Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, Vol. 92, No. 1 2016 by Georgia Tech Alumni Association

TA L K OF T ECH

MAKING WAVES: EINSTEIN WAS RIGHT

A L U M N I

FE AT URE

ALUMNI PUT THEMSELVES ON THE MAP

M A G A Z I N E

FE AT URE

DECODING A WORLD

OF CONFLICT

VOLUME

92 NO.1 SPRING

2016

GLOBAL IMPACT How the efforts of Tech’s alumni, faculty and students are reverberating across our planet

“I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to help other women on this cancer journey.” -Marcia C. Price, wife of John P. “Jack” Price Jr., IM 1958 Marcia Crowley Price is a medical miracle. An accomplished artist, she was diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer in December 2008 and received groundbreaking discoveries and therapy options, becoming one of a small percentage of survivors of this pernicious form of cancer. She met John P. “Jack” Price Jr., IM 1958, during his senior year at a Theta Chi fraternity function. They later married and had four daughters, and Jack Price enjoyed a successful career as the operations executive vice president at Citizens & Southern National Bank and at NationsBank. Devoted to his alma mater, he has given to Roll Call for 58 consecutive years, and has been an A-T member for 30 years. He also served on his milestone 25th and 50th reunion committees. In 2008, Marcia Price was one of 25 who participated in the "Buzz Around Town" competition in celebration of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association’s 100th anniversary. Her entry, “Celebrating the Power of Women’s Contributions at Tech,” received third prize overall. She also worked for many years as a DeKalb County teacher, and led the Art Ventures program through the High Museum, to bring art to Children’s Healthcare of

Atlanta. Since 2009, she has organized and facilitated the North Georgia Women Surviving Cancer Support Group. Today, Marcia and Jack live in Gainesville, Georgia, and enjoy retirement by traveling around the world, participating in church and community activities, and spending time with their four granddaughters and two grandsons. The Prices celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary in 2015. Marcia remains dedicated to fighting ovarian cancer, and she has committed an estate gift to the Georgia Tech Foundation Inc. that will support the ongoing research that is carried out every day at the Ovarian Cancer Institute, a state-of-the-art laboratory at Georgia Tech. As she explained her philanthropic motivation, “I am truly blessed to be an ovarian cancer survivor and to be able to assist in research to detect and treat this deadly disease. My personal faith and my doctors have afforded me this opportunity to help other women on this same cancer journey.” As a result, future generations of Georgia Tech researchers — and cancer patients — will benefit, and countless lives will be touched.

Founders’ Council is the honorary society recognizing donors who have made estate or life-income gifts of $25,000 or more for the support of Georgia Tech. For more information, please contact: 404.894.4678 • founderscouncil@dev.gatech.edu • www.development.gatech.edu

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CONTENTS

features VOLUME 92 NO.1 SPRING 2016

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE

P 38

Take an in-depth look at the opportunites Tech students have abroad, and find out why the Atlanta campus is a top draw internationally.

ON THE MAP

P 52

Yellow Jackets are making their mark globally in engineering, entertainment, health care, humanitarian efforts and much more.

A WORLD OF CONFLICT

P 58

Two of the world’s top military minds—both Georgia Tech alumni— help make sense of the current state of global terrorism and warfare.

∏ NASA Astronaut Tim Kopra, MS AE 95, at the International Space Station 004

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NASA

departments p 18

p 24

AROUND CAMPUS

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p 28

p 30

RAMBLIN’ ROLL

086

012 Talk of Tech Tech researchers help detect gravitational waves, the year’s biggest science announcement so far.

088 Weddings

018 10 Questions Measuring the shock value of violent conflict on humanity.

092 In Memoriam

ON THE FIELD

020

020 The Basketball King of China Former Tech and NBA star Stephon Marbury finds success overseas.

IN THE WORLD

024

024 A Young Lifetime of Adventures By the age of 35, one alumnus traveled to seven continents and 149 countries.

091 Births

TECH HISTORY

104

104 A Yellow Jacket’s Letters Home A glimpse of life at Tech more than 100 years ago. 105 Time Machine

BACK PAGE

106

Kissing at the crosswalk.

028 Dollars & Sense 030 On the Job Porsche driving instructor Brian Cunningham, CS 89, helps bring the Autobahn to Atlanta. 034 Jacket Copy 036 Innovate

ALUMNI HOUSE

074

076 Connecting Alumni Around the World 078 Tips for Tackling Career Fairs The inside scoop on what recruiters look for. 080 Tech Travel

Cover art by Adam Martinakis

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Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine Vol. 92, No. 1

P U B L I S H E R ’S LETTER

PUBLISHER

A World of Learning at Tech

Joseph P. Irwin, IM 80 VP MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Dawn Churi EDITOR Roger Slavens ASSISTANT EDITOR Melissa Fralick

In the previous issue of the Georgia

Tech Alumni Magazine, we looked at the local impact of Tech alumni, faculty and students in Atlanta and throughout the state of Georgia. But we know that the Institute has a tremendous reach and impact across the globe. The world today occupies the same space in the universe that it did a million years ago, but it’s a much smaller place than ever before. Globalization impacts all of our lives each and every day. If you’re an equity investor, you’ve been watching your portfolio decline in value in part because of the slowing of China’s economy. While the decline in oil prices was certainly initiated by the introduction of new horizontal drilling technologies that enabled us to harvest more oil domestically, the continued decline in prices is the result of decisions about production being made by OPEC countries as they try to maintain market share. The list goes on and on. Universities play a vital role in educating the future leaders of a technologically ubiquitous global future, and of course, Georgia Tech is at the forefront of these efforts. Goal No. 4 of Tech’s strategic plan is nothing less than: “Expand our global footprint and influence to ensure that we are graduating good global citizens.” How can we accomplish this? For our students, it’s through exposure, experiential learning and an intellectually diverse community. You’ll note that half of our undergraduate students have at least one experience abroad—either studying or working. Our Georgia Tech-Lorraine campus in Metz, France, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and we have agreements around the globe where opportunities are strategic for both Tech and our partners. Tech’s focus today is to build global partnerships in innovation, education and research that address global interdisciplinary problems. Meanwhile, the Institute continues to attract top international students in a wide range of studies, on both the undergraduate and 006

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DESIGNER Joshua Baker | joshbkr.com COPY EDITOR Rebecca Bowen STUDENT ASSISTANT Lauren Dognazzi EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Benton J. Mathis Jr., IM 81, Chair Robert N. Stargel Jr., EE 83, Past Chair Andrea L. Laliberte, IE 82, MS IE 84, Chair-Elect/Vice Chair of Roll Call

graduate levels, who see Tech as one of the best universities in the world. But it’s not just what Georgia Tech does that makes this a global institution. It’s what our alumni do after graduating from Tech. We have alumni leading multinational companies; international military efforts; large-scale engineering, science and medical initiatives; human improvement organizations and, in at least one case, even leading a country (see page 52). But it’s not all work and no play! A former Yellow Jacket hoops star—Stephon Marbury, Cls 99—has over the past few years established himself as a major brand in China (if not its basketball king, see page 20). And of course, Tech inspires our alumni to be adventurers and world travelers, including Brandon Cox, Mgt 03, who has been to all seven continents and 149 countries by the age of 35 (see page 24). Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal spoke at a Georgia Tech Foundation board meeting a couple of years ago and made a particularly telling comment. Deal said that when he goes abroad to help sell the state of Georgia to international audiences, they usually can name two things immediately about Georgia—Coca-Cola and Georgia Tech. Yes, Tech is a top global brand, too, and a rapidly growing one at that. Go Jackets!

