May/June Service Anniversaries

Home Department Name Work Department Service Date Job Title
May 2020
15 Years
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Temenoff,Johnna Sue Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2005/05/02 Assoc Chair-Academic
10 Years
Mechanical Engineering Wan,Ming Mechanical Engineering 2010/05/17 Asst Dir-Financial Ops
Engineering, College of Ogork,Asu Arrey Engineering, College of 2010/05/24 Systems/IT Architect Lead
Electrical & Computer Engr Lyn,Janine Allison Electrical & Computer Engr 2015/05/08 Faculty Support Coord
Mechanical Engineering MacNair,David Luke Mechanical Engineering 2015/05/11 Academic Professional
Electrical & Computer Engr Bindra,Harmeet Singh Computing, College of 2015/05/26 Instructional Associate
1 Year
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Peck,Hannah Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2019/05/01 Research Technician II
Civil & Environmental Engr Beaulieu,Stephan Civil & Environmental Engr 2019/05/06 Financial Admin I
Civil & Environmental Engr Norvell,Victoria R Civil & Environmental Engr 2019/05/06 Lab & Facilities Coord
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Schaff,Carson D GCMI and T3 Labs 2019/05/01 Med Dev Engr Proj Manager
Aerospace Engineering Roy,Satadru Aerospace Engineering 2019/05/15 Research Engineer I
Electrical & Computer Engr Cho,Minkyu Electrical & Computer Engr 2019/05/23 Research Engineer II
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Rotolo,Laura Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2019/05/01 Research Scientist I
Electrical & Computer Engr Harper,Christopher Richard Electrical & Computer Engr 2019/05/19 Test Technician I
Electrical & Computer Engr Harper,Christopher Electrical & Computer Engr 2019/05/19 Test Technician I
Electrical & Computer Engr Wilkins,David Electrical & Computer Engr 2019/05/19 Test Technician I
JUNE 2020
35 Years
Industrial & Systems Engr Foley,Robert D Industrial & Systems Engr 1985/06/24 Professor
20 years
Electrical & Computer Engr Adibi,Ali Electrical & Computer Engr 2000/06/01 Professor
Electrical & Computer Engr Danmola,Fanchette R Electrical & Computer Engr 2000/06/05 IT Support Prof Sr
15 Years
Mechanical Engineering Zhang,Dingkang Mechanical Engineering 2005/06/01 Senior Research Engineer
Aerospace Systems Design Lab Lewe,Jung-Ho Aerospace Systems Design Lab 2005/06/24 Research Engineer II
5 Years
Mechanical Engineering Lowe,Virggie Mechanical Engineering 2015/06/04 Academic Assistant II
Engineering, College of Radcliff,Christopher D Engineering, College of 2015/06/08 Acad & Res IT Supp Engr Sr
Mechanical Engineering DeSalvo,Michael Mechanical Engineering 2015/06/15 Postdoctoral Fellow
Electrical & Computer Engr Burke,Amber C.N. Electrical & Computer Engr 2015/06/22 Admin Professional Sr
1 Year
Civil & Environmental Engr Barham,Corliss L Civil & Environmental Engr 2019/06/01 Admin Professional III
IBB Seed Grants Laird,Zachary S Electrical & Computer Engr 2019/06/26 Mechanical Specialist
Aerospace Engineering Ali,Hisham Kamaleldin Aerospace Engineering 2019/06/10 Research Engineer II
Aerospace Engineering Cox,Adam William Aerospace Systems Design Lab 2019/06/10 Research Engineer II
Electrical & Computer Engr Shim,Wonbo Electrical & Computer Engr 2019/06/15 Research Engineer II
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Sridhar,Sreesh Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2019/06/27 Research Technician I

New Decade Responses

If you could put one Georgia Tech related item in a time capsule to be opened in 2030, what would it be and why? What do you hope to see on campus in the next 10 years?
Our maker spaces.  So we can see how far we have advanced in 10 years. A central, endowed facility (doesn’t have to be in one place, but needs to have dedicated, endowed, nonconvertible funding and technicians) for laboratory experiments and maker spaces.  This will relieve students and faculty from having to set them up, and to relieve departments from having to run them ad hoc.  We need dedicated technicians to help create experiments and support the maker spaces.  Experiential learning is very important.  We have labs like this in Clough building, but we need something akin to the labs at TAMU.
I would like to put in the lateness innovative technology that is currently being study by undergraduate and graduate students doing research. I hope to see more diversity in the faculty and student population that includes more women, women of color, international students, students with disabilities, and etc.

GT Letter Head stack and a bunch of business cards.

To see how the preference of letters/colors/designs might have changed, and the joy of finding out who was there 10 years ago.

 GT is the pioneer in human potential, and has a lovely culture that is a leading example of other colleges and younger education schools.  No suicides, everyone is having clarity that they are in the right place, feeling appropriately challenged, being an example of harmonious living, making real positive impacts, and we are one hub of sending out such message that this is a real possibility – not a fiction 🙂
A small hobby rocket designed and assembled by the AE 1601 class. I think the rocket would be
1) a good visualization of what first-year AE students are capable of making from their first year at Tech.
2) show the students’ creativity and collaboration (they like to have fun and incorporate a bit of their personalities into their designs).
3) represent the maker spaces on campus, notably the Yang Aero Maker Space.
4) a nod to the Artemis mission that is set to launch in 2024.		 New, state-of-the-art building(s) for the School of Aerospace Engineering.
If I could put one thing from Georgia Tech related item in a time capsule to be opened in 2030, I would put the statue of the first black students. I would put that because it represents the growth that Georgia Tech has experienced and the direction the school is headed. I hope to see on campus in the next 10 years an opportunity for more collaboration between students and staff on projects. Opportunities for staff to bring ideas to the table for projects and ideas that help grow research projects.
I would put the “T” (off Tech Tower)  in the time capsule so none of the students would be arrested or maybe better yet to hide it and then let it become the phantom “T” and suddenly reappears from its travel in time……. Unity between all the systems
Plastic water bottles and paper cups- many campuses in Europe do not permit either. You must carry own water bottle and coffee mug. GT will hopefully catch up by 2030 A more sustainable and green campus. Vendors on campus working with campus partners for a paper and plastic free Georgia Tech.
I would put in an image of what GT looks like now and then see what it will look like in 10 years with all of the construction going on. I hope to see more spaces to eat across campus. I also hope to see more picnic tables and seating in green spaces across campus. There aren’t enough places to sit outside without having to go all the way to the student center. Having more covered eating spaces, like the solar panel station in front of the LOVE building is so nice.
The BUZZ costume–it seems that wherever you go, if the intent is to promote “team spirit” BUZZ will be there–I wonder if there will be a time when mascots will be considered quaint–so putting the costume in the time capsule would help to point out what was considered a positive symbol now. My hope is that students, faculty and staff will learn how to incorporate health and wellness into their everyday interactions and learn that self-care does not have to diminish–but can actually enhance–performance. I hope the culture of shared misery is replaced with a culture of mutual respect and support.

March & April Service Anniversaries

March and April service anniversaries
2020
Home Department Name Work Department Service Date Job Title
March
35 Years
Mechanical Engineering Green,Itzhak Mechanical Engineering 1985/03/01 Professor
25 Years
Materials Science & Engr Wang,Zhong Lin Materials Science & Engr 1995/03/01 Regents Professor
Materials Science & Engr Jacob,Karl I Materials Science & Engr 1995/03/06 Professor
20 Years
Mechanical Engineering Degertekin,F Levent Mechanical Engineering 2000/03/27 Professor
15 Years
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr Lu,Hang Chemical and Biomolecular Engr 2005/03/07 Professor
Electrical & Computer Engr Connelly,Christopher S Electrical & Computer Engr 2005/03/07 IT Support Prof II
5 Years
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr Kamath,Manjeshwar G Chemical and Biomolecular Engr 2015/03/02 Research Engineer II
1 Year
Aerospace Engineering Yuan,Zhangxian Aerospace Engineering 2019/03/01 Postdoctoral Fellow
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Hatit,Marine Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2019/03/01 Postdoctoral Fellow
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Xu,Nan Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2019/03/01 Postdoctoral Fellow
Industrial & Systems Engr Mitridati,Lesia Marie-Jeanne Mariane Industrial & Systems Engr 2019/03/01 Research Scientist I
Materials Science & Engr Nam,Gyutae Materials Science & Engr 2019/03/11 Visit Research Engineer I-NE
Mechanical Engineering Kwon,Young Tae Mechanical Engineering 2019/03/11 Postdoctoral Fellow
Mechanical Engineering Andrews,Ashley Clay Mechanical Engineering 2019/03/14 Mechanical Specialist
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Dong,Hai Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2019/03/15 Postdoctoral Fellow
Electrical & Computer Engr Hur,Jae Electrical & Computer Engr 2019/03/15 Postdoctoral Fellow
Aerospace Engineering Griendling,Kelly Aerospace Engineering 2019/03/21 Lecturer
Mechanical Engineering Fernandez Yague,Marc Mechanical Engineering 2019/03/25 Postdoctoral Fellow
Mechanical Engineering Lee,Hyun-Jung Mechanical Engineering 2019/03/26 Research Engineer I
Mechanical Engineering Painter,Reid Mechanical Engineering 2019/03/28 Facilities Assistant
APRIL
30 Years
Aerospace Engineering Smith,Marilyn J Aerospace Engineering 1990/04/02 Professor
25 Years
Materials Science & Engr Godard,James A Materials Science & Engr 1995/04/27 Asst Dir-Admin Ops
10 Years
Mechanical Engineering Pickett,Cynthia Evelyn Mechanical Engineering 2010/04/09 Asst Dir-Admin Ops
5 Years
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Waiblinger,Christian Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2015/04/01 Postdoctoral Fellow
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr Hillman,Adrienne Rice Chemical and Biomolecular Engr 2015/04/01 Academic Advisor I
Mechanical Engineering Hammond III,Frank L Mechanical Engineering 2015/04/01 Assistant Professor
Industrial & Systems Engr Smith,Julie Nicole Industrial & Systems Engr 2015/04/16 Admin Professional Sr
Aerospace Engineering Brian,Vickie L Aerospace Engineering 2015/04/27 Asst Dir-Admin Ops
1 Year
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Chua,Mallory Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2019/04/01 Research Scientist I
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Hollingsworth,Keamonnee Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2019/04/01 Financial Admin III
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Olivenca,Daniel Vigario Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2019/04/01 Postdoctoral Fellow
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Raad,Maryam Nabil Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2019/04/01 Research Technician I
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr Moon,Dong-Kyu Chemical and Biomolecular Engr 2019/04/01 Postdoctoral Fellow
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr Nezam,Iman Chemical and Biomolecular Engr 2019/04/01 Postdoctoral Fellow
Civil & Environmental Engr Liu,Xiaoguang Civil & Environmental Engr 2019/04/01 Postdoctoral Fellow
Electrical & Computer Engr Hosseinnia,Amir Hossein Electrical & Computer Engr 2019/04/01 Research Engineer II
Mechanical Engineering Shetty,Pralav Praveen Mechanical Engineering 2019/04/01 Postdoctoral Fellow
Mechanical Engineering Ritchie,Ashley Mechanical Engineering 2019/04/08 Communications Officer I
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Jarvis,Diana Victoria Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2019/04/15 ASL English Interpreter
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory McGill,Rachel Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2019/04/15 ASL English Interpreter
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Ni,Huanzhen Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2019/04/15 Postdoctoral Fellow
Civil & Environmental Engr Davis,Shamekia M Civil & Environmental Engr 2019/04/15 Financial Admin III
Civil & Environmental Engr Stephens,Jeremy D Civil & Environmental Engr 2019/04/15 Lab & Facilities Coord
Mechanical Engineering Shankles,Peter Golden Mechanical Engineering 2019/04/15 Postdoctoral Fellow
Electrical & Computer Engr Swain,Brandi Elizabeth Electrical & Computer Engr 2019/04/19 Test Technician I
Electrical & Computer Engr Chen,You-Wei Electrical & Computer Engr 2019/04/29 Research Engineer II

An interview with Mitsuko Ito on mindfulness and well-being

Mitsuko Ito, ECE Admin Professional III, gives insight into how mindfulness can relieve stress and create a greater sense of self, especially during the current COVID-19 global pandemic.

Q1 – Can you define what mindfulness is to you and why it is important?

According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., a molecular biologist and meditation teacher who brought Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) to the world, “mindfulness” is an “awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, nonjudgmentally.”

For me personally, simply put, it is a quiet exploration and observation of what is going on in my mind, body and beyond.  Initially what led me to this was the desire to overcome depression, anxiety and chronic pain.  Thankfully, with learning and practice, I have been able to change the trajectory of my life, and I am now in a much more empowered state.

Q2 – What advice do you have for people to stay mindful?

There are many benefits to being mindful.

  • More peaceful heart
  • Reduced stress and pain
  • Better relationships
  • Clearer thinking
  • Increased productivity
  • Better immune system
  • Even increasing lung capacity (says David Able, COVID-19 survivor)
  • And so much more!

Getting clear on the goals of the “why” you would want to practice mindfulness can be helpful.
Having an accountability partner, or a group program to support each other, can also be very supportive.

Q3 – How do you manage stress at work and home?

At Home:  Having moved many times over the years, being an ethnic minority immigrant in many places we have lived, having four children, three of which are now teens, and other factors have forced me to seek effective stress management tools.  As of now, my main go-to is something called EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Tapping.  “Tapping” is one of the newer mind-body tools that has developed in the 90s that has worked very well for me. What research is revealing is that Tapping quickly affects the amygdala (fear response), while also having the effects of vegas nerve stimulation which supports the parasympathetic (calming) response.

At Work:  The WorkDay transition last summer was admittedly very stressful, but then this has led me to share Tapping with my colleagues! (And now with COVID-19, I get to share Tapping again!) Otherwise, my workplace has been a good and safe space for me.  If I did get stressed at work, mostly all I needed to do was to close my eyes and do some slow deep breathing (along with occasional Tapping and yes, some chocolate….).

Q4 – How do you think mindfulness relates to the current pandemic we are in?

Mindfulness is surely going to be beneficial as we navigate this new territory.  COVID-19 has caused quite a bit of shock, and we are still facing so much uncertainty.  It is not difficult to feel fearful at one point or another, or even on an ongoing basis.  I suspect that many of us, if not all, have been running higher on cortisol and adrenaline than pre-COVID-19 times.  This is a normal survival response for the short term, but not helpful in the long term. Accessing, processing, and resolving chaotic emotions continues to be important, however, since we are hindered from going to gyms or getting massages, not even be able to get together with our regular support network, we are forced to take this process upon ourselves.  Mindfulness, meditation and other inner exploration tools are just the perfect tools at this time. (Tapping adds a kinetic component to it.). These exercises will help us move from the smaller/darker circle towards the larger/lighter circle, in the diagram below.  The sooner we can start attending to this, the better for each of us, and for our community.

For those new to mindfulness, perhaps consider this as an opportunity?? … now we get to learn the new skills of going inwards! (…?) If sitting and contemplating quietly is not your cup of tea, Yoga, Taiichi, Qigong, Breathing exercises, EFT Tapping are considered mindfulness/meditation with movements, therefore will still be extremely beneficial (with even more benefits, from my point of view.). All these give us a way in learning to self-engineer our own health and well-being.  Once you get a hang of it, it is really quite empowering.

Q5 – Do you believe mindfulness extends beyond reducing stress?

I absolutely do.  Reduced stress is the primary benefit, which then goes on to have a cascade of positive side effects.  Hormone and neurotransmitter productions will be changed (i.e. lowered cortisol and adrenaline), the way our physiology operates will also be altered (i.e. improved sleep, better digestion).  The ways we think and operate will also change (i.e. more compassion, better decision making and so on).   In short, it could be life changing.  You will often hear this from those who have hit rock bottom in their lives and have decided to pick up this new habit and life style.

Q6 – In high-stress environments such as Georgia Tech, how do you propose students/faculty practice being mindful at a larger scale?

First of all, I know GT has been making many good efforts but we could be promoting Mindfulness, self-awareness, mind-body connections, more.  The Resilience program that Sonia Alvarez-Robinson leads is fabulous program and deserves recognition. Often, meditation and mindfulness is utilized by high performers such as athletes and successful businessmen, but may not be as widely talked about. Interviewing faculty/students who have successfully been practicing mindfulness would serve as a great inspiration.  More students, staff, and faculty would hopefully take advantage the campus offerings.

Secondly, I would love for GT to become a more “trauma informed” institution.  We are a public university, and now with COVID-19, even more so, it is possible that we see higher anxiety rates in the coming years.  We at GT take pride in our research and academics, and service to the world. Our people have to be well, in order to function.  Understanding how adverse experiences affects our learning and performance and ways to overcome it would be valuable.

Thirdly, along that line, it is my belief that traditional therapy, although great and valuable, is no longer sufficient in this day and age, especially when we know there are additional effective interventions. Therefore, I would like for our leadership to get serious about seeking additional ways to support the wellbeing of our campus.  Personally, I believe that EFT Tapping to be just the right tool at this time.  It is quite simple to learn and to start practicing.  Research is showing that cortisol levels reduces at an astonishing 40 percent.  It is my hope that Self-Help Tapping can be offered campus wide to be shared with all students and staff, so they can start taking care of themselves better.  Also potentially have Tapping offered/required to our advising/counseling staff.  (This could help shorten durations and costs of counseling sessions.)

In the end, it goes without saying that I am so honored and proud to be a part of our GT community.  Each of the leaders that I have had the opportunity to interact in one way or another has been heart-centered and solution oriented. This is a unique place where wise, progressive and open-mind thinkers are abundant.  Mindfulness is truly necessary and needs to be further promoted and practiced.  Taking it one more step forward, I would love for the leadership to consider looking into EFT Tapping as one cutting edge mindfulness tool.  The message it can send out to the world will be a powerful one.  We have the opportunity to be truly the leader in the whole person education, and I am excited about this possibility.

<Resources on Mindfulness>

 <Resources on Mind-Body Connection & Trauma Awareness>

<Resources on EFT Tapping>

<Resources on Tapping for COVID-19>

https://www.mindful.org/how-mindfulness-can-help-you-navigate-the-coronavirus-panic/

Q&A with Diego Remolina, IT Director – System Administrator for the School of Aerospace Engineering

This month, we sat down with Diego Remolina, IT Director – System Administrator for the School of Aerospace Engineering

Interview conducted by Tanya Roy

Q. How long have you been working in IT at Georgia Tech? What about before coming to Tech?

A. I’ve been working in IT at Georgia Tech since 2000, first as a student worker in the math department, and then in December 2001, I joined the Georgia Tech staff. I finished my masters at Georgia Tech in Aerospace Engineering in December 2000.

Q. What’s it like working in IT in aerospace engineering?

A. It is challenging because there are always a lot of things to do, and we have limited personnel and more new demands every day. In terms of how it is day-to-day, it can be very different. Every day, we are trying to make progress and keep up with our projects. There is a wide range of things we do from more simple tasks like resetting passwords to trying to do more complex things like setting up GPU servers for our faculty to run simulations.

Q. What technological changes have you seen over the years you have been at Tech? These can be IT specific or just general technology?

A. There have been so many changes over time; for example, email has progressed so much, departments used to run their own mail servers because the OIT provided offering had so little storage (100MB), now we do not even run mail servers on campus anymore. Computing resources used to be very restricted and expensive in the past, now in your phone you have a faster computer than a desktop from the early 2000s. Throughout the years, things have become much more centrally managed, which is good because it allows us to focus more on the needs of our users. More recently, in the past two to five years, I think we have worked towards more collaboration and sharing, not only within the College but within the whole campus. It has sped up the process of automating the installation and maintenance of computers other important tasks.

Q. Is there an area where you would like to see more innovation?

A. In terms of Georgia Tech specifically, some of the places where I think we are a little behind are the conference and presentation rooms; things don’t always work well there, and we could fix that. One more thing is more effective communication and collaboration to understand Georgia Tech policies. We need to work better as a team to understand and implement these policies, in a way that it still allows our users to do what they need to do, being within the guidelines. This is a responsibility that falls on all of us. One of the reasons these policies are in place is to protect us and the Institute. This reflection is a little bit less about the technology and more about the culture.

Q. As we look to the new decade, do you have any predictions for what’s to come in the technology sphere for IT or otherwise?

A. In terms of computers, we are all expectant of what quantum computing is going to do. It has a great potential because of how much faster things can be done instead of the regular computers we have nowadays. Hopefully, within the next ten years, Google, IBM or any of the other startups working on this will be able to make progress on making these machines much simpler and available to us, which will be interesting. Maybe we will have the return of the “PC” from the 1980s in the form of the “QPC” in the 2030s. Another computer related technology which is interesting to see is cars and personal air vehicles. The prospect of having drone-type vehicles and fully autonomous vehicles is amazing. Ten years may be a little too short for that, but imagine in the future, cars being able to coordinate with one another at intersections or one day having flying transportation that can cut down on our driving commutes each way daily. It will revolutionize the way we do things.

 

Jan/Feb Service Anniversaries

January 2020
Home Department Name Work Department Service Date Job Title
40 Years
Electrical & Computer Engr Verriest,Erik I Electrical & Computer Engr 1980/01/01 Professor
30 Years
Aerospace Systems Design Lab Mavris,Dimitri Aerospace Systems Design Lab 1990/01/01 Director Academic
Mechanical Engineering Liang,Steven Y Mechanical Engineering 1990/01/04 Professor
25 Years
Mechanical Engineering Melkote,Shreyes N Mechanical Engineering 1995/01/03 Professor
Mechanical Engineering Neu,Richard W Mechanical Engineering 1995/01/03 Professor
Mechanical Engineering Yoda,Minami Mechanical Engineering 1995/01/03 Professor
Mechanical Engineering Sitaraman,Suresh K Mechanical Engineering 1995/01/03 Regents Professor
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr Jones,Phyllis Chemical and Biomolecular Engr 1995/01/27 Financial Admin III
20 Years
Mechanical Engineering Fedorov,Andrei G Mechanical Engineering 2000/01/01 Assoc Chair-Academic
Mechanical Engineering Hesketh,Peter J Mechanical Engineering 2000/01/01 Professor
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr Dixon,Bradley Edward Chemical and Biomolecular Engr 2000/01/10 Communications Mgr
Engineering, College of Sefton,Rod J Engineering, College of 2000/01/13 Facilities Mgr II
Civil & Environmental Engr Huang,Ching-Hua Civil & Environmental Engr 2000/01/14 Professor
Mechanical Engineering Pucha,Raghuram V Mechanical Engineering 2000/01/19 Senior Lecturer
15 Years
Aerospace Engineering Walker II,Mitchell L.R. Aerospace Engineering 2005/01/01 Assoc Chair-Academic
Electrical & Computer Engr Shen,Shyh-Chiang Electrical & Computer Engr 2005/01/01 Professor
Electrical & Computer Engr Robinson Jr,Robert Allen Electrical & Computer Engr 2005/01/01 Senior Academic Professional
Civil & Environmental Engr Yavari,Arash Civil & Environmental Engr 2005/01/06 Professor
Electrical & Computer Engr Scott,Tammy D Electrical & Computer Engr 2005/01/26 Faculty Support Coord
10 Years
Industrial & Systems Engr Caimano,Jeffrey F Industrial & Systems Engr 2010/01/04 Financial Mgr II
Electrical & Computer Engr Holcomb,Anna Newsome Electrical & Computer Engr 2010/01/04 Lecturer
5 Years
Industrial & Systems Engr Williams,Damon P Industrial & Systems Engr 2015/01/01 Lecturer
International Education McColl,Chance Carue Aerospace Engineering 2015/01/01 Lecturer
Aerospace Engineering Lightsey,Edgar Glenn Aerospace Engineering 2015/01/01 Professor
Civil & Environmental Engr Paulino,Glaucio H Civil & Environmental Engr 2015/01/01 Professor
Industrial & Systems Engr Boland,Natashia Lesley Industrial & Systems Engr 2015/01/01 Professor
Industrial & Systems Engr Montreuil,Benoit Industrial & Systems Engr 2015/01/01 Professor
Industrial & Systems Engr Romeijn,Hilbrand Edwin Industrial & Systems Engr 2015/01/01 School Chair-Academic
Industrial & Systems Engr Strickland,Dawn M Industrial & Systems Engr 2015/01/01 Senior Academic Professional
Industrial & Systems Engr McLemore,Candice Ashmore Industrial & Systems Engr 2015/01/05 Corporate Relations Mgr
Mechanical Engineering Mauldin,Nathaniel Ray Mechanical Engineering 2015/01/05 Mechanical Specialist
Mechanical Engineering Yang,Bo Mechanical Engineering 2015/01/05 Research Scientist II
Civil & Environmental Engr Newman,Jeffrey Paul Civil & Environmental Engr 2015/01/23 Research Engineer II-NE
Materials Science & Engr Tavakoli,David A Materials Science & Engr 2015/01/26 Research Scientist II
1 Year
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr Blazeck,John J Chemical and Biomolecular Engr 2019/01/01 Assistant Professor
Civil & Environmental Engr Grubert,Emily A Civil & Environmental Engr 2019/01/01 Assistant Professor
Materials Science & Engr Correa-Baena,Juan-Pablo Materials Science & Engr 2019/01/01 Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering Mazumdar,Yi Chen Mechanical Engineering 2019/01/01 Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering Zhao,Ye Mechanical Engineering 2019/01/01 Assistant Professor
Civil & Environmental Engr Bishop,Cliff Douglas Civil & Environmental Engr 2019/01/01 Lecturer
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Quiroga Campano,Ana Luz Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2019/01/01 Postdoctoral Fellow
Aerospace Systems Design Lab Puranik,Tejas Girish Aerospace Systems Design Lab 2019/01/02 Research Engineer II
Electrical & Computer Engr Molzahn,Daniel Electrical & Computer Engr 2019/01/04 Assistant Professor
Materials Science & Engr Kim,Minkyu Materials Science & Engr 2019/01/14 Postdoctoral Fellow-NE
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr Pham,Thang Toan Chemical and Biomolecular Engr 2019/01/17 Postdoctoral Fellow
Electrical & Computer Engr Buchanan,Thairun-Nisaa Electrical & Computer Engr 2019/01/25 Admin Professional III
Mechanical Engineering Burns,Craig Mechanical Engineering 2019/01/28 Mail Clerk I
Aerospace Engineering Richards,Kamaria H Aerospace Engineering 2019/01/31 Academic Assistant II
FEBRUARY
20 Years
Civil & Environmental Engr Bennett-Boyd,Shauna Civil & Environmental Engr 2000/02/10 Admin Mgr II
Materials Science & Engr Washington,Renita L Materials Science & Engr 2000/02/28 Academic Advising Mgr
15 Years
Engineering, College of Clarkson,Todd Michael Engineering, College of 2005/02/02 Facilities Mgr II
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr Thio,Yonathan S Chemical and Biomolecular Engr 2005/02/07 Senior Lecturer
Electrical & Computer Engr Fuentes Hernandez,Canek Electrical & Computer Engr 2005/02/10 Principal Research Scientist
Civil & Environmental Engr Gallego,Anthony Civil & Environmental Engr 2005/02/16 Academic Advising Mgr
10 Years
Electrical & Computer Engr Plaskett,Raquel Electrical & Computer Engr 2010/02/15 Faculty Support Coord
5 Years
Mechanical Engineering Rashidi,Hassan Mechanical Engineering 2015/02/11 Lecturer
Industrial & Systems Engr Silver,Lauren E Industrial & Systems Engr 2015/02/16 Academic Advisor II
1 Year
Electrical & Computer Engr Hamelin,Benoit Raymond Jacques Electrical & Computer Engr 2019/02/01 Postdoctoral Fellow
Mechanical Engineering Khosravani,Ali Mechanical Engineering 2019/02/01 Research Engineer I
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Elliott,Drew David Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2019/02/04 Research Technician II
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr Irani,Maryam Chemical and Biomolecular Engr 2019/02/06 Postdoctoral Fellow
Mechanical Engineering Boziuk,Thomas R Mechanical Engineering 2019/02/07 Postdoctoral Fellow
Mechanical Engineering Deshpande,Yogesh N Mechanical Engineering 2019/02/11 Research Engineer I
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Zhang,Jinghui Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2019/02/12 Research Technician I
Electrical & Computer Engr Saxena,Rahul Electrical & Computer Engr 2019/02/13 Research Associate II
Materials Science & Engr Kuenneth,Christopher Materials Science & Engr 2019/02/18 Postdoctoral Fellow
Electrical & Computer Engr Nafea,Mohamed Saeed Khalifa Electrical & Computer Engr 2019/02/19 Postdoctoral Fellow
Electrical & Computer Engr Abraham,Silja Electrical & Computer Engr 2019/02/23 Postdoctoral Fellow

Nov/Dec Service Anniversaries

College of Engineering
Service Anniversaries
Nov/Dec 2019
November 2019
Home Department Name Work Department Service Date Job Title
30 Years
Electrical & Computer Engr Barnes,Christopher F Electrical & Computer Engr 1989/11/27 Associate Professor
25 Years
Electrical & Computer Engr Balkcom,Debra A Electrical & Computer Engr 1994/11/28 Financial Admin III
20 Years
Electrical & Computer Engr Kenney,James Stevenson Electrical & Computer Engr 1999/11/01 Professor
Materials Science & Engr Moon,Kyoung-Sik Jack Materials Science & Engr 1999/11/19 Research Engineer II
Electrical & Computer Engr Ponder,Rachel Melton Electrical & Computer Engr 1999/11/29 Web Developer Mgr
15 Years
Engineering, College of Lee,Terri Talley Engineering, College of 2004/11/01 Senior Academic Professional
Civil & Environmental Engr Rhodes,Ella Denise Civil & Environmental Engr 2004/11/08 Financial Admin III
Materials Science & Engr Moss,Frank Linder Materials Science & Engr 2004/11/15 Facilities Mgr Sr
Industrial & Systems Engr Ford,Amanda Shae Industrial & Systems Engr 2004/11/29 Graduate Progs Mgr
10 Years
Mechanical Engineering Turano,Stephan Parker Mechanical Engineering 2009/11/01 Senior Research Engineer
Electrical & Computer Engr Dagon,David S Electrical & Computer Engr 2009/11/18 Senior Research Scientist
5 Years
Mechanical Engineering Fu,Katherine Kai-Se Mechanical Engineering 2014/11/03 Assistant Professor
Electrical & Computer Engr Buford,Blake Clifford Electrical & Computer Engr 2014/11/24 Marketing & Event Coord I
1 Year
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Lomsadze,Alexandre Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2018/11/01 Sr Research Scientist
Electrical & Computer Engr Alagapan,Sankaraleengam Electrical & Computer Engr 2018/11/01 Research Engineer II
Electrical & Computer Engr Yoon,Jonghyeok Electrical & Computer Engr 2018/11/01 Postdoctoral Fellow
Electrical & Computer Engr Zia,Muneeb Electrical & Computer Engr 2018/11/01 Research Engineer II
Industrial & Systems Engr Fioretto,Ferdinando Industrial & Systems Engr 2018/11/01 Postdoctoral Fellow
Materials Science & Engr Kim,Seongmin Materials Science & Engr 2018/11/01 Postdoctoral Fellow
Aerospace Engineering Tavares,Shari Aerospace Engineering 2018/11/12 Admin Professional III
Electrical & Computer Engr Sangodoyin,Oluwaseun Electrical & Computer Engr 2018/11/12 Postdoctoral Fellow
Mechanical Engineering Leslie,Kadian Natalia Mechanical Engineering 2018/11/12 Grants Administrator
Aerospace Systems Design Lab Cinar,Gokcin Aerospace Systems Design Lab 2018/11/15 Research Engineer II
Mechanical Engineering Erisman,Lucinda Mechanical Engineering 2018/11/15 Program & Ops Mgr
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Zhao,Kun Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2018/11/26 Postdoctoral Fellow
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr He,Yubin Chemical and Biomolecular Engr 2018/11/26 Postdoctoral Fellow
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr Innocenti,Giada Chemical and Biomolecular Engr 2018/11/29 Research Scientist I
Mechanical Engineering Shi,Jingjing Mechanical Engineering 2018/11/29 Postdoctoral Fellow
December 2019
55 Years
Materials Science & Engr Cagle,James R Materials Science & Engr 1964/12/14 Research Scientist II
35 Years
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr Whatley-Nwanze,Janice Chemical and Biomolecular Engr 1984/12/17 Academic Advisor II
20 Years
Electrical & Computer Engr Ayazi,Farrokh Electrical & Computer Engr 1999/12/01 Professor
Electrical & Computer Engr Crowder,Marion Electrical & Computer Engr 1999/12/02 Instr’l Media Producer
15 Years
Civil & Environmental Engr Burns,Susan Elizabeth Civil & Environmental Engr 2004/12/01 Assoc Chair-Academic
Electrical & Computer Engr Huynh,Peter L Electrical & Computer Engr 2004/12/13 IT Support Prof Mgr
10 Years
Industrial & Systems Engr Buser,Frances Dillon Industrial & Systems Engr 2009/12/01 Academic Advisor II
5 Years
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Dorsey,Julian Lamar Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2014/12/01 Building Coord I
Electrical & Computer Engr Beck,Brian Michael Electrical & Computer Engr 2014/12/15 Academic Professional
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Andino,Rafael Victor Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2014/12/17 Lecturer
1 Year
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Loughrey,David A Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2018/12/01 Postdoctoral Fellow
Civil & Environmental Engr Neumeister,Amelia B Civil & Environmental Engr 2018/12/01 Communications Officer I
Materials Science & Engr Tran,Huan Doan Materials Science & Engr 2018/12/01 Research Scientist II
Electrical & Computer Engr Ito,Mitsuko Electrical & Computer Engr 2018/12/05 Admin Professional III
Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory Caldeira Botelho,Raquel Biomedical Engr, GT/Emory 2018/12/10 Research Scientist I
Chemical and Biomolecular Engr Liu,Zhongyun Chemical and Biomolecular Engr 2018/12/10 Postdoctoral Fellow
Mechanical Engineering Shipp,Patricia H Mechanical Engineering 2018/12/13 Admin Professional Sr
Aerospace Engineering Harrison,Evan David Aerospace Systems Design Lab 2018/12/17 Research Engineer II
Mechanical Engineering MCCOY,Richard Anthony Mechanical Engineering 2018/12/17 IT Support Prof I
Mechanical Engineering Thomas,Nicole Mechanical Engineering 2018/12/17 Admin Professional Sr

Raheem Beyah on Inclusivity

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.

 

Chloé Arson on Inclusivity

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q&A with Tamecia Wright – Continued

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.