PUBLISHER’S LETTER
Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine Vol. 95, No. 1
Change Is Necessary for Tech to Keep Ahead of the Curve THE ONLY THING CONSTANT IS CHANGE. That old maxim has never been so true as it is these days around Georgia Tech. We are facing the daunting task of finding a new president of the Institute after 10 years of unrivaled progress and growth through the leadership of President G.P. “Bud” Peterson, who is retiring this summer. We have three new deans on the horizon to take the reins of the College of Computing, the College of Sciences and the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. We recently hired a new head football coach for the first time in 11 years, with Geoff Collins igniting the Yellow Jacket faithful with his enthusiasm and work ethic (and love of Waffle House). And, here at the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, we will soon have new leadership after 19 years of service by our friend, Joe Irwin, IM 80, who retired this February. O n e ca n n o t h ave “ P r o g r e ss a n d Service”—our motto here at the Institute— without change, and the Tech family will adapt and prosper with all of these coming adjustments. Luckily, those leaders who are leaving us have put Tech on the right trajectory. The big challenge, of course, is for so much of it to have happened all at once, rather than spread out over months and years. The key to prospering in times of change is to have the twin pillars of 1) a grounding in mission and purpose over many years and 2) a clear vision of the future. In other words, where did we come from and where are we going? Fortunately, both the Institute and the Georgia Tech Alumni Association have strong and actionable strategic plans to guide us through periods of uncertainty. And both have empaneled search committees to identify and recruit the strongest leaders who will embrace—and
4 | GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE | Volume 95 No. 1 2019
INTERIM PRESIDENT & CEO Bill Todd, IM 71 VP MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Dawn Churi EDITOR Roger Slavens STAFF EDITOR Melissa Fralick DESIGNER Karen Matthes COPY EDITOR Barbara McIntosh Webb STUDENT ASSISTANT Andrew Elliot EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Bird Blitch, IE 97, Chair David Bottoms, Mgt 01, Past Chair Sheri Prucka, EE 82, MS EE 84, Chair-Elect/Vice Chair of Roll Call Brent Zelnak, Mgt 94, Vice Chair of Finance Shan Pesaru, CmpE 05, Member at Large Magd Riad, IE 01, Member at Large Jocelyn Stargel, IE 82, MS IE 86, Member at Large Tyler Townsend, IE 98
enhance—the strategic directions of those they will replace. The current issue of the Alumni Magazine looks at how Tech and its students, faculty and alumni are helping to building the future in a variety of ways—and, more specifically, how many of them are playing a part in the future of building. Read on to learn more about their involvement in physical feats of architecture, construction and engineering, as well as less obvious ways of building, such as reimagining the way we experience the World Wide Web through virtual realities or improving the pipeline for young women to get involved in STEM fields. Go Jackets!
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Michelle Adkins, IM 83; Clint Bailey, TE 97; Lee Baker, IE 90; Carlos Barroso, ChE 80; Amrit Bhavinani, CM 09; Trevor Boehm, ME 99, MS ME 04; Jeff Bogdan, Mgt 88, MS MOT 98; Rita Breen, Psy 90, MS IE 92; Randy Cain, IE 91; Katie Davidson, Mgt 89; Sam Gude, MBA 08; Julie Hall, Phys 99; Scott Hall, ME 96; Cathy Hill, EE 84; Tim Holman, MS EE 88, PhD EE 94; Keith Jackson, Mgt 88; Plez Joyner, EE 89; Ross Mason, IE 92; Juan Michelena, TE 85; Angela Mitchell, PTCH 04; Jerald C. Mitchell, MBA 11; Alex Muñoz, Mgt 88; Anu Parvatiyar, BME 08; Blake Patton, IE 93; Amy Phuong, IA 05, MBA 14; Bert Reeves Jr., Mgt 00; Amy Rich, MBA 12; Jean Marie Richardson, Mgt 02; David Sotto, BME 09, PhD BioE 15; James Stovall, CS 01; Kristen Thorvig, STC 98; Betty Tong, ME 93, MS ME 95; David Touwsma, IE 97; Brian Tyson, EE 10; Stephenie Whitfield, Bio 93; Bruce Wilson, EE 78, MS EE 80 ADVERTISING Dawn Churi (404) 385-2991 dawn.churi@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. © 2019 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
BILL TODD, IM 71 INTERIM PRESIDENT & CEO GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Cover Illustration by Tatiana Plakhova