David Bottoms, Mgt 00, Vice Chair of Finance Elizabeth Bulat Turner, IAML 04, Member at Large Paul S. Goggin, Phys 91, Member at Large James L. Mitchell, CE 05, Member at Large Elizabeth H. Wallace, Arch 96, Member at Large Joseph P. Irwin, IM 80, President & CEO BOARD OF TRUSTEES Stanley E. Anderson, IM 75; J. Paul Austin, Mgt 99; Dorothy B. Autin, ChE 80; Jeni S. Bogdan, Mgt 89 MS MoT 96; Julian A. Brown III, Mgt 97; Frank T. Campos, EE 80, MS MoT 97; C. Richard Crutchfield, IM 69; Richard DeAugustinis, IE 92; W. Keith Edwards, ICS 89, MS ICS 91, PhD ICS 96; D. Shawn Fowler, Mgt 88; Jeanene Fowler, IE 84; Rick L. Garcia, CE 73; Jeffrey V. Giglio, EE 77; Timothy A. Heilig, IE 75; Lara O’Connor Hodgson, AE 93; Justin C. Honaman Jr., IE 96; Julie Sumerford Johnson, Mgt 84; MG Ronald L. Johnson, MS OR 85; Garrett S. Langley, EE 09; Judy W. Liaw, ME 98; Mark E. Ligler, ME 76; Wonya Y. Lucas, IE 83; Errika N. Mallett, IE 96; Robert D. Martin, IE 69; Thomas J. O’Brien, IE 81; Whitney S. Owen, IA 03; Shantan R. Pesaru CmpE 05; Vicky S. Polashock, ChE 90, Phd ChE 95; Michael John Rafferty Jr., EE 02; William J. Ready, MatE 94 , MS MetE 97, PhD MSE 00; John L. Reese III, BC 80; Valerie Montgomery Rice, Chem 83; Kary E. Saleeby, NE 77, MS ME 78; Ricardo Salgado, IE 98; Jocelyn M. Stargel, IE 82, MS IE 86; Mayson A. Thornton, Mgt 05 ADVERTISING Holly Green (404) 894-0765 holly.green@alumni.gatech.edu GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI MAGAZINE (ISSN: 1061-9747) is published quarterly by the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, 190 North Ave. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30313. Periodical postage paid in Atlanta and additional mailing offices. © 2015 Georgia Tech Alumni Association POSTMASTER Send address changes to: Georgia Tech Alumni

JOSEPH P. IRWIN, IM 80

Magazine, 190 North Ave. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30313.

PRESIDENT & CEO

TELEPHONE

GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Georgia Tech Alumni Association (404) 894-2391 Josh Meister

“ FEEDBACK

“Thanks again for all you do to share the stories and news of the Georgia Tech alumni community!” Brian Tyson, EE 10 Atlanta

the former student-athletes [Regina Tate-Leslie, ME 02, and Avery Roberson, Mgt 08] who became teachers and coaches at local area high schools. Akshita Angra, BA 15 Atlanta

Sci-Fi Issue Stirs Memories

The science-fiction issue of the Alumni Magazine (Fall 2015, Vol. 91, No. 3) was easily my favorite of all time. I’ll even admit that I read it from cover-to-cover

for the first time ever. Seeing these articles brought back memories of my favorite class at Georgia Tech, the Science Fiction course taught by Professor Foote. Imagining what innovations technology would bring to the world of the future made this class a winner, even without the bonus of a pitcher of beer that accompanied our Wednesday afternoon meetings a few yards off campus. Joe DiNunno IE, 80 Peachtree Corners, Ga.

Stunning Portrait of Atlanta Making a Local Impact

Kudos to you and the team for the latest Alumni Magazine (Winter 2015, Vol. 91 No. 4) about Tech’s impact on Atlanta and Georgia. It has been a page-turner for myself and many of the alums that I talk to. An extremely well-done issue, on every level! Thanks again for all you do to share the stories and news of the Tech alumni community. Brian Tyson, EE 10 Atlanta

T hanks for the ar ticle and photo featuring Patrise and me [“Government Movers & Shakers”] in the last issue. We do not seek the publicity by any means, but we appreciate that others have taken notice of our lifelong efforts to contribute to the Atlanta community. Doug Hooker, ME 78, MS TSP 85 Atlanta

Beautiful photo! I love Georgia Tech! My son is there and loves it. He just got a great internship for the summer thanks to all he has learned at Tech! Beth Clemmons Guthrie

I am a recent graduate, Dec. 2015, and I just received my first ever Alumni Magazine issue as an alumni! I was really happy to go through the content and see all the great stories. My favorite story this issue was about 008

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Bowling Green, Ky.

Ed. – We thought that Atlanta-based photographer Richard Cawood did an excellent job, too, especially considering how tricky it is to capture a bustling metropolis flying a drone high above the city.

Want to get in touch? Send letters to: Editor, Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, 190 North Ave. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30313, or editor@alumni.gatech.edu. Comment at gtalumnimag.com or at facebook.com/georgiatechalumni. View our letters to the editor policy at gtalumnimag.com/letters-policy. Richard Cawood

Around

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Making Waves

What happens when two black holes collide? Well, at least in one instance approximately 1.3 billion years ago, the collision creates gravitational wavesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;first predicted by physicist Albert Einstein and first detected last year by a global collaboration of scientists, including 12 Georgia Tech researchers. This visualization of a simulation of the collision was created by Tech students Karan Jani, Matthew Kinsey and Michael Clark.

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A glimpse at the biggest—and, sometimes, the strangest—news from campus.

TALK of TECH

Ripples in the Fabric of Space-time

Jason Maderer

Georgia Tech researchers played a key role in the landmark discovery of gravitational waves—100 years after Einstein’s prediction.

∏ Part of the Tech LIGO team that helped make the first observation of gravitational waves For the first time, a global consortium

of scientists—including a dozen Georgia Tech faculty members, postdoctoral researchers and students—have observed ripples in the fabric of space-time called gravitational waves. Arriving at Earth from a cataclysmic event in the distant universe, the detection of these waves confirms a major prediction of Albert Einstein’s 1915 general theory of relativity !

