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Motorola Foundation Professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering | Executive Director for Online Masters and Cybersecurity Program | Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research

Do you feel the College of Engineering is an inclusive place for faculty and staff? Why or why not.

I think it is a good place…it has made a lot of progress. We’ve had diverse leadership of the College at the dean and associate dean levels, and we’ve done a decent job with diversity inside of the Schools. With that being said, I think we still have a long way to go. We need to make sure we are a place where everybody feels comfortable and welcome. I love the analogy about diversity and inclusion that goes: “It’s like being invited to the party AND being asked to dance.” For me, I have always felt very welcome and included and part of that comes from me going to school [at Georgia Tech]. But I don’t think my experience necessarily reflects every experience of a minority individual. However, overall, there are really good intentions and corresponding actions by the COE’s leadership, and we’ve made a lot of progress.

How are you involved in inclusivity efforts around campus with students and/or faculty?

I do lot of formal and informal mentoring and activities. I think the most impactful part is the weekly piece. I probably meet with under-represented students and faculty members weekly from all over. I also ran the SURE program, Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering/Sciences, for about seven years, which brought on average 35 to 40 under-represented students to campus per year. I have also, along with two of my colleagues, Baratunde Cola and Samuel Graham, founded an organization for doctoral-level researchers called the Academic and Research Leadership Network (ARLN). It has grown to about 400 individuals across the country, and we have used that to improve diversity and inclusivity across the country and campus.

Where do you think there are opportunities to be more inclusive across our eight schools?

I think we need to make sure that our actions follow our intentions and make sure that our budget follows our ideas. I would love to see a Georgia Tech ‘We Can Do That’ campaign about diversity and inclusion.

Why do you feel diversity and inclusion are important in higher education and beyond?

Data shows the more diverse the group, the better the decision that is made. At a place like Tech, that is very analytical and data-driven, we want to make sure that we are practicing what we preach from the fundamental research areas and also in areas like diversity/inclusion. I was watching a documentary about Warren Buffett, where he said, “We’ve done so well with half of our people: just imagine what we could do when we bring everyone to the table.” In this example, he was talking about the contributions of women finally being recognized. If we could give everybody an equal opportunity to contribute, we could do so much more. Diversity makes Georgia Tech much stronger, the College of Engineering much stronger, and the country much stronger. It makes sure that everyone is at the table contributing and feeling comfortable because when individuals do not feel comfortable, they waste brainpower and energy on fitting in, when that brainpower could go towards curing cancer or cybersecurity.

What do you believe makes Georgia Tech unique in terms of inclusion efforts?

Seventy years ago, we didn’t admit women, and now our freshman class last year was approximately 40% female. Over this seventy-year period, our rankings steadily increased, and we now have some of the best rankings in history. We have made tremendous progress. However, even though the numbers are increasing, we should always aspire to do better in all areas of diversity and to achieve excellence.

Do you have final thoughts on this topic?              

I was overwhelmed by the statues that were just built on campus of the first African American students to be enrolled and the first to graduate. That meant a tremendous amount to me and made me even more proud to be an alum. It’s a huge deal and stands for what we want to be, so I am optimistic and excited. I think this is a really good time for Georgia Tech, and I think we are going to do even better than we have done in the past.

 

Associate Professor, School of Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE)

Do you feel the College is an inclusive place for faculty and staff? Why or why not? 

What I’ve seen so far is that the College is an inclusive place. There’s definitely a lot of effort being put into faculty searches in order to include a diverse pool of candidates, especially women and people from underrepresented minorities. The LGBTQIA Center was created about five years ago and has been very proactive about reaching out to faculty, staff and students in order to educate and celebrate. Some trainings have been newly offered such as the QPR training to raise awareness about mental health and to better equip the faculty and students to give them tools to aid those in distress. I think these initiatives promote diversity and inclusion.

How are you involved in inclusivity efforts around campus with students and/or faculty?

My biggest involvement is through the LGBTQIA Center; I am currently serving as the liaison between that center and CEE. Whenever there are questions concerning LGBTQIA issues, I am here to be a spokesperson. I am also working to organize focus groups with the center to engage more faculty and increase the visibility of these communities within the College of Engineering. I have been a part of multiple panels where STEM students had questions regarding the working environment and how to prepare for interviews. I mentor two graduate students who identify as LGBTQIA, and we talk about research and LGBTQIA issues. I am also part of the College of Engineering committee for diversity and inclusion, and I am trying to create a specific committee of diversity and inclusion within the school [of CEE] together with Robert Simon, one of my colleagues, to develop more pragmatic ideas to implement the more general ideas at the College level.

Where do you think there are opportunities to be more inclusive across our eight schools?

