. Army. Partner, Courts & Co. Navy Reserves. Finance and investments professor, Georgia Tech. Opened first Atlanta office, W.E. Hutton and Thomas and McKinnon Securities. President, Georgia Securities Dealers Association.

Maurice W. Arnold Jr., Cls 57, of Johns Creek, Ga., on Aug. 11. Electromagnetic Sciences.

Frank Weaver, IM 45, of Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 9.

1950s Lon C. Alexander Jr., IM 57, of Columbus,

Thomas H. Bennett Sr., CerE 59, of Harlingen, Texas, on Aug. 10. Aviation electronics, Navy.

Alfred E. Bialko, IM 58, of Kennesaw, Ga., on July 26.

Elbert H. Brown, ChE 57, of Warner Robins, Ga., on Aug. 11. Doctor, family medicine.

Steve W. Brown, AE 59, of Houston, Texas, on July 7. Aerodynamicist and database technologist, NASA.

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IN MEMORIAM

Martin Clark, EE 53, of Colfax, N.C., on Aug. 2.

Sigma Chi Fraternity. Army (Lt.). Talos missile system developer, Bendix Radio. Nike Hercules anti-aircraft missile systems group supervisor, AT&T Bell Laboratories. Professor of mathematics, Montreat-Anderson College. Dean of engineering technology division, Wake Technical Community College.

Maximo Clavijo, Arch 55, of Suwanee, Ga., on Aug. 23. Structural engineer, Storer Fabricating Co. Children: Juanita Salo, Econ 80; Gabe Clavijo, CE 83.

Donald A. Few Jr., ME 52, of Phoenix, Ariz., on July 22. Vice president of marketing, Sperry Corp.

Carl B. Fisher Sr., MS EE 50, of Hendersonville, N.C., on July 13. Air Force (Col.). Army Cavalry Reserve. Army Air Corps. Signal Corps.

Royal Air Force. Bronze Star. Legion of Merit. Air Force Commendation Medals. Technical director, Airways Modernization Board and Bureau of Research and Development, Federal Aviation Agency. Assistant to the president, Autometics Division of North American Aviation. Director of advanced development and planning section, Budd Information Science Center. Manager or Arizona systems center, Philco Ford Corp.

Weems M. Foster, EE 51, of Knoxville, Tenn., on July 17. WWII. Electrical engineer, TVA. Bernard “Bernie” Gillman, Chem 51, of Duluth, Ga., on Aug. 11. Army. President, Atlanta Print Manufacturing and Coatings Association. Owner, S.L. Gillman Paint Co. Inc.

George F. Head, ME 51, of Macon, Ga., on Aug. 12. Army. Senior vice president, Georgia Power Co. Founding member, Carlyle Place.

Aug. 30. Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Army. Mortgage and loan specialist, Boyle Investment and Union Planters Bank.

Perry T. “Tom” Hicks Jr., EE 51, of Atlanta, on Aug. 23. Army. Air Force. Head of the electrical engineering department, Robert and Co.

Dan J. Parrish Jr., AM 57, of Metter, Ga., on July 12. Army. Lockheed Aircraft. Marketing research, The Coca-Cola Co. Vice president, secretary and member of the board of directors, Metter Banking Co. and First Bulloch Bank. Distinguished Service Award, Southern Conference.

Thomas M. Hodges Sr., IM 50, of Kennesaw, Ga., on June 25. Army. Navy V-5 program. Naval Reserve (Cmdr.). Georgia Tech wrestler. Purchasing agent, McAfee Candy. Vice president, Printpack Inc. Owner, Georgia International Travel Inc. William B. Johnson, Cls 59, of Atlanta, on June 12. Largest franchisee, Waffle House.

Developer of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel chain. Twotime winner of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Chairman of the Board, Berry College. Board of Directors, SunTrust Bank and Provident Unum.

Joseph C. Laughlin, Arch 51, of St. Petersburg, Fla., on July 9. Architect, Pinellas County.

Company architect, Florida Progress. Army Air Corps. WWII. Anthony G. Maloof, IM 57, of Buford, Ga., on July 14. Air Force.

Dean Y. Matthews, Cls 55, of Abington, Pa., on June 19. Air Force (Sgt.). WWII. City planner, Huntsville, Ala. Director, Top of Alabama Regional Council of Governments.

John E. Mercer, IM 57, of Atlanta, on Aug. 15.

Eagle scout. Internal auditor, Bell South.

Orrin R. Gore, IE 57, of Montgomery, Texas, on July 7. Sigma Nu Fraternity. Scabbard and Blade Military Honorary. Navy. Marine Corps (Capt.).

RCA. CDC.

Raymond Mojesky, Arch 55, of Rocky Hill, Conn., on Aug. 22. Navy. WWII. Chief architect, United Technologies. Violinist, Hartford Symphony.

Leonard “Lenny” Greenstein, IM 60, of Sandy Springs, Ga., on July 8. Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity. Navy (Lt. j.g.). Salesman and field rep, Oxford Chemical Corp. Owner, editor, publisher and salesman, TV Metro Atlanta Magazine.

John A. Myers Jr., IM 56, of Atlanta, on July 30.

Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity. Air Force. CEO, AIG Aviation. Consultant, CV Starr.

Jack R. Owen, IM 58, of Collierville, Tenn., on

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Robert L. Puckett, EE 54, of Memphis, Tenn., on Aug. 7. Federal Express.