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and opens an unprecedented new window onto the cosmos. Gravitational waves carry information about their dramatic cosmic origins and about the nature of gravity that cannot be obtained any other way. Physicists have concluded that the detected gravitational waves were produced during the final fraction of a second of the merger of two black holes to produce a single, more

massive, spinning black hole. Such a collision of two black holes had been predicted but never observed. The gravitational waves were detected on Sept. 14, 2015, at 5:51 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time by both of the twin Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors, located in Livingston, La, and Hanford, Wash. These LIGO Observatories are funded by the National Science Foundation and were conceived, built and operated by Caltech and MIT. A team of 12 Georgia Tech faculty members, postdoctoral researchers and students play a crucial role in the LIGO Scientific Collaboration. The team is led by Associate Professor Laura Cadonati, who coordinates and guides the activities of hundreds of scientists around the world working together to analyze the data coming out of the LIGO detectors. “This is a groundbreaking discovery that will open a new field of gravitational wave astronomy where gravitational waves will be a new probe to explore the mysteries of the universe,” says Cadonati, who has been a member of LIGO for 14 years and chairs the LIGO Data Analysis Council. Based on the observed signals, LIGO scientists estimate that the black holes for this event were about 29 and 36 times the mass of the sun, and their collision took place 1.3 billion years ago. About three times the mass of the sun was converted into gravitational waves in a fraction of a second—with a peak power output about

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number of degrees awarded 2,800 Total during Fall 2015 Commencement GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 20 16

to be distributed by the Georgia Tech Student Foundation $19,000 Amount this semester to fund student and campus initiatives

“When we saw the initial signal, we knew something that strong could only be from colliding black holes,” Shoemaker says. 50 times that of the whole visible universe. The Georgia Tech researchers conducted various analyses over the span of six months toward the confirmation of the first gravitational wave detection. They examined the large amount of data collected by the two detectors and performed investigations to ensure that the observed signal wasn’t due to false noise from the instrument or environment. Once the signal was extracted from the LIGO data, the Georgia Tech team was able to compare it with hundreds of simulations of binary black hole mergers. This helped confirm that the signal indeed originated from two black holes of nearly equal mass that were spinning

on their respective axes as they orbited and collided, forming a much larger black hole. These binary black hole simulations were produced by the Georgia Tech numerical relativity team, under the leadership of Deirdre Shoemaker, associate professor and director of Tech’s Center for Relativistic Astrophysics. They solved Einstein’s field equations to model sources of gravitational waves using high-performance computing facilities. “When we saw the initial signal, we knew something that strong could only be from colliding black holes,” says Shoemaker. “My group and I immediately

went to our bank of theoretical predictions and searched for one that looked similar. After many years of computer modeling, we were finally able to compare our expectations with something that nature actually produced.” According to general relativity, a pair of black holes orbiting around each other lose energy through the emission of gravitational waves, causing them to gradually approach each other over billions of years, and then much more quickly in the final minutes. During the final fraction of a second, the two black holes collide into each other at nearly onehalf the speed of light and form a single, more massive black hole, converting a portion of the combined black holes’ mass to energy, according to Einstein’s formula E=mc2. This energy is emitted as a final strong burst of gravitational waves. In the coming months, as LIGO continues its observing schedule, data will be streamed directly to the PACE computing cluster at Georgia Tech. The team will continue to exploit this new window of the universe with the construction of additional computing facilities and deployment of the LIGO analyses on the Open Science Grid.

OF COURSE: CURRENCY EXCHANGE Econ 2101: The Global Economy

Instructor: Dr. Parks Dodd, IM 65, associate professor of economics

slowdown in China affect the economy of the U.S. and the rest of the world?”

Objective: “To provide a broad introduction to the principles of economics from a global perspective, from the basic tools used in all economic analysis through the many ways national economies interact with each other through trade and international finance.”

Course Topics: After successfully completing the course a student should be able to: understand how markets function in a global economy; understand the decision making processes of consumers, firms, governments and international organizations in a global context; and effectively identify, analyze and evaluate problems and challenges faced by different stakeholders in the global economy using appropriate economics tools and methods, and draw policy inferences.

Prerequisites: None. Knowledge of algebra is required, basic calculus is useful. Problem Question: “How might the economic

of student teams that competed in the Fall 2015 Capstone 113 Number Design Expo, which shows oﬀ their ability to deliver real-world solutions

ranking among all public universities in the U.S., as well as No. No. 7 Tech’s 1 in the state of Georgia, according to Niche 2016 college rankings GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLU M E 92 NO.1 2016

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TALK of TECH

A glimpse at the biggest—and, sometimes, the strangest— news from campus.

Capital Campaign Wraps Up in Historic Fashion The most successful fundraising cam-

paign in Georgia Tech’s history concluded on Dec. 31. When the books were closed, more than $1.8 billion had been raised. “We are humbled by the knowledge of the impact of Campaign Georgia Te c h a n d w h a t i t w i l l d o f o r t h e Institute, and most importantly for the students and faculty,” says Campaign Co-Chair John F. Brock III, ChE 70, MS ChE 71. “It is an extraordinary success by any measure.” And there are many ways to measure it. Not only did the campaign exceed its $1.5 billion goal by $300 million, but it also succeeded in meeting—and surpassing—every major goal across the board. Support came from many corners: from surviving spouses, parents and friends, to foundations and corporations. But, by far, most of the 91,147 donors were alumni, who accounted for a whopping $726.5 million raised. STACY BRAUKMAN

∏ Campaign Co-Chairs John F. Brock, III, ChE 70, MS ChE 71, and his wife, Mary Rockett Brock, Hon 13

DELTA LANDS RESEARCH CENTER AT TECH SQUARE One of the world’s leading airline companies is developing a collaborative research

center in the heart of Tech Square. Delta Air Lines will invest $2 million to build the facility, in which it plans to enhance operations and improve customer experience by tapping into the knowledge at Georgia Tech. “Delta Air Lines and Georgia Tech have a rich heritage of working together

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in everything from research to hiring our co-ops and graduates,” says Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson. “We are delighted that Delta’s collaborative research center will provide even greater opportunities for Georgia Tech students, faculty and staff to work with this outstanding global airline.” The innovation center at Georgia Tech will also be a first for any college in the

United States, and will be completed by 2016 in the Centergy Building at Tech Square. The building is already home to other industry innovation centers for The Home Depot, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Panasonic and AT&T. KRISTEN BAILEY

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to be given to each entrepreneurial team selected $20,000 Amount for the 12-week Summer Startup program

