A highlight of the Renewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI) workshops is the student poster session that provides industry interaction for Paper Science and Engineering (PSE) Fellows and an opportunity to communicate the breadth of research supported by RBI to the workshop participants. The session also provides a chance for new students to share their project scope, goals and receive useful feedback. This is the first of a series of Q&As from PSE students who share their experience at the 2023 RBI Spring Workshop on Packaging Innovation and the Circular Economy Elyssa Ferguson, a Mechanical Engineering graduate student shares her experience below.

Tell us about yourself

My name is Elyssa Ferguson. I earned my B.S. in mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). I am pursuing my M.S. in mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech. I am an RBI Fellow, GEM Fellow, and Women of Woodruff (WoW) Fellow, and I work in the Water-Energy Research (WERL) Lab, under the direction of Akanksha K. Menon, assistant professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering. My research focuses on developing sustainably sourced natural fibers for thermal insulation in buildings. My project is a part of the Carbon-Negative Building Materials based on Engineered Wood for Structural and Thermal Insulation Applications project. Menon and I collaborate with Kyriaki Kalaitzidou, Rae S. and Frank H. Neely Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering and Joe F. Bozeman III, assistant professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Public Policy. I also work with graduate students, Elnaz Jamshidi from the School of Materials Science and Engineering and Arjun Thangaraj Ramshankar from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering on this project. 

How was your experience at the RBI workshop? 

Attending the RBI workshop was a valuable learning experience. I learned about the variety of exciting work in the renewable packaging realm that is going on at Georgia Tech and other organizations. This work is driving sustainable innovation, yet there are challenges. The discussions regarding the barriers to innovation and areas for growth were very thought-provoking and motivating. 

What was your main takeaway from the poster session? 

During the poster session, I shared information about my research and had the privilege to talk to many people in the industry. There is much interest in thermally insulating natural fibers for building applications and for other applications like cold-chain packaging and textiles. Speaking with the workshop participants during the poster session broadened my mind to the potential myriad of applications for natural-fiber-based thermal insulation on a global scale. I also learned more about the existing challenges researchers and industrial peers are facing – one being the lack of standardization of nomenclature and methodology. Receiving positive feedback on the design of my poster was also helpful. I deliberately designed a poster that incorporated aesthetics to convey my ongoing research. I plan to apply the helpful information and feedback that I received during the RBI workshop to my future work. 

What more would you like to see in future events at the Renewable Bioproducts Institute?

I am very interested in seeing more seminars related to sustainable building materials, especially insulating materials, and textiles, as these topics are closely related to my research project. Fascinating work is happening at other universities and at companies in Georgia and around the world. It would be great if there is a seminar series including these organizations. 

 

Read Part 2 - Tanner Hickman

Carson Meredith, executive director of the Renewable Bioproducts Institute and professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE), has been elected to the 2023-2024 class of American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) fellows.

The Fellow status is AIChE's highest grade of membership and is achieved through election by the AIChE Board of Directors upon recommendation of the AIChE Admissions Committee.

Meredith is recognized for sustained contributions to the chemical engineering profession through research, education and service. For example, his research has made significant contributions to the field of sustainable materials for packaging and plastic alternatives.

In service, Meredith has contributed actively to planning AIChE and Materials Research Society meetings. He now serves on the executive leadership board of the Forest and Plant Bioproducts Division of AIChE.

Meredith has been a ChBE faculty member for 23 years.

Carsten Sievers, a professor in Georgia Tech's School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, was selected as part of the 2023 class of Fellows of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

This honor is reserved for roughly 1% of the membership of the society based on scientific contributions and service to the ACS community. Sievers is recognized for:

• Contributions introducing new catalytic pathways and concepts of energy input for converting renewable carbon resources guided by spectroscopic catalyst and process characterization.
• Establishing the technical program of the Catalysis Science and Technology Division as its first program chair and contributing to the growth of the division by mentoring his successors.

He will formally receive the recognition at the upcoming ACS meeting in San Francisco (August 13-17.

The Fellows program began in 2009 as a way to recognize and honor ACS members for outstanding achievements in and contributions to science, the profession, and ACS.

The full list of 2023 Fellows is available here, while additional information about the program, including a list of Fellows named in prior years, is available at www.acs.org/fellows.