One thing that I see missing is the link between the testing center for students with learning disabilities and our instructors. There is a disconnect between the incoming students in a class and how classrooms are attributed and how students with disabilities are dispatched between classes. One year, one of my students was in a wheelchair, and he could only attend the class from the very back because there were stairs throughout the classroom. This year, out of the 116 students I am teaching, six of them have learning disabilities, which are all very different. It is a lot to handle for one instructor, especially because the Office of Disability Services did not know the needs of the students. This leads to a lot of fatigue and miscommunication for both the faculty and students. I think there is more training and extra support needed. Right now, it’s just not available.

Why do you feel diversity and inclusion are important in higher education and beyond?

There is a lot of literature around how diversity is beneficial to innovation. Working with a diverse set of scholars can lead to more innovative ideas. It is not necessarily always the easiest path because sometimes you face communication barriers, but the simple exercise of overcoming those issues is often very beneficial. Valuing that and trying to better understand how different people from different backgrounds think and operate in a research environment can bring new ideas and lead to growth for both professors and students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So what have you liked about working here so far?

I love supporting employees in general. It’s been interesting to see the different types of employees. You have faculty employees, staff employees, research employees, student employees. All of them have different needs at different times, so it’s been interesting to serve in that capacity.

On the professional development side of things, what kind of activities have you done since you’ve been here?

I’ve taken a variety of classes. Most recently, I was invited to join the Professional Circles program, which is out of the Workplace Learning and Professional Development Department. It was a great networking opportunity to meet other people who were looking to get into management. We’ve continued to meet and support each other even after that program has ended. I met some great people.

I recently got accepted to the ASPIRE Program. It’s a new program as well. The program, again, is building leaders. It’s for people that don’t currently manage other people but are looking to begin to manage other people, and what does it look like to become a leader at Tech. That program is going to for the next three or four months.

Can you tell us more about the ASPIRE Program?

There were 140 applicants, and 68 of us were chosen. We had the kickoff a couple of weeks ago, and just this past Monday we had our first official in-person meeting. It’s a combination of in-person meetings, online modules of homework, reading and networking in between. It’s a 4-module program that teaches us how to collaborate, be creative, control and compete as leaders. It helps develop your leadership style as well as other leadership styles that may be weaker to you to help you become a whole leader going forward.

The goal is to reinforce that leadership mindset to prepare you to become a leader title-wise. It’s an interesting program, and I was drawn to it specifically because I’ve always considered myself a leader – title or no title. Even as a young child I’ve always been kind of a stand-out-front, get things done, think outside of the box type of person. I’ve served in several leadership positions in my life, and even in my HR career I’ve always been spearheading things. This program was right up my alley, to kind of put the education, experience and knowledge of how to become a better leader under my belt before taking on a title.

Is your goal to be more of a leader at Tech?

I do want to take on a leadership role. I think it’s time. I’ve kind of shied away from it, but I think it’s time to move in that direction.

Is there anything in particular you hope to learn from this ASPIRE program?

I want it to be a firming up of my qualities. I think I possess the qualities to become a great leader, but I want to really reinforce those things in some areas where I am weak. I want to enhance and improve upon areas that might be weaknesses of mine. We’re all human, and we all can grow.

Are there any reasons you think other people should get involved in professional development?

I think that everybody can benefit from professional development. It’s called professional development, but it often bleeds into your personal life. That’s why I encourage everyone to get involved in some form or fashion. You’re bound to learn something about yourself or someone else. That just makes for a better workplace all around.

It’s good to get out and network and learn. We don’t know everybody at Tech, and I just like to meet people, especially being in HR you meet a lot of people and serve a lot of people. I think everybody could use some professional development at some point in time.

In terms of it bleeding into your personal life, do you have any examples of that for you?

Oh my gosh, yes. My personal and my professional life are separate, but not really, because I think of myself as a whole individual. The way I am outside of work I bring here to work, and vice versa. I think that anybody is able to blend the two. With ASPIRE, we talked about a leadership mindset. I’m a mom, so I have to be a leader for my daughter. I’m a business owner, so I have to be a leader in that respect. I’m well-versed in community relations, non-profits and community service, so I’m a leader there. Some of the mindset and qualities a leader has, you exhibit those outside of just your 9 to 5. It’s kind of full circle. They definitely cross over. Even in real life, you’re still dealing with people.

Can you tell us a little about what you do outside of work? You’re a business owner?

I am. I own a small soap company that makes natural soaps and natural body products. I am a mom. My daughter is almost 2, so she is running our lives right now.

I was thinking through ways that I am a leader outside the class and outside of Georgia Tech. I also founded a nonprofit for community service goals. I am a sign language interpreter, so I serve in that way. I’ve got a lot going on outside of Tech! But my most important job is being a mom.