MUSIC TECHNOLOGY ADDS BACHELOR’S DEGREE

TECH GEARS UP IN WAR AGAINST CANCER A $15.7 million grant from the Atlanta-based Marcus Foundation has helped launch a new Georgia Tech research center that will develop processes and techniques for ensuring the consistent, lowcost, large-scale manufacture of high-quality living cells used in cell-based therapies. The therapies will be help treat a variety of disorders such as cancer, lung fibrosis, autism, neuro-degenerative diseases, autoimmune disorders and spinal-cord injury—as well as in regenerative medicine. The work of the new Marcus Center for Therapeutic Cell Characterization and Manufacturing (MC3M) will help provide standardized production and quality testing for these living cells, which have great therapeutic potential. Standardized manufacturing techniques already

exist for drug-based pharmaceuticals; the new center will help provide similar methods and standards for manufacturing therapeutic cells. Expected to be the first of its kind in the United States, the center will include a validation facility for good manufacturing practices in cell production. In addition to The Marcus Foundation, funding will come from the Georgia Research Alliance and Georgia Tech sources for a total investment of $23 million. The center will also seek support from federal agencies, clinical research organizations and other sources. JOHN TOON

The University System of Georgia Board of Regents approved the establishment

of Tech’s new bachelor of science in music technology degree last month. The degree program is the first of its kind at a University System of Georgia school and will be housed in the School of Music within the College of Architecture. In contrast to a performance or fine art degree, the program’s objective is to educate and train the next generation of designers, developers, leaders and entrepreneurs in music technology. The curriculum combines professional training in music with interdisciplinary studies in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science or industrial design. The addition of this degree also makes Tech one of only a few institutions in the nation offering a music technology degree at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral level. KRISTEN BAILEY

CAMPUS RECOGNIZED FOR ITS BEE-FRIENDLY PRACTICES This winter, Georgia Tech became the second university in the nation to be certified as an affiliate of Bee Campus USA, a program designed to marshal the strengths of educational campuses for the benefit of pollinators. College students, faculty, administrators and staff have long been among the nation’s most dedicated champions for sustainable environmental practices. “We are very proud to be the second certified Bee Campus USA in the nation,” says Jennifer Leavey, director of the Georgia Tech Urban Honey Bee Project. “This designation greatly complements the efforts of the students, faculty and staff currently working on environmental and sustainability issues.” Thoughtful stewardship of honey

of applicants accepted for Early Admission 96% Percent who have taken AP Calculus

bees, wild bees and other pollinators is vital to the economy— not only do they contribute to the ho ney industry, but also they are an essential catalyst for every one-in-three bites of food consumed. In addition to its outreach programs, Georgia Tech plans to develop a Campus Pollinator Habitat Plan for its 400-acre landscape to include a locally native and pollinator-friendly plant list. The Institute will also implement a least toxic integrated pest management plan to be shared as a tool for the community at large. RACHAEL POCKLINGTON

Tech’s ranking as a producer of doctoral engineering degrees in No. 1 Georgia the nation, followed by MIT and Purdue GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLU M E 92 NO.1 2016

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A glimpse at the biggest—and, sometimes, the strangest—news from campus.

TALK of TECH

NUMBER OF EARLY ACTION APPLICANTS HITS RECORD HIGH

HUMANITARIAN ACTIVIST RECEIVES IVAN ALLEN JR. PRIZE FOR SOCIAL COURAGE

Getting into Georgia Tech continues

to get tougher. At the early January deadline, 4,424 students—just 30 percent of those who applied—were accepted to Tech’s 2016 freshman class. Undergraduate Admission saw a 27 percent increase in applications, for a record total of 14,861. The admitted group is 48 percent female, higher than last year’s record of 41 percent. The average ACT score of those admitted is 33 (out of 36). For SAT, the average score of those admitted is 1453 (out of 1600). The admitted students have taken an average of more than 10 college-level courses, a n d 9 6 p e r c e n t h av e t a k e n a n Advanced Placement calculus course. But Tech’s holistic review process looks at more than just test scores and

academic performance. “Just about every applicant can do the work to make it here,” says Rick Clark, Georgia Tech’s director of undergraduate admission. “But we also have to look at what their impact as a student is going to be, and how they’re living out our campus ideals of progress and service.” KRISTEN BAILEY

AJEET ROHATGI NAMED AN NAI FELLOW Georgia Tech Regents’ Professor Ajeet Rohatgi has been named as a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). He is part of the 2015 Class of NAI Fellows, consisting of 168 leaders of invention and innovation, to be inducted on April 15 during the fifth annual conference of the National Academy of Inventors at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Rohatgi has been a faculty member of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering since 1985. He has led the University Center of Excellence for Photovoltaics Research and Education since 1992, where he conducts industryrelevant research to make solar energy cost-effective by developing low-cost,

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high-efficiency silicon cells. The center was the first of its kind in the country and was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Rohatgi is also the founder and chief technology officer of Atlanta-based Suniva, the first silicon solar cell manufacturing company in the Southeast. Established in 2007, Suniva produces the highest efficiency, best-in-class silicon solar cells in the nation, using the low-cost technologies developed in Rohatgi’s lab at Georgia Tech. JACKIE NEMETH

A humanitarian activist who advocates for a military culture free of sexual assault and violence has been named the recipient of the 2016 Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage, Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson announced in January. Nancy Parrish helped launch a national movement to reform how the U.S. military prosecutes sexual violence. Protect Our Defenders works to transform the culture of harassment and rape within the military through legal reform, advocacy, education and free legal and case assistance for victims. Parrish also co-founded the Human Rights Watch’s Northern California Chapter, which sought to prevent the use of child soldiers as part of its mission to protect human rights around the world. She worked with President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter in support of their humanitarian work at the Carter Center. She also served as an officer of the Children’s Guardian Fund Board of Sarasota, which helps foster children. Parrish was honored during a symposium on Feb. 18. The prize comes with a $100,000 stipend. The Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation endowed the award in perpetuity. Parrish plans to donate the money to Protect Our Defenders. Prior recipients include William Foege, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, Beatrice Mtetwa and former senator Sam Nunn. LAURA DIAMOND

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donated by Tech employees to the $351,604 Amount Georgia State Charitable Contributions Program GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 20 16

of Tech’s computer science and engineering No. 1 Ranking program in the U.S. by Business Insider

As a graduate of Georgia Tech you could save on auto and renters insurance. 1

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Discounts and savings are available where state laws and regulations allow, and may vary by state. To the extent permitted by law, applicants are individually underwritten; not all applicants may qualify. With our optional Home Computer Endorsement, we will cover up to $10,000 for your computers and smartphones, subject to a $50 deductible. For qualifying customers only. Accident forgiveness is subject to terms and conditions of Liberty Mutual’s underwriting guidelines. Not available in CA and may vary by state. 4 Average annual savings based on countrywide survey of new customers from 01/27/2014 to 01/16/2015 who reported their prior insurers’ premiums when they switched to Liberty Mutual’s group auto and home program. Savings do not apply in MA. 5 The figure was based on the average premium for renters policies written between 5/14/14 - 4/30/15. 1

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10 QUESTIONS

A chat with someone who makes Tech tick.

Shock Value

Osayi Endolyn

Tech faculty member Olga Shemyakina studies the microeconomic impact that violent conflict and upheaval have upon humanity. In the aftermath of a violent conflict or

natural disaster, economists like Olga Shemyakina are very interested in the data that become available—data that can help them understand the human impact. In her research, she asks: Who stopped their education because of such a shock? Who suffered health consequences? Who migrated? And what do such impacts mean for a country or region’s recovery? Shemyakina, an associate professor of economics at Tech, studies human capital accumulation, where close examinations of political instability and armed conflict can reveal crucial changes on an individual level. Moving beyond country-level statistics, her research is often a deep dive into the specifics of a region or locality. Shemyakina’s findings, combined with broader studies on development and labor economics, can help illustrate the impacts of war and other disasters on communities, which will ideally lead to better policy implementation in the future. As part of her work, she also has consulted on conflict, education and labor markets for the World Bank. How did you first become interested in the effects of conflict on individuals?

I grew up in the former Soviet Union, now the Republic of Kazakhstan in Central Asia. At the time of our independence, I realized that things were changing—suddenly our country had a different currency from the rest of the former Soviet Union. There was also an instability in other former Soviet republics. As a young person you don’t !

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exactly understand what’s happening, but you see that systems are changing. Your research encompasses understanding how people respond to shocks. What does that mean?

A shock could be a death of a parent or a sibling; loss of assets due to weather events, like a hurricane, tsunami, drought or flood; or civil war. In my area of research, we analyze large datasets and multiple studies to understand the impact of these shocks. What happens to an individual after that? Does a child whose parent died get more or less education compared to a child from a family that did not experience such a loss? Given how broad this topic can get, what do you try to understand first?

I normally begin my research by learning about a country I am interested in. I read on the nature of the conflict, get some basic data, think about various groups of people and the ways in which their lives have been influenced by the war. I also read the relevant literature, and identify what’s missing that would be useful to know. In the process, I learn about data sources, variables to measure conflict, its impact, and individuals’ behavioral responses to the conflict. At this point, I also spend a lot of time thinking about how to identify these effects in a causal way. Finally, I run my models, interpret my findings and discuss what this all means for future policy and knowledge in the area of conflict and economic development. When I was earning my PhD, I learned

about a large dataset for Tajikistan on households and individuals that included data on education. The country had a civil war. I wanted to see if children were still going to school or not. Back then, most studies compared country level enrollments over time, to see if they were lower or higher after the conflict. I was more interested in how individual people changed their behavior in response to fighting, bombing and migration—what happened to their education? You found that there is a definite connection between a shock, a person’s education or health and how that person will fare over time.

Yes. Education and health are human capital that you accumulate over a lifetime. Usually, the bulk of this accumulation happens when a person is very young. Unexpected changes to one’s environment—a shock—during early childhood may affect their education and health. Poor nutrition and exposure to disease in early childhood has been shown to affect one’s health later in life (depression, obesity) and their earnings. Is there a difference between the impact of a natural disaster versus that of a war or violent conflict?

They are different. When you have a natural disaster, the government typically engages to help the affected. People work together. If you have a war, there are so many fighting sides that emerge, people lose trust in each other. Once the war ends, it’s hard to regain trust.

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granted by the Gary C. Butler Family Foundation to $1 million Amount establish an endowed faculty chair in the school of ISyE GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 20 16

of faculty members named American Association 6 Number for the Advancement of Science Fellows for 2015

Does that lack of trust impact trade?

War makes trade more difficult. When you have armed elements on the road, it’s hard to bring your produce to market. One side may seek retribution. In Tajikistan’s civil war, a truce was signed with the opposition. However, right afterwards, people on the losing side had to hide. If young males from that group traveled to the market, they could be beaten or taken away. The postwar instability can last for a long time. You look at data throughout Africa, Asia and Europe—are there similarities in the ways communities respond to instability in terms of health?

The impacts on child health are similar in response to conflict, which suggests that biology may play a role. In war-affected areas, we find that children under the age of 5 tend to be stunted, shorter than they should be for their age, likely due to lack of nutrients or disease in early childhood. Josh Meister

How about with the impacts of instability on labor—are there differences by culture or geography?

Sometimes it depends on the culture of a place. One study compared female labor force participation for six war-affected countries. Only in one of these countries, women did not increase their labor force participation during the conflict. In the remaining five, many women joined workforce during the war. Many women may return home after the war ends for various reasons. It could be that men coming back from war need jobs. Do your findings impact policy?

We are building up knowledge using the experiences of different countries. I would say the biggest challenge is now that we know that conflict has a strong, negative impact on education and health, how do we implement changes that cushion the impact of the shocks?

Research shows that countries with strong health and educational systems are more resilient, and we should focus on building these systems. Also research shows that children whose parents have more education are typically better off. In particular, education of mothers has a big, positive impact on children’s wellbeing. What do you hope the contributions of your research will be?

I hope that my research will help countries develop better policies to recognize and address shortfalls in education and health, and gender imbalances created by armed conflict. Additionally, I teach a class titled “Conflict and Security in Developing Countries,” in which we discuss many studies on armed conflict with both economics and non-economics students at Georgia Tech. I hope this informs and influences these students in their future careers. GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLU M E 92 NO.1 2016

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The latest buzz from Tech’s teams and alumni.

The Basketball King of China Roger Slavens

Former NBA and Tech star Stephon Marbury has thrived playing overseas. Not many pro basketball players have ever had a statue made of them—especially while they were still playing. Even fewer can claim they’ve had a museum opened to celebrate their careers. Or a postage stamp made to bear their likeness. And we only know of one who has had a musical staged in his honor, and he happens to be a former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket. Indeed, Stephon Marbury, Cls 99, has made the most of his second pro basketball career in China, where tens of millions of hoops fans have gone gaga over his skills and charisma. Not only has the sharpshooting point guard been a perennial allstar since he signed with the Shanxi Zhongyu Brave Dragons in 2010, but Marbury also has helped lead his current team— the Beijing Ducks—to three Chinese league titles in the past four years. “I honestly feel it was part of my destiny to come to play and live here in China,” Marbury says. “It’s helped me to become the best basketball player and person I could be.” Marbury took the opportunity to play in China following a rough last few years in the NBA, which included the untimely death of his father, Don, and a sour stint with the then-highly dysfunctional New York Knicks. He’s not the first Americanborn NBA player who moved to China to extend his career. “I decided to take a break from the NBA and evaluate what was most important to me,” Marbury says. He realized that what he really wanted wasn’t fame and fortune, but rather respect, peace, harmony and togetherness. “Coming from a family of seven kids, these are the things that I have always valued.” He says he found those things during his one-year stay at Georgia Tech. “That team was a winner because we had great team chemistry and harmony,” Marbury says. “We had the right pieces.” During the 1995-96 season, Marbury averaged 18.9 points per game for the Yellow Jackets, leading the team—along with future NBA players Matt Harpring and Drew Berry— to the NCAA tournament semifinals. Marbury was named a

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“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been able to recognize the number of blessings I’ve had. China is now my home. . . The people here have made me a part of their family,” Marbury says. Third-Team All-American by the Associated Press that year, and with his stock very high, declared for the 1996 NBA draft where he was selected fourth overall. During his NBA career, he played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, New Jersey Nets, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics, earning two NBA all-star nods along the way. Unfortunately, Marbury says, his NBA teams couldn’t put together the right chemistry or winning culture. “It never happened that way for me in the NBA,” he says. “But here in China, I have more than proved to myself and to my fans that I’m a winner.”

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of new Yellow Jacket football commits who signed 18 Number on National Signing Day

∏Stephon Marbury poses in front of a display at a new museum, called The House of Marbury, built in Beijing, China, to celebrate his basketball career. Chinese fans rabidly love winners, and Marbury has more than met their expectations. “There are so many people living in the country [more than 1.3 billion], and many of them are huge basketball fans,” he says. “They are extremely knowledgeable about the game. In fact, when I came into the league, they knew way more about me than I knew about them. ” They’ve rewarded the 39-year-old Marbury with a cult-like following throughout the country, and especially in Beijing, where a statue in honor of his first league championship was erected in 2012 and where his museum, The House of Marbury, was opened this past December. “I’m amazed at how the fans always treat me with kindness and love,” he says. Marbury says the biggest difference between playing in the NBA and the Chinese Basketball Association hasn’t been the game itself, but rather the differences in culture. “The game is of Yellow Jacket football alumni who played in 4 Number Super Bowl 50.

the same, though the NBA still represents the highest level of basketball and skill in the world,” Marbury says. “Overcoming the language barrier with my coaches and teammates and fans has been far more of a challenge.” That hasn’t stopped Marbury from making China his home. Last year, he received his green card to live permanently in the country, and he says he spends more time there than in his home back in the United States. Friends and family every so often ask him if he would ever consider going back to the U.S. to play in the NBA again. “Why would I leave a place where I’ve had nothing but blessings?” he replies. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been able to recognize the number of blessings I’ve had. China is my home. I’m not just visiting. The amazing people here have made me a part of their family.” of female student-athletes who are pursuing 30% Percentage engineering degrees at Tech GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLU M E 92 NO.1 2016

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On the

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The latest buzz from Tech’s teams and alumni.

2016 Football Schedule Released Home games against Miami, Clemson and Vanderbilt—along with an opening weekend date in Ireland against Boston College—highlight Georgia Tech’s 2016 football schedule. In total, the Yellow Jackets will host seven games at Bobby Dodd Stadium for the fifth time in six years. Tech’s home schedule kicks off Sept. 10 versus Mercer and also includes Georgia Southern, Duke and Virginia. Tech’s season starts in a faceoff against Boston College in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic on Saturday, Sept. 3, at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. It will mark the ninth college football game to be held in Ireland and the first time the Yellow Jackets have ever played internationally. Tickets for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic are available to the general public and can be purchased through ticketmaster.com. The game will kick off at 7:30 a.m. ET and air live on ESPN2.

2016 Georgia Tech Football Schedule (home games in bold) Sept. 3 vs. Boston College in Dublin, Ireland Sept. 10 vs. Mercer Sept. 17 vs. Vanderbilt Thurs., Sept. 22 vs. Clemson Oct. 1 vs. Miami Oct. 8 at Pittsburgh Oct. 15 vs. Georgia Southern Oct. 22 Open Week Oct. 29 vs. Duke Nov. 5 at North Carolina Nov. 12 at Virginia Tech Nov. 19 vs. Virginia Nov. 26 at Georgia In addition, the Yellow Jackets’ annual Spring Game is set for Saturday, April 23, at noon at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Season tickets for the 2016 season are now on sale for as low as $35 per game. For more information, visit TogetherWeSwarm.com or call 1-888-TECH-TIX.

Tech Hosts NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships in March For the second time in program history, Georgia Tech and the McAuley Aquatic Center will serve as the host site for the 2016 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships. The Women’s Championships will be held March 16-19, followed by the Men’s

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VOLLEYBALLER VAN GUNST NAMED TO ALL-ACC ACADEMIC TEAM

Championships March 23-26. Georgia Tech previously hosted the 2006 NCAA Championships, and the Campus Recreation Center was also the site of the 1996 Summer Olympics swimming and diving competitions.

Georgia Tech junior outside hitter Teegan Van Gunst was named to the 2015 All-ACC Academic volleyball team for the second time in her career. A native of Fayetteville, Ga., Van Gunst maintains a 3.97 GPA in mechanical engineering. This season, Van Gunst became the first Yellow Jacket to earn All-ACC first-team, AVCA All-Region and AVCA All-American honorable mention honors since Monique Mead in 2012. Van Gunst led the league in kills (471) and kills per set (3.92) at the end of the regular season. Her 471 kills are the most by a Yellow Jacket since Mead put down 459 in 2012. Van Gunst started all 120 sets this season and scored 20 double-doubles. She tallied 25 matches with 10-plus kills, and 23 matches with 10-plus digs.

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of student-athletes who traveled to the Dominican 18 Number Republic for a weeklong service trip in December. GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 20 16

of international student-athletes enrolled for the 201535 Number 16 academic year, an all time high

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Ramblin’ Wrecks generating buzz beyond the Atlanta campus.

A (Young) Lifetime of Adventures

Brandon Cox, Mgt 03

My quest to understand the human experience has fueled my travels to all seven continents and 149 countries before I turned 35 years old.

1 Beautiful Lake Tanganyika stretched before

me never-ending as a fog ensconced the Congo to my east, and on my left a city flickered in flashes of a muddled death. My feet dug deeper into the lakeside orange sands, and I clenched my drink harder as each explosion flashed in the distance. On the edge of town, deafening blasts rocked a country exasperatedly fighting for a life of normalcy. I pondered what had led me here, to this place. I thought of my peaceful childhood home and life growing up in the suburbs of Atlanta. It seemed a world apart from Africa. My global travels began when I was a student at Georgia Tech. I journeyed overseas for the very first time to visit a friend of mine studying in Glasgow, Scotland. A new passion ignited inside me, and I embarked on two study-abroad experiences before graduating. It seems like yesterday that I was 20 years old and packing for my first international trip. Fifteen years later, I have been to 149 countries and all seven continents, yet I feel the same excitement 024

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each time I visit somewhere new. In those early years, my travels were driven by my studies in conflict resolution. On my very first solo trip to Japan and South Korea, I met a young woman who told me a fascinating story about her family—half of whom lived in North Korea, half in South Korea. It’s these types of personal connections that would inspire me to visit North Korea, and later go into Zimbabwe during their stolen elections in 2008. One memorable scholarly expedition was an overland trek through Africa, from South Africa to Jordan and back. It was then that I discovered what truly gives people the means of surviving in conflict zones. My eight-month journey took me through two different Zimbabwian elections, 11 countries with active State Department travel warnings against all “non-essential travel” and four countries embroiled in outright war. Despite food shortages, no access to clean water, unimaginable violence and governmental corruption, life went on for people living in

1. Machu Picchu, Peru I woke up at 3 a.m. and hiked up the mountain in the pitch black from the town of Aguas Caliente to secure one of the limited entrance passes to Huayna Picchu. The views were definitely rewarding, and I spent at least 13 hours exploring (and relaxing with llamas!) at this World Heritage Site. 2. Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina One night I befriended several members of the Mostar Diving Club. The next day I saw them jumping from the Stari Most Bridge 86 feet down into the freezing cold river below. The bridge joins the Muslim and Christian sides of Mostar, and remnants of the Bosnian conflict can be seen in the many bombed out, bullet-hole -ridden buildings throughout the town. The first recorded instance of someone diving from the bridge is from 1664. In Bosnian culture, the transition into manhood is defined by a jump from this bridge. I just had to join them in this tradition! (Yes, that’s me taking the plunge!)

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these places. My determination to understand the coalescence of peace, trade and war in conflict zones is what had brought me to Lake Tanganyika on the border of Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. I left one civil war for another, venturing further into lovely but lawless lands. And, in doing so, I learned that nowhere in this world is inaccessible. I also learned that trade continues despite war, and somehow, miraculously, regional economies keep people alive. My travels have taken me to some very dark corners of the world, but those corners always surprised me with their magnificent natural beauty—and the beauty of the people who lived there. Some simple moments will always stay with me, such as sharing a beer with government officials in North Korea and discussing the joys of our completely different worlds. Also, I will never forget hanging out with young men on the beach in Somalia talking about the funny differences in our marriage traditions. They were quite shocked that that I didn’t have a desire for multiple wives. In Iraq, a hotel owner gave me a free place to stay in a town with no available rooms, but we ended up chatting all night about the scourge of organized crime that affected his small business and community. The next day I met some local men who took me on a proud tour of their hometown of Erbil. A few months later while crossing from Albania into Macedonia, the men giving me a ride described all the intricacies of the corruption so prevalent in their countries. They knew best, after all, because they happened to

3. Antarctica Antarctica, my seventh continent reached, suprised me with its completely otherworldly beauty and rich wildlife—especially the penguins. I swam in the freezing Antarctic Ocean surrounded by an active volcano, helped rescue passengers of a ship stranded after striking an iceburg, sledded down snow-covered mountains, watched whales dance as I ate breakfast, visited scientific research stations, and even had a barbecue one particularly “warm” day. It’s the adventurer’s destination of a lifetime! 4. Paris, France I proposed to my girlfriend, Emily, on Easter last year and we got married in August. Emily believed we were constructing a panoramic video at various Parisian monuments. For eight hours she happily joined in as we shuttled from the Arc de Triomphe to the Sacre-Coeur and to Notre Dame. She was lost in the journey, unknowingly immersed in her own surprise proposal when I finally asked her to marry me in front of the Eiffel Tower. 5a and 5b. DMZ and Pyongyang, North Korea Our planet’s most isolated country

truly exists in a world of its own. I was lucky enough to be in the first group of Americans to visit North Korea since Madeleine Albright’s 2000 visit. The country maintains a tight choreography for its visitors. I’ll never forget the priceless looks we received from the U.S. soldiers stationed in the South when we waved at them from the North. North Korea’s Mass Games are held in May Day Stadium, which seats over 200,000, in the capital of Pyongyang. Some 100,000 children perform in choreographed gymnastics, called Arirang, while another 20,000 kids held up cards in the background to create intricate and detailed background murals. The children practice for more than a year for this performance. 6. Montezuma, Costa Rica Beachside Montezuma is a traveler’s dream far off the beaten path, accessed down a mountain, by a narrow road which has a tendency to wash away in heavy rains. A 20-minute hike south from the beach takes you to a waterfall with a beautiful swimming hole. My guidebook warned, “Do not jump off the falls; a number of travelers have been killed attempting this.” To my delight, the locals insisted otherwise, and I braved the jump.

control a modest criminal empire themselves. There were absolutely terrifying moments as well. I barely escaped an attempted kidnapping crossing from Honduras into Guatemala one night. In Bahrain, driving around following the Arab Spring uprisings, I turned onto a street and was indiscriminately fired upon by rioters with AK-47s. They even threw a Molotov cocktail at me, or maybe it was at the police behind me who were firing tear gas over my car. I never stopped to ask. To be sure, I’ve had a great deal of fun, too. I have snowboarded on four different continents, sledded in Antarctica, jumped off numerous waterfalls, scuba-dived off countless coasts and gone on safaris in Africa. Today I work as a senior analyst for Delta Air Lines in Paris, based at the Air France KLM Headquarters, and I take advantage of the travel perks of working for an airline whose reach extends across the globe. Perhaps the most important trip I took was in 2011, when I went on a spontaneous weekend jaunt from Hong Kong to Taiwan. That night, I was invited to a party where I met a beautiful American girl. My weekend trip turned into 10 days exploring the country with her. I proposed to her on Easter in the City of Love, Paris, with the Eiffel Tower looming over us. And last August, we got married. My travels continue, but at a different pace. This year, I am excited to journey to my 150th country and now I have someone to share the world with. That is the best adventure of all.

7. Sydney, Australia Another continent conquered! This breathtaking view of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge is nothing less than iconic. 8. Kaieteur Waterfalls, Guyana First you must charter a plane deep into the jungle of Guyana to visit Kaieteur Waterfall, the world’s largest single-drop waterfall at 741 feet high. The plane journey was incredibly beautiful, though when it was time to leave the falls, I sat in the cockpit and saw up close how we barely made it off the end of the runway, which ended at the cliff’s edge. 9. Kibumba Internally Displaced Persons Camp, Northern Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo I volunteered briefly at this IDP camp in North Kivu, and stayed in the town of Goma for over a week. Each day we bought medical supplies for people desperately in need of help. Four months later, on Oct. 26, 2008, I received a call from a friend of mine in the DRC. This Kibumba IDP camp was brutally attacked and burnt to the ground, including the hospital where I worked. Tens of thousands of people were murdered, and 200,000 people fled for their lives, forming a human

river through the dense jungle toward Goma some 15 miles away. 10. Victoria Falls Bridge, Zimbabwe It took me two weeks to cross through Zimbabwe from Mozambique. To demonstrate just how unstable the economy was: At the beginning of my trek, one U.S. dollar was exchanged for 10 million Zimbabwean dollars. Two weeks later, that same dollar bought you 50 million Zimbabwean. We had to carry two weeks worth of food with us, because stores were empty. I bought a half gallon of milk on the black market, in a Harare alleyway. In Zimbabwe I witnessed the collective hope of a nation fade when Mugabe stole the 2008 elections, twice. When this country recovers, though, it will return to being one of the shining gems of southern Africa. 11. The Great Pyramids of Giza, Cairo, Egypt A local Egyptian taught me the secret to seeing the pyramids— by horseback. We entered through a secret entrance and galloped horseback through the desert around the pyramids all day for the same price most tourists pay to enter the historic site. GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLU M E 92 91 NO.3 NO.1 2016 2015

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Ramblin’ Wrecks generating buzz Tech think?” Answering the question, “What does Georgia beyond the Atlanta campus.

Dollars & Sense: Shireen Khan, Global Difference Maker Tony Rehagen

Shireen Khan, IE 93, thinks globally and acts—globally. Whether reporting on drought in West Africa as an international journalist, aiding Asian countries in economic recovery through work with the United Nations, or helping corporations like PepsiCo tackle malnutrition abroad from here at home, Khan’s entrepreneurial spirit knows no national boundaries. We caught the globetrotting Khan to ask her about her mission to help save the world. You’ve lived and worked on several continents, Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, often during politically tumultuous times. What are you trying to accomplish?

I am driven by social justice and progress and using business as a force for good. Like any entrepreneur, I do what needs to be done. Thanks in part to my education at Tech, I am comfortable with ambiguity and complexity, and I also move easily among cultures and sectors. I have been shuttling between disparate cultures since I was a child [Khan’s parents were Indian immigrants], and I can adapt easily. I am able to synthesize information from different disciplines to create solutions. For me, it has been both a pleasure and a responsibility to take on these kinds of challenges. We’re all in this together. I strongly believe that all people should have the opportunity to live safe and productive lives. But after “getting out” of Tech, you stayed in Atlanta to work at AT&T.

I focused on implementing quality management principles—one of my favorite subjects at Tech—so I enjoyed my work. But I also had the sense that I was living my parents’ dream. AT&T had a lot 028

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of lifelong employees. Every time someone got a gold watch I worried about waking up one day wondering what I might have been. During a review, my boss asked me what I really wanted to do. I told him that I wanted to be a journalist and to explore international development work. He worked out a schedule that enabled me to intern at the CNN International Desk while remaining fulltime at AT&T. After six months, I left both of those and moved to Ghana on my own.

What did you gain?

What did you first do in Ghana?

I was in New York at grad school on 9/11, and it was an incomprehensible experience. The attacks had originated in Afghanistan, and perhaps it was the journalist in me that needed to go and make sense of things. Since Afghanistan was a failed state, there was also a lot to do in terms of rebuilding the foundations for a robust society. It’s those problem-solving skills I learned at Tech. Afghanistan had been suffering through decades of war, and women in particular were denied opportunities. I felt the people there needed a hand after being lorded over by Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Working with the Afghans was one of the best experiences of my life. Most people who work there fall in love with the country because the hospitality is incredible.

I wound up running an emergency food security project in response to a severe drought. It was essentially a logistics and distribution operation that I had to set up in four rural villages with traditional mud homes and no electricity. The real difficulty for me was the remoteness of the area. It was a 40-minute walk to the nearest phone. Mail arrived a month late. I don’t eat meat, and my food options were limited. It was a 12-hour drive by bad roads to the capital, Accra, and I knew that if I were to have a health emergency, there was little chance I’d survive. But the people who lived there were in the same boat. There are trade-offs. We risk something to gain something else.

I went there on my own, and I was very proud of myself—I’d accomplished everything I’d set out to do, had published some positive stories and worked in international development. I had always wanted an international experience, and I had to do it once to see what I was capable of. You’ve done it more than once since. You’ve written that, after grad school, you were very keen to get to Afghanistan in 2003. Why?

Do you ever face any kind of discrimination?

I’ve always encountered those things everywhere I’ve been, but the worst thing I’ve ever faced was racism from other Americans I’ve worked with. In Indonesia, I was actually told that I wasn’t American by a white man who insisted that I was Indonesian and made me bring my passport for proof. People think of the U.N. as a big bureaucracy, but working there was a relief—they don’t discriminate against people because of the color of their skin. Tell us about Indonesia after the 2004 tsunami.

That was a completely different setting than Afghanistan or Ghana. It was a post-disaster environment, but Indonesia is a comparatively modern, more developed society. Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province, was the hardest hit, and was crowded with aid groups, who surprisingly were coordinating and not competing. I think that had to do with the immense scale of the disaster. I was tasked by the U.S. government to help businesses get back on their feet. I knew that people didn’t want to live off aid—they urgently wanted their lives back. I worked long hours and barely slept. I lost 7 pounds in the first 11 days. One danger there was related to some anti-American sentiment. Another danger was the anticipation of another major earthquake and tsunami—there were frequent tremors and a prediction of a much larger earthquake at some unknowable time. You just drop into these dangerous, beleaguered and often hostile lands. Are you ever afraid? Josh Meister

I’m not scared now. There used to be fear. But I believe that when you give into fear you create walls in your life. I was really passionate about what I was doing. I had a purpose. That was enough to carry me past any fear. Looking back, what role did Tech play in your international outlook?

At the time, I actually didn’t find Tech to be an international campus—we had international students, but they really didn’t

mingle very much. That was why I revived the AIESEC [once the French acronym for International Association of Students in Economic and Commercial Sciences] chapter at Georgia Tech. AIESEC is the largest student-run organization in the world, and it’s known as a meeting ground for all cultures. So once I restarted that, we did have a place and exchange program through which people from everywhere could interact and learn from each other. GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLU M E 92 91 NO.3 NO.1 2016 2015

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Celebrating the fascinating and offbeat careers of Tech alumni.

Bringing the Autobahn to Atlanta

Jon Ross

Alumnus Brian Cunningham shifted gears to pursue a career as a Porsche instructor. Brian Cunningham, CS 89, may be one of very few Atlantans who spends an hour in traffic each morning—navigating his sensible Nissan Altima through a sea of other commuter vehicles on the highways—just to drive all day at work. But, oh, what he gets to drive when he gets there. As the chief instructor at the Porsche Experience Center, part of Porsche’s new North American headquarters located next to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta

International Airport, Cunningham puts in eight hours inside some of the legendary automakers’ top sports cars. It’s his job to encourage thrill-seeking Porsche enthusiasts to push their limits and even break some traffic laws throughout the facility’s luxury automotive playground. “I’ve always thought about what we should do out there on the public highways as the safe conveyance of a motorized appliance from one spot to

another,” