Summer Energy Faculty Fellows Program Expands with Collaborative Initiatives

After completing a 10-week, on-campus fellowship, the members of this year’s Summer Energy Faculty Fellows Program gathered to present their research and discuss their future plans for continuing their research at their home campus. 

The fellowship program, sponsored by the Strategic Energy Institute, is designed to connect faculty and students from historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions with energy research faculty at Georgia Tech and give them an immersive learning experience tailored to their specific interests. The fellows were competitively selected from a nationwide pool of applicants, and this year, the cohort expanded to include 10 participants. Each of the Fellows brought a student and was hosted by a Georgia Tech energy researcher.

The 2024 Faculty Fellows and their students included: 

• Kristen Brown and Dom Forza also of the University of Texas at San Antonio (Host: Joe Bozeman III).
• Guenevere Qian Chen with Marco Garza of the University of Texas at San Antonio (Host: Saman Zonouz).
• Beibei Jiang with Tara Joshi of Kennesaw State University (Host: Hailong Chen). 
• Milanika S. Turner with Janiyah White of Clark Atlanta University (Host: Joe Bozeman III).

In addition, the cohort also included a collaborator, Zufen Wang from Tennessee State University, with Veronica Kamel (Host: Comas Haynes).

Below is a Q&A about their experiences at Georgia Tech.

Kristen Brown, Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Construction Management

How was your overall experience at Georgia Tech?
I had a wonderful time. The team was welcoming, and the facilities were incredibly nice. Atlanta was an enjoyable city to spend time in with tons of great restaurants, and most of the summer wasn't as hot and humid as I had feared.

What would you like to share about your collaborations with Professor Joe Bozeman, Mila Turner, and the team during the past 10 weeks?
It was great to throw around research ideas with the faculty and I enjoyed chatting with the students at Georgia Tech. The students we brought enjoyed Georgia Tech and achieved so much in a short time. The professors who worked together had similar interests and goals for research, which made discussions engaging, and project selection easy. 

What are your key takeaways from this program and any work products that you’d like to elaborate on?
The biggest takeaways aren't necessarily surprising — if you focus on something, you can get a lot done in a short amount of time, but you need to start moving quickly and have lots of progress checks. 

What would you like to tell your fellow faculty about this program, and will you encourage them to pursue this opportunity?
I would recommend the program to any faculty considering applying. It is an excellent way to make connections and spur new ideas. It also forces you to act on research ideas, rather than having a great discussion and then lacking progress as other projects take priority. 

Guenevere (Qian) Chen, Associate Professor, Cloud Technology Endowed Fellow, Electrical and Computer Engineering

How was your overall experience at Georgia Tech?
My experience at Georgia Tech was truly exceptional! The research environment, the amazing people (host and leaders), and the abundant opportunities made it an incredibly rewarding time.

What would you like to share about your collaborations with Professor Saman Zonouz and the student team during the 10 weeks you were in Atlanta?
It was an exceptional experience. Professor Zonouz is one of the most renowned and successful SCADA/PLC researchers both nationally and internationally. I had the privilege of joining their group meetings, and I was thoroughly impressed by the students' motivation, talent, and productivity. The lab consistently produces high-quality publications and fosters a collaborative and welcoming environment. Zonouz’s leadership and mentorship are outstanding, guiding a team of creative, hard-working, and remarkable students. It was an inspiring and enriching experience to work with such an amazing team.

What are your key takeaways from this program and any work products that you’d like to elaborate on?
My key takeaways from this program include the importance of collaboration, innovation, and the impact of strong mentorship. Working alongside such a talented team has reinforced the value of diverse perspectives and the power of collective effort in driving research forward. The hands-on experience with SCADA and 3D printer security has deepened my technical expertise and broadened my understanding of the challenges and opportunities in this field.

In terms of work products, my student Marco Garza, an incoming sophomore, co-authored a paper with Zonouz’s team, which has been submitted to NDSS-25. Furthermore, Zonouz and I are working on proposals for future collaborative projects.

What would you like to tell your fellow faculty at UTSA about this program and will you encourage them to pursue this opportunity?
I highly recommend this program. Midtown Atlanta is a beautiful place with its own unique charm, and the afternoon rains offer a refreshing break — perfect if you're looking to escape the Texas heat. Beyond the pleasant weather, Georgia Tech provides an outstanding research environment where you can engage in cutting-edge work and collaborate with some of the brightest minds in the field. If you're seeking a personally and professionally rewarding experience, this opportunity at Georgia Tech is one you shouldn’t miss!

Beibei Jiang, Assistant Professor of Innovative Materials, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

How was your overall experience at Georgia Tech?
Fantastic. I am impressed by the leadership roles of the program team. They have hosted lots of events, including regular faculty meetings, weekly professional training opportunities for undergraduate students, end-of-program presentation opportunities, and more. These activities demonstrated the program team’s engagement in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

What would you like to share about your collaborations with Professor Hailong Chen and the student team during the 10 weeks you were in Atlanta?
The collaboration with Chen’s team was eye-opening and inspiring. We learned a lot of positive lessons through working with his team. One specific lesson is the research team’s management skills, which involve managing research projects and team members, including undergraduate, graduate, and postdoc students. We also learned a lot of practical experimental skills related to battery fabrication and battery testing. We want to establish a long-term collaboration with Chen’s team in the future.

What are your key takeaways from this program and any work products that you’d like to elaborate on?
The key takeaways from the program can be summarized into three aspects: 

• We can propose multiple research ideas based on the interdisciplinary techniques between our team and our collaborators’ team at Georgia Tech
• Considering the close geographic distance between KSU and Georgia Tech, many research opportunities at Georgia Tech can be leveraged by KSU students, including research internships at GTRI and graduate programs at Georgia Tech. 
• KSU and Georgia Tech can team up on a lot of educational proposals for workforce development by combining the benefits of the two universities.

Is there any other personal information or experience or any feedback that you’d like to share?
As a Georgia Tech alumnus, I am very proud to see the achievements that Georgia Tech has made in the energy field.

What would you like to tell your fellow faculty at KSU about this program and will you encourage them to pursue this opportunity?
Definitely! I am excited to share all the positive feedback about this collaboration experience with my fellow faculty at KSU. I will tell them about the support and professional development opportunities we received from the SEI team and the program. I will also share my experience working with my collaborator at Georgia Tech, including how the project proceeded efficiently through frequent discussions with their team. Finally, I would like to share the wonderful training opportunities and professional development opportunities for our undergraduate students.

Milanika Turner, Associate Professor, Sociology and Criminal Justice

How was your overall experience at Georgia Tech?
I had such a positive experience! This was my first time visiting the campus, and I was impressed. I want to return when it’s buzzing with the energy of the academic year. I regret not visiting the Library this summer. Plus the facilities at CODA were modern, smart, and aesthetically pleasing. Everyone from Georgia Tech that I’ve met has been helpful, professional, and excited about our institutions working together.

What would you like to share about your collaborations with Professor Joe Bozeman, Professor Kristen Brown, and the student team during the past 10 weeks?
This was the smoothest interdisciplinary collaboration I’ve ever engaged in, because we all started from the common point of centering equity and justice in our work. We all had a lot of fun thinking together and ideated numerous possible projects.

What are your key takeaways from this program and any work products that you’d like to elaborate on?
A key takeaway is that there is still so much work to be done in the pursuit of energy equity, environmental justice, and equitable climate solutions. We have a lot more good work to do together.

Is there any other personal information or experience or any feedback that you’d like to share?
My program highlight was witnessing the undergraduate students learn and grow into budding researchers. They truly made me proud.

What would you like to tell your fellow faculty at Clark Atlanta about this program and will you encourage them to pursue this opportunity?
I’d tell my fellow faculty that we should get to know our neighbors! Tech is only two miles from CAU so we could easily get together. Plus we’re already working in some of the same local communities. It would be silly for us not to engage more deeply across universities. It’s beneficial for all of us — especially our students — to work together.

Zufen Wang, Assistant Professor, Civil and Architectural Engineering

How was your overall experience at Georgia Tech?
The overall experience was both inspiring and enriching! It was fantastic to connect with numerous outstanding researchers and learn about their remarkable initiatives and intriguing projects.

What would you like to share about your collaborations with Professor Comas Haynes and the student team during the 10 weeks you were in Atlanta?
Professor Haynes has been incredibly supportive throughout our collaboration. He helped connect me with the researchers for current projects and potential collaborations in the future. Additionally, my student conducted research within Comas' team, and I was impressed by the quality of the student's presentation. The most exciting thing is the IAC program that Comas introduced to me. Together with him and my student, we formed a team with a “train the trainer” approach to learn the IAC process!

What are your key takeaways from this program and any work products that you’d like to elaborate on?
Expand research horizons and valuable connections for interdisciplinary collaborations.

Is there any other personal information or experience or any feedback that you’d like to share?
The team at Georgia Tech is exceptionally welcoming and supportive. They generously share their research and project experiences. Their insights have been incredibly valuable to me, especially as I’m in the early stages of my career.

What would you like to tell your fellow faculty at TSU about this program and will you encourage them to pursue this opportunity?
I will highly encourage them to pursue this opportunity. The program goes beyond just the summer experience. It is a crucial foundation for building strong, long-term collaborations.

Dom Dorsa, Undergraduate Student

Working this summer at Georgia Tech greatly informed my decision to attend the institution for graduate school. My work with Bozeman, Turner, and Brown brought me out of my comfort zone and introduced me to areas of my field (namely GIS) that I was otherwise unfamiliar with. Additionally, I was able to make contacts with SEI and with other researchers such as Matthew Realff, with whom I hope to work someday. My biggest takeaway from this program is that research is a team effort. No one researcher uncovers the world. At best, they identify pieces of a larger puzzle. I hope to come back to Georgia Tech, whether for this program or another, and I am eternally grateful to SEI and to the SURE program for having me.