This is part two of the student experiences series. Tanner Hickman, fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in chemical and biomolecular engineering shares his experience from the 2023 RBI Spring Workshop on "Innovations in Packaging and Circular Economy."

Tell us about yourself.

I am Tanner Hickman and I completed my bachelor’s degree in chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of South Alabama. Here at Georgia Tech, I am a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in chemical and biomolecular engineering, advised by Carson Meredith and Natalie Stingelin. My research focuses on exploring different ways to control the properties of natural polymers to make them useful for new applications.

How was your experience at the RBI workshop?

The RBI workshop provided incredibly valuable insights. I gained a comprehensive understanding of the persistent challenges within sustainable packaging, as well as the ongoing research endeavors aimed at tackling them. A key lesson I extracted from the workshop underscores the imperative of a circular economy within the packaging sector. However, it's crucial to note that our focus shouldn't solely revolve around product research; we must also direct attention toward addressing social concerns and broader issues.

What was your main takeaway from the poster session?

One of the best parts of RBI workshops is the opportunities to talk with people from different technical backgrounds, and poster sessions are one of the best ways to get the exchange of ideas flowing. I talked with several people from industry, who all had valuable advice on what it takes to bring benchtop research to application on a larger scale. At the same time, discussions with other researchers in academia are vital for brainstorming new projects, forming collaborations, etc.

What more would you like to see in future events at the Renewable Bioproducts Institute?

I would like to see a workshop that incorporates more interactive elements (in addition to the poster session) to engage participants. For instance, roundtable discussions or panel sessions where experts and attendees can openly exchange ideas and insights could enhance the learning experience.

The Strategic Energy Institute (SEI) and the Infrastructure & Sustainability (I&S) unit of the Georgia Institute of Technology signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on using campus as a living lab for deployment of clean energy technologies, reduce the campus carbon footprint, while also developing campus testbeds that can be research assets. 

With the recent passage of major federal energy and climate opportunities (both the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act), one of the focus areas of this MOU is to partner on capturing federal and state resources to achieve Georgia Tech’s Living Campus goals.

The projects undertaken within this plan will provide real-time data and examples of energy systems that benefit academic and research leadership and external partners in the energy marketplace. At the same time, by promoting best in class energy management practices, the projects will enable I&S to move towards achieving the campus energy and water reduction goals and the larger goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. This effort is being led by Joe Hagerman (NEETRAC), Scott Duncan (AE), Jung-Ho Lewe (AE), and Greg Spiro (I&S), who have started mapping federal funding opportunities to campus infrastructure development opportunities, as well as engaging with national labs to promote the Georgia Tech campus as a testbed for other research projects.

"By merging academics and research with campus spaces, we have a unique opportunity to form partnerships and provide real-world educational experiences,” said Maria Cimilluca, vice president of Infrastructure & Sustainability. “Leveraging our buildings and environment as a living campus is an exciting vision as we implement the strategic plans, goals, and initiatives that guide the direction of sustainability and resiliency for the Institute.”

The MOU articulates the long-established working relationship between the two units. Projects include the Georgia Tech microgrid located in Tech Square; campus spaces for air quality research; the student-led piezoelectric sidewalk; an actionable data repository for building sensors, meters, building automation systems; and external data streams that enable integrated analytics, as well as supervisory controls of GT campus buildings.

By enhancing this relationship, SEI will better serve I&S and the campus by providing leadership, oversight, and coordination of energy related stakeholders and will provide and recommend resources as needed.

In the near term, the team will start crafting a strategy to tap into the federal funding opportunities available to decarbonize and electrify our infrastructure and campus. They will identify priorities and strategies to collaborate with federal, state, and non-government partners and turn the Georgia Tech into a living campus — and to lead by example.

“SEI is excited to partner with I&S to lower the overall carbon footprint of our campus and design and utilize our campus facilities as a living learning lab,” said Tim Lieuwen, executive director of the Strategic Energy Institute. “As a part of strategic plan, this is a great opportunity to pilot research projects in our own facilities and work together to pursue facilities-focused federal and state funding opportunities.”

About the Strategic Energy Institute
The Georgia Tech Strategic Energy Institute (SEI) is one of Georgia Tech's ten Interdisciplinary Research Institutes. Founded in 2004, the Institute serves as system integrator for more than 1000 campus researchers working across the entire energy value chain. SEI is deeply engaged in building community, developing resources, and projecting thought leadership, all with the aim of marshalling the full resources of Georgia Tech around tackling the tough energy and environmental problems society faces – from generation, to distribution, to use. Whether it’s commercializing a technology to address a specific challenge or designing a roadmap for focusing resources, the team at SEI understand the systems, technologies, and context of the ever-evolving nature of energy production and use.

About I&S
Infrastructure and Sustainability (I&S) is comprised of more than 600 dedicated professionals throughout 15 departments who provide operational excellence via a framework of services for the Georgia Tech campus. I&S sets the standard for how to deliver an environment that is safe, sustainable, resilient, and innovative through the empowerment of our people and stewardship of our campus resources.

New research shows that an effort to improve wintertime air quality in Fairbanks, Alaska — particularly in frigid conditions around 40 below zero Fahrenheit — may not be as effective as intended. 

Led by a team of University of Alaska Fairbanks and Georgia Tech researchers that includes School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Professor Rodney Weber, the researchers' latest findings are published in Science Advances. 

In the study, the team leveraged state-of-the-art thermodynamic tools used in global air quality models, with an aim to better understand how reducing the amount of primary sulfate in the atmosphere might affect sub-zero air quality conditions.

The project stems from the 2022 Alaskan Layered Pollution and Chemical Analysis project, or ALPACA, an international project funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and European sources. It is part of an international air quality effort called Pollution in the Arctic: Climate Environment and Societies.

Read the full story in the University of Alaska Fairbanks newsroom.

 

The Center for Urban Research at Georgia Tech has only been around for a couple of years. Still, the joint urban policy initiative of Georgia Tech and the City of Atlanta has already started to make a regional impact on issues such as tax policy, public safety, sustainable energy, and transportation solutions.

The Center boasts a network of affiliated urban studies scholars from Georgia State University, the University of Georgia, Kennesaw State University, Emory University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College. Now, with a new co-director on board in Assistant Professor Brian Y. An, the School of Public Policy-housed Center wants to expand its footprint, becoming a national model for encouraging collaboration among researchers and policy practitioners in areas that affect the health of our cities.

“Our goal is for the Center to be at the heart of how urban studies scholarship can inform practice in urban management — housing, education, health, public infrastructure, energy, and sustainability — all the things that cities need to thrive,” said David Edwards, the Center’s founding director.

We asked Edwards and An to sit down for a conversation about the Center’s future. Their comments were edited for length and clarity.

What’s the mission of the Center for Urban Research?

David Edwards: Our goal is to connect urban studies research being done across the entire academic community and apply it to the problems facing our cities. The gap we're trying to fill is the inadequate job the public and nonprofit sectors do in leveraging academic expertise and research, and vice versa, with academics not always prioritizing the application of their work. We're trying to bridge this gap by providing a platform for collaboration in a sustainable way that drives real changes.

The genesis of this project came from conversations with former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and Atlanta developer and civic leader Egbert Perry about closing racial equity gaps. When we discussed this with Georgia Tech, they were very supportive, and the School of Public Policy turned out to be the perfect place to house this work. School Chair Cassidy Sugimoto’s vision for increasing the visibility and impact of the School of Public Policy has been instrumental in making this happen.

Where do you think the Center has the greatest opportunity to make an impact?

Edwards: We’re already making an impact in areas such as tax policy, public safety, energy sustainability, public health, and next-generation transportation solutions. Every time we explore a new area, we find opportunities to use academic work that practitioners in the public and nonprofit sectors aren't aware of or aren't taking advantage of.

Brian Y. An: We see a growing need for data-driven, evidence-based research from public agencies and nonprofits alike. For example, Atlanta Housing wants to understand how their work impacts the community, particularly in areas such as affordable housing and economic development. We’ve also worked with Georgia state house members, a group of county chief appraisers, and the City of South Fulton, which wants to know how our research can inform their policies improving rental housing and neighborhood conditions. It’s through collaborations such as these that we can be at the forefront of providing relevant research and expertise that makes a positive impact on the lives of Georgia residents.

What are some of the challenges you face?

An: The research community is highly fragmented, with experts spread across different universities and departments, often competing for limited resources and status. However, we are building an extensive network that can pull resources from various institutions and the community in a unified direction. We want to make scholarly work more visible and accessible to practitioners and policymakers. That’s where our work can make a difference.

What’s on tap for the coming year?

Edwards: We’re planning to build a full-time staff whose job will be to connect academic work in urban studies with the practitioners in the field. The secret sauce is having a dedicated team that knows how to apply academic research and expertise into practice and sustain it over time. The team will likely be a mix of people who can bridge the academic and practitioner spaces effectively, not necessarily based on credentials but on capabilities.

What is your greatest ambition for the center?

An: As a primary researcher, I want the center to be a valuable and necessary resource for policymakers across Georgia and beyond. 

Edwards: Our ambitions are national. We want to create a model for how cities can address the legacy of racialized policies that have created segregation and social equity gaps in our cities. Atlanta is the right place to solve this problem because of its history, its leadership, and the impressive academic research being done here. We’re excited to showcase this kind of thinking with our upcoming first meeting of the Healthcare Initiatives Task Force, which we are assembling at the direction of the Atlanta Committee for Progress, a group that advises Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. Led by Grady Health System CEO John Haupert, the task force will develop strategies that policymakers can use to improve education, public safety, economic mobility, and health for all. We dream of providing a blueprint that can be used across the country.

David Edwards, co-director of the Center for Urban Research and Senior Policy Advisor for Neighborhoods for Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, is the Center’s founding director. An is co-director of the Center and an assistant professor in the School of Public Policy. His work has been cited by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, WSB-TV, WABE, GPB, and the White House Council of Economic Advisers.

IAC Communications used AI tools to collect, analyze, organize, or generate content contained in this article.

James T. Stroud, Elizabeth Smithgall Watts Early Career Assistant Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech, has been awarded the prestigious Founder's Prize by the British Ecological Society (BES), the largest scientific society for ecologists in Europe.

Commemorating the enthusiasm and vision of the organization’s founders, the Founder's Prize is awarded to an outstanding early career ecologist who is beginning to make a significant contribution to the science of ecology. 

Stroud is being recognized for his groundbreaking research as an integrative evolutionary ecologist, investigating how ecological and evolutionary processes may underlie patterns of biological diversity at the macro-scale.

Earlier this year, Stroud was also named an Early Career Fellow by the Ecological Society of America (ESA). He is the first person to win both seminal early career researcher awards from ESA and BES — the two largest and most influential ecological societies in the world — in the same year. 

“The British Ecological Society could not have selected a more deserving recipient of this prestigious award,” says David Collard, senior associate dean in the College of Sciences and professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “James is a model of faculty excellence in his innovative research, commitment to education, and leadership in the field. We look forward to his continued impact in driving forward the field of ecology.”

Stroud's highly multidisciplinary research combines field studies with macro-ecological and evolutionary comparative analyses, primarily studying lizards. His current interests focus on measuring natural selection in the wild, often leveraging non-native lizards as natural experiments in ecology and evolution.

"I am completely overwhelmed and honored to receive this award,” Stroud says, “and especially from a society very close to my heart. My first ever scientific conference was a BES meeting.”

Stroud will be presented with an honorarium prize during a ceremony at the BES Annual Meeting in Liverpool this December. The meeting brings together over 1,000 ecologists to discuss the latest advances in ecological research. For more than a century, the BES has been championing ecology through its journals, meetings, grants, education, and policy work.

“This award really symbolizes the amazing support and guidance I have received throughout my career from an incredible network of mentors and colleagues,” Stroud adds, “and now, the amazing people I get to work with in my own research group, as well.”

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About the British Ecological Society

The British Ecological Society (BES), founded in 1913, is the oldest ecological society in the world, championing the study of ecology for over a century. With over 7,000 members in more than 120 countries, the BES is the largest scientific society for ecologists in Europe and promotes the study of ecology through its six academic journals, conferences, grants, education initiatives and policy work. 

About Georgia Tech

The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is one of the top public research universities in the U.S., developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts,  and  sciences degrees. Its more than 47,000 undergraduate and graduate students represent 54 U.S. states and territories and more than 143 countries. They study at the main campus in Atlanta, at instructional sites around the world, or through distance and online learning. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society.