College of Engineering
July/August 2019 service anniversaries
JULY
Home Department	Name	Service Date
20 Years
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory	Arnold,Rachel D	1999/07/15
15 Years
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr	Fuller,Thomas F	2004/07/01
Physics	Elliott,Scott L	2004/07/01
Mechanical Engineering	Mehaffey,Kristi Landis	2004/07/07
Materials Science & Engr	Milam,Valeria Tohver	2004/07/19
Mechanical Engineering	Kottke,Peter Arthur	2004/07/31
10 Years
Electrical & Computer Engr	Bloch,Matthieu Ratoslav	2009/07/01
Electrical & Computer Engr	Grijalva,Santiago Carlos	2009/07/01
Electrical & Computer Engr	del Valle,Yamille Ellend	2009/07/01
Industrial & Systems Engr	Dey,Santanu Subhas	2009/07/01
Civil & Environmental Engr	Simon,Robert Benjamin	2009/07/13
Electrical & Computer Engr	Goldenburg,Joseph	2009/07/20
Aerospace Engineering	Lundy,William Christopher	2009/07/27
5 years
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory	Toy,Randall N	2014/07/01
Mechanical Engineering	Ranjan,Devesh	2014/07/01
Civil & Environmental Engr	Tien,Iris	2014/07/15
Aerospace Engineering	Pritchett,Benjamin Ray	2014/07/28
Industrial & Systems Engr	Savelsbergh,Mathieu W	2014/07/31
1 Year
Aerospace Engineering	Bershadsky,Dmitry	2018/07/01
Industrial & Systems Engr	Gupta,Swati	2018/07/01
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory	Fernandez,Todd M	2018/07/01
Aerospace Engineering	Walters,Robert A	2018/07/01
Mechanical Engineering	Barber,Graham Forrest	2018/07/01
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory	Otsuki,Alan Jake	2018/07/05
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory	van Montfrans,Veronica	2018/07/30
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory	Bell-Huff,Cristi	2018/07/30
AUGUST
30 Years
Aerospace Engineering	Simpson,Howard L	1989/08/21
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr	Kohl,Paul A	1989/08/21
20 Years
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory	Babensee,Julia Elizabeth	1999/08/01
Electrical & Computer Engr	Yezzi,Anthony Joseph	1999/08/01
Mechanical Engineering	Lowe,Joyce A	1999/08/02
Mechanical Engineering	Nowell,Darren T	1999/08/12
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory	Le Doux,Joseph M	1999/08/17
Civil & Environmental Engr	Amekudzi-Kennedy,Adjo Akpene	1999/08/17
Electrical & Computer Engr	Anderson,David V	1999/08/17
Electrical & Computer Engr	Blough,Douglas M	1999/08/17
Electrical & Computer Engr	Davis,Jeffrey A	1999/08/17
Electrical & Computer Engr	Frazier,Albert B	1999/08/17
Industrial & Systems Engr	Deng,Shijie	1999/08/17
Industrial & Systems Engr	Keskinocak,Pinar	1999/08/17
Industrial & Systems Engr	Lu,Jye-Chyi	1999/08/17
Industrial & Systems Engr	Sokol,Joel S	1999/08/17
Materials Science & Engr	Srinivasarao,Mohan	1999/08/17
15 Years
Electrical & Computer Engr	Upadhyaya,Vijaykumar D	2004/08/09
Electrical & Computer Engr	Divan,Deepakraj M	2004/08/16
Electrical & Computer Engr	Moore II,Elliot	2004/08/16
Electrical & Computer Engr	Sonnenberg-Klein,Julia M	2004/08/16
Industrial & Systems Engr	Hutchison,Garry Allen	2004/08/16
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr	Chen,Ruizhen Rachel	2004/08/17
Civil & Environmental Engr	Garrow,Laurie Anne	2004/08/17
Materials Science & Engr	Yao,Donggang	2004/08/17
10 Years
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr	Champion,Julie Anne	2009/08/01
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr	Walton,Krista S	2009/08/01
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory	Jimenez,Jorge Hernan	2009/08/04
Electrical & Computer Engr	OK,Young Woo	2009/08/04
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr	Styczynski,Mark Philip-Walter	2009/08/15
Mechanical Engineering	Dixon,James Brandon	2009/08/17
Mechanical Engineering	Sonenblum,Sharon Eve	2009/08/17
Mechanical Engineering	Wang,Yan	2009/08/17
Materials Science & Engr	Green,Kevin	2009/08/27
Industrial & Systems Engr	Speights,Stacie Lynn	2009/08/31
5 years
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory	Kwong,Gabriel A	2014/08/01
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr	McNerney,Monica P	2014/08/01
Materials Science & Engr	Losego,Mark D	2014/08/01
Mechanical Engineering	Barnes,Jason Louis	2014/08/11
Mechanical Engineering	Saldana,Christopher J	2014/08/11
Aerospace Engineering	Gupta,Mohit	2014/08/18
1 Year
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory	Jia,Shu	2018/08/01
Civil & Environmental Engr	Kaiser,Jennifer	2018/08/01
Mechanical Engineering	Shi,Chengzhi	2018/08/01
Electrical & Computer Engr	Kiyavash,Negar	2018/08/01
Electrical & Computer Engr	Yu,Shimeng	2018/08/01
Electrical & Computer Engr	Moss,Rosaland	2018/08/01
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory	Mantalaris,Athanasios	2018/08/01
Civil & Environmental Engr	Peeta,Srinivas	2018/08/01
Electrical & Computer Engr	Keromytis,Angelos	2018/08/01
Industrial & Systems Engr	Van Hentenryck,Pascal	2018/08/01
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr	Sun,Jifeng	2018/08/01
Electrical & Computer Engr	Ribeiro Pinto,Pedro Henrique	2018/08/02
Electrical & Computer Engr	Wang,Christine Sun	2018/08/13
Industrial & Systems Engr	Ayer,Tugba	2018/08/15
Aerospace Engineering	Vamvoudakis,Kyriakos	2018/08/15
Civil & Environmental Engr	Macedo Escudero,Jorge Luis	2018/08/15
Industrial & Systems Engr	Lee,I-Hsiang	2018/08/15
Mechanical Engineering	Hu,Yuhang	2018/08/16
Mechanical Engineering	Henry,Kimberley	2018/08/20
Mechanical Engineering	Binz,Kristen	2018/08/20
Materials Science & Engr	Foye,Loretta Patrice	2018/08/21
Electrical & Computer Engr	Ai,Ha H	2018/08/23
Aerospace Engineering	Patel,Srujal Anantkumar	2018/08/24