Frank H. “Bud” Radey Jr., Cls 54, of Moorestown, N.J., on Aug. 1. Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity. Licensing examiner, National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.

Commissioner, N.J. State Board of Architects.

First chairman, Legislated Joint Committee or Architects and Engineers. Trustee, Stratford Military Academy.

William F. Rice Jr., IM 56, of Houston, Texas, on July 15. Army Reserve. Southern Bell. Fleet manager, Chrysler and Ford.

Everett L. Roberts, Arch 51, of Atlanta, on July 22. WWII. B-24 aircraft mechanic, Army Air Corp. Architect, partner and owner, John W. Cherry.

Bob R. Royal, IM 57, of Orlando, Fla., on Aug. 31. Army. Vice president, Dixieland Poultry Co. Owner, Royal Properties Inc. Southland Corp.

President, Fun and Frolic Clown Unit.

David N. Schultz, EE 57, MS EE 68, of Huntsville, Ala., on July 26. Army. NASA MSFC. Norman F. “Grandy” Smith, Arch 53, of Lookout Mountain, Tenn., on Aug. 27. Pilot, Navy.

Combustion Engineering. Vice president and chief engineer, R.D. Cole Manufacturing. Manager of project management, Babcock & Wilcox.

George E. Spivey Sr., IM 52, of Memphis, Tenn., on July 10.

Taz L. Anderson Jr. Athlete and Entrepreneur

Taz L. Anderson Jr., IM 61, of Atlanta on Sept. 26 ANDERSON WAS ONE OF GEORGIA TECH’S GREATEST ATHLETES who went on to become a successful entrepreneur and loyal alumnus.

On the Tech football team, Anderson played fullback and end and was named All-SEC in 1959. He went on to play in 62 NFL games and was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals and the inaugural Atlanta Falcons team in 1966.

Anderson began his real estate career while still playing professional football in 1963. He went on to found Taz Anderson Realty Company, and as chairman was involved in the development, marketing and sales of commercial real estate deals worth more than $450 million, according to his business website.

In 1992, Anderson expanded his business ventures to large outdoor advertising displays. He designed, built, and marketed four in the metro Atlanta area and four in South Georgia, including the Georgia Tech Message Center, the first four-color message display for interstate travel. He also developed Georgia’s largest high school scoreboards in Albany, Augusta, Macon and Savannah.

Vibrant, outgoing and always ready with a story, Anderson remained devoted to his alma mater throughout his life. He led the 1985 project to expand and renovate Alexander Memorial Coliseum from 6,500 to 10,000 seats.

The refurbished arena was the site of the 1996 Olympic

Robert C. “Bob” Stults, EE 52, of Webb City, Mo., on Aug. 27. Navy. Shell Oil Co. Civilian employee, Tinker Air Force Base. Consultant, NASA and the Department of Energy.

W. Lawrence Weeks Jr., IM 58, of Warren, Ohio, on July 2. Army Reserves. Mahoning Districts of Republic Steel. Vice president of industrial relations, Republic Steel and LTV Steel. Executive vice president, McClouth Steel. President and CEO, CSC Industries Corp., Copperweld Steel and Ohio Star Forge Steel.

Roscoe White Jr., EE 50, of Charlotte, N.C., on June 17. Machine gun turret electrician on

boxing events and many exciting Yellow Jacket basketball moments under coach Bobby Cremins.

Anderson served as the chairman of the Marketing Committee of the Georgia Tech Athletic Association Board of Trustees for more than 10 years, and was a member of Athletic Association fundraising committees for four decades.

Anderson led the effort to place a statue of his beloved coach, Bobby Dodd, outside of Georgia Tech’s football stadium. Two decades earlier, he was on a committee that renamed the stadium in Dodd’s honor.

Anderson became a member of the Georgia Tech Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982 and the State of Georgia Sports Halls of Fame in 2006.

the B-29 bomber, Army Air Corps. Duke Power. Past president, Charlotte Engineer Club and IEEE Club.

William V. “Bill” Williams Jr., IM 57, of Brunswick, Ga., on Aug. 2. Mortgage banker, Georgia Loan and Trust. Chairman, The Board of Atlanta Commercial Builders. President, Big Brothers Association.

Walter W. “Whitt” Wright, MS AM 52, of Jasper, Ga., on Aug. 30. Navy. Electronics engineer, Scientific Atlanta. Founder, RMS and System. Georgia Freezer. President, Tate Mountain Community. Brother: James Wright, ChE 51.

1960s James Blackstone Jr., EE 60, of West Point, Ga., on Aug. 27. Navy.

Gordon E. “Chris” Christiansen, MS IM 66, of Decatur, Ga., on Aug. 22. National Guard.

Chemstrand. Amoco Chemical.

Frank K. Clarke Jr., EE 62, of Hilton Head Island, S.C., on July 6. Marines. BellSouth Communications. Lead electrical engineer, Bell Labs. Professor of finance and statistics, University of South Carolina.

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IN MEMORIAM Allen M. Easterling, IE 64, of Roswell, Ga., on July 30. Air Force (Lt. Col.).

Ralph P. Heckman, MS InfoSci 66, of Kettering, Ohio, on July 3. Systems analyst, Air Force.

Ewing E. Hunter Sr., IM 62, MS IM 63, of Penfield, Ga., on June 18. Air Force Reserve.

Ronald J. “Homer” Martin, IM 63, of Atlanta, on July 30. Georgia Tech baseball player. Air Force (Capt.). Bell South.

John G. Jordan Jr., Cls 60, of Dataw Island, S.C., on Aug. 19. President, Board of Directors of the Dataw Island Club. Vice president, Beaufort Boys and Girls Club.

Charles B. Morris Jr., CE 67, of Atlanta, on July 24. Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity. Jefferson Pilot.

Life of Georgia Investment Department. Atlanta Society of Financial Analysts. Founder, Morris Investment Counsel.

Randy A. Nordin, AE 69, of Atlanta, on Aug. 9. Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity. General counsel, Georgia Tech.

M. L. Spikes, IE 62, of Yalaha, Fla., on June 23.

Robert G. Thackston, ME 64, of St. Simons Island, Ga., on July 21. Army. Co-owner, Thackston Steel Inc. Grandson: Robert C. Thackston, CS 13.

Granddaughter: Amanda Holder, Arch 09.

William B. Wallis, ME 68, of Sandy Springs, Ga., on June 12. Eagle scout rank. Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. Stephenson and Associates.

Owner, W.B. Wallis and Co. President, The Mechanical Contractors Association of Georgia.

Thomas W. Wickersham, Chem 61, MS Chem 64, PhD Chem 69, of Milwaukee, Wis., on May 31. Manager of stains and dyes division, Aldrich Chemical Co.

1970s Charles R. “Charlie” Allen Sr., Text 73, MS Text 76, of Spartanburg, S.C., on June 20.

Financial advisor, Merrill Lynch. Franchisee, Reliance Foods. Former president, Spartanburg Touchdown Club.

Robert C. Andrews, Bio 73, of Meredith, N.H., on Aug. 30. Georgia Tech track and field.

Residency in surgery, Naval Station Norfolk.

Residency in radiology, Tufts Medical Center.

Director of radiology, Claxton-Hepburn Hospital. Lakes Region General Hospital.

Alicia Weathers Boan, APhys 78, of Greenville, S.C., on July 3. Fluor Corp.

Guy Branch, Mgt 71, of Vidalia, Ga., on Aug. 6.

Andrew Guy Jr., IM 70, of Cumming, Ga., on July 28. Army. Bronze Star Medal.

Karen M. Kilpatrick, Bio 78, of Natchitoches, La., on Aug. 24. Peace Corps. Fisheries biologist, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Manager, Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery. Natchitoches’ Woman of the Year.

Thomas D. “Tom” Lee, IE 75, MS OR 77, of Ammon, Idaho, on June 21. Medic, Army. Air pollution control section, Fulton County Health Department. Traveling inspector, Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Senior resident inspector, Nuclear Fuel Services. Naval nuclear fuels division, Babcock & Wilcox.

Joseph Linxwiler Jr., EE 74, of Orlando, Fla., on Aug. 11. President, Linxwiler Consulting Services Inc. John W. Mitchell Jr., MS ME 75, of Acworth, Ga., on July 26. Army.

Louis B. Rau Jr., IE 71, of Huntsville, Ala., on Aug. 6. Army. Government contractor, Department of Defense, State of Alabama and NASA. SAIC.

Thomas “R.T.” Tuten, Chem 76, MS GeoS 90, of Covington, Ga., on July 5.

John Carl De Vitto, MS IE 71, of Spartanburg, S.C., on June 19. Armed Forces (Lt. Col.). Army Service Ribbon. Bronze Star Medal. Meritorious Service Medal (2nd OLC). Army Commendation Medal (1st OLC). National Defense Service Medal. Vietnam Service Medal (4). Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. Overseas Service Ribbon (4). Vietnam Campaign Medal. Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm. Chair of the military science department, Duke University. De Vitto Nursing Lab dedicated to South Piedmont Community College.

Jerry Van Williams, ME 79, of Fayetteville, Ga., on June 13. Owens Corning.

1980s David L. Bowman Jr., Mgt 89, of Memphis, Tenn., on June 19. Georgia Tech football player.

Owner, Mid-South Medical and Mobility.

Michael D. Dawson, Arch 83, of Dunlap, Tenn., on June 27. CNNA Architects. Principal writer, “Africa Challenge.”

David B. Henry, Cls 82, of Altoona, Fla., on June 20.

Roger E. Lady, MS IE 84, of Pickerington, Ohio, on July 21.

Kevin E. Murphy, ChE 80, of College Station, Texas, on Aug. 14. Dow Chemical. Wife: Robin Murphy, ME 80, MS ICS 89, PhD CS 92.

Steven Williams, IM 83, of Roswell, Ga., on Aug. 13.

Robert R. Sumner, Cls 75, of Smyrna, Ga., on July 24. Navy.

1990s

Charles “Harold” Teel, Text 70, of Macon, Ga., on July 6. Industrial engineer, Bibb Co. Metropolitan Life. Teacher, Rutland Middle School.

Kevin J. Castellow, Mgt 98, of Atlanta, on Aug. 10. Georgia Tech swimmer and diver. Information technology consultant, IQ Software.

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Math professor, Virginia College.

Sales engineer, S1 Corporation. Solution engineer, Netegrity. Security engineer, Northrop Grumman. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Owner and consultant, WorkIntel, LLC. Published contributor, The Information Security Handbook, Sixth Edition, Volume 3. Wife: Jacquelyn “Jackie” Castellow, Mgt 99. Brother: Robert F. Castellow, EE 93.

Jamie McCallum Jackson, Arch 94, of Dallas, Texas, on July 1. Founding member, New St. Peter’s Presbyterian Church.

2000s Michael J. Hatfield Jr., AE 08, of Beaufort, S.C., on July 26. Emily’s Restaurant and Tapas Bar. Paul S. Rose, M CRP 00, of Atlanta, on Aug. 23.

Combat medic, Army (Sgt.). Airborne division, America’s Guard of Honor. City planner, Acworth, Ga. Acworth Citizen of the Year.

2010s Daniel Grayson, Cls 16, of Macon, Ga., on June 21.

Jay A. Karwatsky, Cls 18, of Fort Mill, S.C., on June 11. Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship.

David W. Shelton, AE 14, of Gunter, Texas, on Aug. 25.

Dustin R. Shiflett, CS 11, of Kennesaw, Ga., on Aug. 3.

Friends Janet L. Cheves Paden, of Lookout Mountain, Ga., on July 31. Co-established Paden-Cheves Scholarship, Georgia Tech.

Husband: Carter N. Paden Jr., IM 51. Brotherin-law: Ralph S. Paden, IE 55.

Neill W. “Whit” Connah, of Atlanta, on Aug. 28. Art professor, Department of Architecture at Georgia Tech. Musician, Atlanta’s Hair of the Dog.

HOLLIS LOYD HARRIS

DISTINGUISHED AIRLINE EXECUTIVE HOLLIS LOYD HARRIS, AE 61, OF PEACHTREE CITY, GA., ON JULY 14.

Harris joined the U.S. Army in 1951, serving as battery commander in Germany during the Korean War. He was honorably discharged as a first lieutenant in 1954. Returning to Georgia, Harris enrolled at Georgia Tech and studied Aeronautical Engineering. While a full-time student at Tech, Harris began his 51-year airline career as a transportation agent at Delta Air Lines. By 1961, Harris worked his way up to a management position in Delta's engineering department.

Between 1965 and 1969, he progressed from manager of facilities to director, eventually becoming assistant vice president of the Facilities Department, which oversaw the planning, engineering and construction of Delta's airport terminals, hangars, reservations offices, city ticket offices, fuel storage facilities and more.

By 1971, Harris was head of the Aircraft Engineering Department, and in 1973, he became senior vice president of passenger service. After a series of promotions, Harris was named President/COO and a member of Delta's Board of Directors in 1987. In this position, Harris helped launch Delta's new service to Seoul, South Korea, in anticipation of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Hollis retired from Delta Air Lines in 1990 after a 36-year career. He was then hired by Continental Airlines as chairman,

president and CEO to help the a i rl i n e ave r t b a n k r u p t c y.

He soon joined Air Canada as Chairman, President, and CEO in 1992. While at Air Canada, Harris signed a "strategic agreement" with United Airlines that produced what became the Star Alliance—the largest airline group in the world.

In 1994, the Financial Times of Canada named Harris the "No. 1 CEO." In 1999, Harris joined World Airways as chairman, president and CEO. During his five-year tenure at World, Harris cut costs by relocating the airline's headquarters to Peachtree City, Ga., and led the restructuring team, resulting in several consecutive quarters of profitability. In recognition of his distinguished airline career, Harris was inducted into the Georgia Tech College of Engineering Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2004, the Chamber of Commerce named Hollis the Fayette County Business Person of the Year. Other awards include the Boy Scouts of America Golden Eagle Award in 2012 and the Carrollton High School Distinguished Alumni Award in 2015. Harris died following a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. He is survived by many family members, including daughter Patti Harris Ayers, IM 78.

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IN MEMORIAM JULIAN LECRAW

REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER AND LIFELONG GEORGIA TECH SUPPORTER JULIAN LECRAW, SR., IM 52, of Atlanta, on Oct. 25. LeCraw was a successful real estate developer who was devoted to his community and Georgia Tech.

After graduating from Boys High School in Atlanta in 1948, LeCraw attended Tech, where he joined Chi Phi Fraternity and earned a degree in industrial management. Yellow Jacket blood runs deep in the LeCraw family: Julian’s father, Roy, and his four brothers were all Tech alumni. In 1952, LeCraw married Joanne Delany, and their 64-year marriage served as an example of enduring and unconditional love for their family and loved ones.

LeCraw served in the Navy for three years as a lieutenant during the Korean War followed by five years in the Naval Reserve. In 1955, he entered the real estate business with his father, who sponsored the construction of his first modest apartment building. Soon

after, he formed his own Atlantabased company, Julian LeCraw & Co., which developed thousands of apartment units, as well as office buildings, retail centers, hotels and industrial buildings over more than 50 years.

Two institutions of learning were dear to LeCraw’s heart: The Westminster Schools and Georgia Tech.

All three of his children attended Westminster, as well as most of his grandchildren. He served on the Board of Trustees of Westminster for more than 20 years.

LeCraw began serving his collegiate alma mater on the Georgia Tech Foundation in 1989. He was treasurer

from 1993-95, vice president from 199597 and president of the Foundation from 1999-2001. LeCraw was instrumental in Tech's decision to develop Technology Square and other important additions to campus. In 2001, he was recognized by the Alumni Association for his commitment with the Joseph Mayo Petit Award for Distinguished Alumni Service.

Throughout his life, LeCraw was active at North Avenue Church. His grandfather and father were instrumental in establishing the church, and LeCraw worked to keep it going in fine form. He was a deacon and elder many times and served on almost every committee.

He also loved to travel, and shared many adventures with his children and grandchildren. LeCraw was a gentleman who will be remembered for his humility and tremendous character.

Donald O. Covault, of Altoona, Fla., on June 26. Professor of civil engineering, Georgia Tech.

star). Son: Alexander G. Kiehl, Cls 83.

Evening registrar, Georgia Tech. Air Forces (Capt.). WWII. Director of special studies, Georgia State University. Dean of students, Southern Technical College.

Paul Edmonds, of Lexington, Ky., on Aug. 31.

Army. Professor of medical microbiology, University of Wisconsin and Georgia Tech.

Dorothy B. “Dot” Miller, of Decatur, Ga., on Aug. 26. Co-chair of international relations, American Association of University Women. Certified volunteer, American National Red Cross.

Stephen N. Girard, of Woodstock, Ga., on June 30. Office of Information Technology, Georgia Tech.

Susan Deborah Battles Phinney, of Canton, Ga., on July 2. Educator and administrator, Alexander Tharpe Fund at Georgia Tech.

Carl E. Johnson Jr., of Douglasville, Ga., on July 15. Air Force (Lt. Col.). Manager of the internal auditing department, Georgia Tech.

Albert A. Rayle Jr., of Atlanta, on Aug. 16.

Navy. WWII. Georgia Tech Infirmary. Charter member, Cherokee Town and Country Club.

Elmer H. Kiehl, of Virginia Beach, Va., on June 30. Navy (Capt.). WWII. Commander, Naval Amphibious School. Legion of Merit. Army Commendation. Meritorious Service. Expert Rifleman. National Defense Service Ribbon (one

James P. “Jim” Rippy, of Atlanta, on Aug. 28.

Continental Insurance. Gulf Insurance. Jefferson Pilot. Thomas Howell Group. Amtrust.

Lewis Van Gorder, of Atlanta, on July 13.

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James T. Schwarz, of Melbourne, Fla., on July 16. Vice president of sales, Call One Inc. Grandson: Zack Schwarz, Cls 17.

John W. Sercer, of Tucson, Ariz., on Aug. 10.

Aviation mechanic and pilot trainer, Navy. Assistant vice president of maintenance, Delta Airlines. Daughter: Susan Sercer Hooper, ChE 80.

William E. “Bill” Woolf, of Atlanta, on Aug. 9.

Navy. Argonne National Laboratories. Engineering experiment station, Georgia Tech. Professor and Teacher of the Year, Physics Department at Georgia Tech.

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CHARTING YOUR RETIREMENT

This financial seminar is taught by David W. O’Brien, Managing Director – Investments with Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, member of SIPC in the Atlanta office. David is registered in the area of investment securities and insurance licensed. Wells Fargo Advisors is not a tax or legal advisor. Class topics include: • Financial Basics • Taxes • Social Security • Retirement Income • Risk Management

• Medicare • Investment Strategies • Retirement Goals • Estate Planning • Retirement Plans

Dates, Time and Location March 7, 14, 21 and 28 6:30 - 9 p.m.

Georgia Tech Alumni Association Alumni/Faculty House 190 North Avenue NW Atlanta, GA 30313 To register call: 404.894.0751 or email betsy.rogers@alumni.gatech.edu

For more information visit: gtalumni.org/chartingyourretirement

TECH MARKETPLACE BUSINESS SERVICES

Payroll & Hr ServiceS Acupay Solutions delivers comprehensive payroll & HR services using the expertise of highly technical CPAs and accountants.

Acupay’s solution oriented methods provide

WHERE QUALITY STILL COUNTS Don’t Kick off to Our Opponent; Pass to us for All your pavement needs; Striping Sealcoating, Milling, Paving, Full Depth Reclamation, Base Construction for parking lots, streets and roadways.

customers with an efficient system to best meet their payroll processing needs.

877-277-4719 | acupaysolutions.com payroll@acupaysolutions.com

Ernest Lopez, President R. Wayne Boatright, PE, Vice President BCE-1967 Mandy Alston, PE, Project Manager BCE-2002

770-220-0228 | atlantapaving.com

Serving Georgia & the Carolinas

Mike Levy CBS SportsLine Founder

BUILDING YOUR CREDIBILITY

UNDER PROMISE, OVER DELIVER

Michael Whitman Master Plumber GT CE Alumnus SERVING GREATER ATLANTA SINCE 1963 Plumbing, sewer and drain cleaning service. Repiping and trenchless pipe replacement. Water heater service and leak detection. Available 24/7 and offer senior and military discounts. Free estimates.

770-505-8570 | atlantisplumbing.com atlantisplumbing@gmail.com

MAJOR CONVERTER OF FLEXIBLE & RIGID PLASTICS

Integrative Concepts can fill all of your high and

MaxxPoint provides advisory services to emerging

Printpack has over sixty years of

low voltage needs. We service new and existing

companies in the areas of revenue generation, strategic

experience in creating the most innovative

electrical installs: CCTV, Security Systems, A/V

relationships and funding through angel, venture and

packages on the market today.

Design, Home Automation, Surround Sound,

public sources for New Media, Sports Technology,

Specializing in converting brand owner’s

Commercial Audio & Video and Distributed Audio!

Mobile Applications and Skill Based Gaming.

vision into value.

706-436-4113 | icnega@gmail.com www.integrativeconcepts.solutions www.facebook.com/Integrative-Concepts

561-866-2100 | Mike@Maxxpoint.com MikeLevy.com & Maxxpoint.com

800-451-9985 | printpack.com

CAREER

INNOVATION, EXPERIENCE, PERFORMANCE

INTRODUCING RECALL PORTAL Recall Portal is a web-based tool that provides a single view and access to all physical and digital holdings providing unprecedented visibility, accessibility and control.

We make highly engineered products that improve people’s lives, advance medical research and contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable world. Chart offers a variety of career opportunities, and we are always looking for talented people to join our team!

770-776-1239 | Recall.com Joe.Gross@recall.com

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770-479-6531 www.chartindustries.com/careers

Software for better hiring Improve hiring efficiency and effectiveness with HireIQ’s multi-media digital interviewing and job fit solutions.

Nearly half of HireIQ’s employees are GT alumni. Go Jackets!

678-279-2830 | hireiqinc.com info@hireiqinc.com

CONSULTING & TECHNOLOGY

A HUMAN-CENTERED AGENCY FOR THE DIGITAL WORLD We live in a time with more screens and platforms than ever before, meaning attention and trust are

TECHNOLOGY THAT DRIVES BUSINESS A CAREER OPPORTUNITY WITH MANY HAPPY HOURS

our most scarce resources. Nebo helps brands navigate this digital world by creating great stories

Looking for an exciting career in the beverage

and experiences that resonate with audiences

alcohol industry? At RNDC, our Associates

and create meaningful, authentic connections

are known for their passion, performance and

between brand and consumer.

impeccable customer service. Come be a part

404-885-1201 | neboagency.com careers@neboagency.com

You need a technology partner you can trust. Since 1989, Emerald Data Networks has served as that trusted technology partner to businesses throughout the Southeast.

of our winning team!

678-302-3000 | www.EmeraldData.net

www.rndc-usa.com/careers

ENGINEERING & ARCHITECTURE

Transforming technical managers into real leaders

VOTED BEST FIRM TO WORK FOR 2015

PROJECT ENGINEERING SERVICES

SOLUTIONS & CONSULTING

Project Management & Engineering for

Engineers and technical professionals are

Industries, Preliminary Engineering & Planning,

Manufacturing, Petroleum, & Chemical

the lifeblood of your organization. They are

Procurement Assistance, Retrofits, Start up

experts in their fields, but can they lead?

& Shut down Support. Contact GT alumnus,

At Performex, we transform technical

Warren Clements, PE, BSME ‘12 today!

Offering expertise in the Distribution, Manufacturing, Retail/Mixed-Use, Healthcare, Childcare, Interiors, Graphic Design, Office, Education markets as well as sustainability services.

912-212-6117 | www.arthur-engineering.com wclements@arthur-engineering.com

770-650-7558 | randallpaulson.com info@randallpaulson.com

managers into engaging, inspiring leaders.

John Bruce | 855-PFX-LEAD jbruce@performex.com | www.performex.com

LAW & FINANCE

Marijane E. Cauthorn

Let Segars Engineering tackle your next engineering challenge and score one for team

Go Jackets!

MANAGING ATTORNEY

I&C ENGINEERING EXPERTS

Cauthorn Nohr & Owen was established more

Helping clients achieve technical excellence with their instrumentation and control projects.

than 20 years ago and believes that clients’ success determines our own. We are a small litigation firm representing individuals and businesses in the metro area.

434-202-7289 | segarsengineering.com

southern-engineering.net bgeddes@southern-engineering.net

770-528-0150 | cauthornnohr.com

Volume 92 No. 4 2016 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | 101

TECH MARKETPLACE MANUFACTURING

When you have the right financial advisor, life can be brilliant.

MARK W. DELMONTE, CFP®, CRPC®, CLTC FINANCIAL ADVISOR

JEREMY S. HOWARD PATENT ATTORNEY GT ‘00

50 YEARS OF CONTRACT ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLY

Howard IP Law Office is an intellectual property law firm practicing in all aspects of intellectual property law, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, licensing, legal opinions, and other related matters.

Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC. © 2016 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.

Our focus on your individual needs and our unique approach support your products from Design for Manufacturing to Custom Inventory Management.

321-322-7954 | www.HowardIPlaw.com admin@howardiplaw.com

404-591-2463 | mark.w.delmonte@ampf.com ameripriseadvisors.com/mark.w.delmonte

618-539-3000 | siemensmfg.com sales@siemensmfg.com

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ ISyE 1985

MEDICAL

Travel NursiNg iN Your FuTure?

RESEARCH INNOVATION CENTER

Advantage RN is a travel nurse company staffing all RN specialties for 8-13+ week hospital assignments. Whether you are looking to take advantage of an exciting career or need high

thyssenrupp Elevator Americas has partnered with Georgia Tech to leverage the talents of our organizations, capture ideas, and put our shared knowledge to work for future success.

quality, temporary RNs to fill vacancies in your healthcare facility, our award winning team of professionals share your goals of quality and urgency. Our CEO is a Georgia Tech graduate!

866-301-4045 | advantagern.com info@advantagern.com

404-885-5260 | thyssenkruppElevator.com RICAtlanta@thyssenkrupp.com

EXPERT GI CARE IN ATLANTA AND NORTH GEORGIA The experienced physicians at Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates see patients of all ages for the evaluation and treatment of digestive disorders and liver disease, including acid reflux, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and IBS. With more than 35 locations and nine accredited endoscopy centers, the practice offers: • Preventive colon cancer screenings • Advanced endoscopic procedures • Hepatitis C treatment plans • Pain-free hemorrhoid banding • Pediatric and adolescent care

1-866-G0-T0-AGA | atlantagastro.com

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

low impact tree removal Let AKA Tree Removal help you with dangerous tree removals, trimming, deadwooding, crane services

REALTOR® OF DISTINCTION SPECIALIZING IN HISTORIC CHARLESTON & WATERFRONT PROPERTY

CUSTOMER-CENTERED BUILDING SOLUTIONS

Ariel is a proven professional specializing in relocation and second home sales in Charleston, SC.

Austin Commercial i s one of the largest, most

She enjoys helping clients find the perfect address

diversified builders in the United States. We are

& storm damage cleanup. 24-hour service. For more

and sharing the Charleston lifestyle perspective

nationally recognized for our exceptional safety

information, contact BS in ISYE Gerogia Tech alumnus

thanks to her wealth of knowledge of schools,

records, diversity inclusion program and our

Nathaniel Wilson.

neighborhoods, restaurants and services.

innovative construction solutions.

404-713-4305 | akatreeremoval.com akatreeremoval@gmail.com facebook.com/AKATreeRemoval

843-568-0595 | www.charlestonaddress.com info@charlestonaddress.com

407-459-1345 | austincommercial.com 450 South Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL

102 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | Volume 92 No. 4 2016

Construction Management Project Scheduling Litigation Support

SPECIALIZING IN PROJECTS UP TO $1 BILLION 770-671-0300 www.baldwinscheduling.com techinfo@baldwinscheduling.com

WHEN EXPERIENCE COUNTS!

RAMBLE ON UP TO THE MOUNTAINS!

MARY BETH LAKE, REALTOR® Award winning Residential REALTOR®

Owned and operated by GT alumnus John Harmon, and his wife Dale.

Welcome fellow Yellow Jackets!

specializing in Cobb & Fulton Counties.

Eleven years of Atlanta Real Estate Experience, working by referral with fellow Ga Tech Graduates, Faculty and Friends.

706-896-8424 | www.chanceyhillinn.com innkeeper@chanceyhillinn.com

404-394-4519 | marybethlake.com marybeth.lake@harrynorman.com

AtlAntA’s trusted Intown BuIlder

NOW BUILDING IN FORSYTH, FULTON, DEKALB, GWINNETT, AND OCONEE

Round Here Renovations, LLC is a licensed and insured

More than 25 years of experience in the

residential construction and renovation business

Atlanta real estate market, specializing in North

servicing the vibrant and historic neighborhoods of

Atlanta. Top 1% of all agents Nationwide! Call a

Atlanta, Georgia. From custom kitchens & baths to entire

true professional, and wife of a Georgia Tech

homes, RHR would love to partner with you for your

Alumnus, for all your real estate needs.

next major home improvement project.

Maria Licata, Associate Broker RE/MAX Around Atlanta | 770-861-1009 marialicata@remax.net | marialicata.com

404-500-9102 | roundhererenovations.com info@roundhererenovations.com

“At SR Homes, our goal is to focus on building you a home that meets your needs both today and tomorrow. We’ll think through the details so you don’t have to.”

--Alex Tetterton, President of SR Homes

678-252-2525 | SRHomes.com info@srhomes.com

SHOPPING

STOREY CUSTOM HOMES MAKING DREAM HOMES A REALITY

A family-owned and operated business, with nearly three decades of experience and more than 50 luxury homes built, Storey Custom Homes designs and builds custom homes that exceed homeowner’s expectations.

678-957-0110 | storeycustomhomes.com Danny Storey, CE 1969 drstorey@storeycustomhomes.com

NEW ZEALAND MANUKA HONEY – WORLD’S BEST Bees & Trees produces Manuka honey from remote areas in the Taranaki region of New Zealand. Manuka honey is valued for its health and wellness benefits, and it tastes great, too!

Mike Everly (BME ’82) | mike@beesandtrees.com 404-445-3322 | www.beesandtrees.com

EST. 1963 Quality Gentlemen’s Clothing.

Official Georgia Tech Alumni Association Partner.

Midtown | Lenox | Park Place | Cobb 404-249-7002 hstockton.com

Volume 92 No. 4 2016 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | 103

TECH HISTORY

A Sustainable Legacy How an environmental epiphany changed Georgia Tech alumnus Ray C. Anderson, his company and the future of business.

“WHAT IS YOUR COMPANY DOING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?” This question, posed in 1994 to business leader Ray C. Anderson, IE 56, Hon PhD 11, at age 60, would dominate the remainder of his storied career.

Anderson, the late founder and chairman of Interface Inc., called it a “spear-in-the-chest” epiphany. He became driven to prove that sustainability was more than just the right thing to do for the environment; it was the right thing to do for business.

Interface had grown, since its start in 1973, into the world’s largest manufacturer of modular carpet tiles, with plants located across the globe.

The company relied heavily on petrochemicals to make its products and also generated a lot of waste that went straight into landfills— just like most other companies in that industry and of that era.

“The term sustainability as we know it today didn’t exist yet,” says John Wells, IM 84, former presidentCEO of Interface Americas. “And few leaders in business and manufacturing were talking about trying to improve the environment at that time.”

Wells had just been hired in 1994

by Anderson to serve as head of U.S. sales. “I remember we were approached by a potential client who wanted to construct a ‘green’ building and we wanted to sell them carpet,” Wells says. “They asked us what Interface’s environmental

strategy was, and we didn’t really have an answer.”

This greatly bothered Anderson, and catalyzed a chain of events that would lead Interface to become a much-studied model for creating sustainable business practices— though many outside the company laughed at his efforts at the time.

More than 20 years later, Interface’s

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plants get almost all of their power from renewable energy sources rather than fossil fuels, says Wells, who retired from the company this June. And a majority of the materials used in its carpet manufacturing operations are reused or recycled. The company’s mission is to eliminate or compensate for all negative impacts on the environment by the year 2020.

Time Machine

His collegiate football career cut short by injury, Anderson shifted his focus into engineering and business. After "getting out" of Tech, he went on to found Interface, which has grown into a global carpeting tile giant and sustainability leader.

“Anderson’s courage and vision have been taught worldwide, including at Georgia Tech,” Wells says. “He proved that businesses can perform well by doing good.”

Anderson died in 2011, but his legacy lives on within the company he founded, as well as at the Ray C. Anderson Foundation. The Foundation supports and funds a wide range of projects that promote sustainability.

One of those projects is the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business in Tech’s Scheller College of Business, which also received financial support from the Kendeda Fund.

“The Center was created to give body to Ray’s legacy in an institution he loved and supported, and to educate the Ray Andersons of tomorrow,” says Beril Toktay, the Center’s faculty director.

“Through the Center’s programs, we strive to give engineers, entrepreneurs, managers and CEOs—Ray was all of those—the mindset and the business thinking to help them lead us to the next level, where our economy operates in a cycle of sustainable production and consumption,” she says. “Typically, business leaders who

want to create change do not face just technical challenges; they face behavioral challenges, organizational challenges, operational challenges and economic challenges.”

That was Ray’s experience in embracing sustainability, and that’s where the Scheller College of Business plays a critical role, Toktay says.

“We develop new business models that challenge conventional thinking—not ‘take-make-waste’ but a ‘circular’ approach to the economy,” she says. Ray called it ‘cutting your firm’s umbilical cord from mother nature.’”

The Center helps business leaders develop comprehensive strategies that make sense both economically and environmentally, and educates students of all levels about sustainability integration and sustainability-driven innovation, with an emphasis on a circular, low-carbon economy.

“With the tremendous resources of the Scheller College of Business and Georgia Tech, the Ray C. Anderson Center wields very powerful tools to help create a sustainable future that we think would make Ray very proud,” Toktay says.

5 YEARS AGO, IN 2011, Jane Ammons was selected as chair of the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, becoming the first female chair in the College of Engineering.

•

10 YEARS AGO, IN 2006, Georgia Tech formed a dual degree program with Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China.

•

25 YEARS AGO, IN 1991, Tech reached an all-time high in fundraising despite an economic recession.

•

50 YEARS AGO, IN 1966, the Electronics Research Building (ERB) was completed.

•

100 YEARS AGO, IN 1916, the Tech football team won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship for the first time under Coach John Heisman.

•

125 YEARS AGO, IN 1891, the graduating class featured just eight students.

Volume 92 No. 4 2016 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | 105

BUZZWORTHY

Black-and-Yellow Beauty

BY ROGER SLAVENS

GAURAV RAJASEKAR, MS ECE 12, loves automobiles almost as much as he loves the Yellow Jackets. So after being made fun of by his fellow Tech alumni for driving a standard red-and-black BMW, he decided to show his true colors by combining two of his biggest passions.

Rajasekar spec’d out, purchased and customized an iconic American sports car, a 2017 Corvette C7 Grand Sport, in

a very Buzz-worthy scheme. It covers even the smallest details, including the contrasting yellow stitching on the leather upholstery, the yellow shifting paddles, the customized license plate—YLWJCKT—and the Georgia Tech plate frame.

A hardware program manager at Microsoft, Rajasekar won the 2016 Microsoft Car Show, a corporate charity effort that helped raise $50,000 for the

106 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | Volume 92 No. 4 2016

United Way. His Tech-themed Corvette beat out several exotic automobiles, including a vintage Ferrari, owned by top executives. And while it may not be the Ramblin’ Wreck, Rajasekar’s ride allows everyone in the Pacific Northwest to know where his allegiances lie.

Share your Buzzworthy photos and examples of Yellow Jacket pride to editor@alumni.gatech.edu.

WHY UPDATE YOUR PROFILE?

RECONNECT WITH FRIENDS

NETWORK WITH TECH ALUMNI

ADVANCE YOUR CAREER

CUSTOMIZE YOUR COMMUNICATION

ATTEND ALUMNI EVENTS

We want to hear from you. Visit gtalumni.org/profile to update your info or email us for your personalized registration link at webregistration@gtalumni.org.

Volume 92 No. 4 2016 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | 107

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