CoE communicator Walter Rich works in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering. In addition to writing about all things biomedical, he spends a lot of his free time fostering cats in need with his wife – at one point in time they’ve had 13! Read about his path to Tech and passion for cats in this month’s staff spotlight.

Where did you grow up, and where did you go to college? 

My father was in the Air Force and we lived in England, California, Philippines, Florida and Georgia.
I have a computer information systems (CIS) undergraduate degree and an MBA degree—both from Georgia State University (GSU). My first professional job offer was working as a programmer, but I took a software QA and technical support job instead because of better pay and benefits.

What did you do before you worked at Tech and what brought you here? 

I worked at Georgia State University doing communications and marketing for the CIS Department at the Robinson College of Business for nearly seven years. So, I ended up returning to GSU as a staff member after working for 20 years in industry. A communication manager’s position was posted in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and I thought that it would be an interesting opportunity which kept me in the University System of Georgia and shortened my commute to work.

What do you enjoy about working in the College of Engineering? What have some of the highlights been? 

Frankly, I’ve found Tech to harbor a very cordial and professional culture with smart, thoughtful leadership. The faculty at Tech and the research work they do, particularly in biomedical engineering, is significant, interesting and impactful. I seem to run into President Bud Peterson and Buzz (the mascot) at a few events each year, and I always enjoy our brief and warm greetings. It may sound silly, but president Peterson and CoE Dean Steve McLaughlin always say hello to me—I really appreciate that.

Do you have any causes that you are passionate about, on or off campus? If so, what are they? 

My wife has enlisted me in cat rescue. We’ve had up to 13 cats in the house being fostered until they can be adopted and/or nursed back to good health. My cat knowledge has skyrocketed over the past year. We work with Half The Way Home cat rescue, and they do terrific work for such a small, local non-profit organization. They find homes for more than 70 cats and kittens a month, which is much more than some of the larger, national organizations helping cats in Atlanta.

Tell us about your experience with cat fostering. Why is this a cause close to your heart? 

We’ve had six cats and all of them were very sweet and loving animals that would follow you around the house. Another perk: bugs were eradicated pretty quickly in our home. I’ve learned that treating a cat with love and care creates a trusting furry companion, but that it can take a year for that to happen with some cats. I enjoy helping cats and helping people to live properly with cats as part of their family.

What are some of your favorite restaurants and/or coffee shops close to campus? 

4 Rivers BBQ, Fellini’s, Jersey Mike’s, and Taqueria Del Sol. You can get to OK Café very fast using interstate 75. I miss Piccadilly cafeteria.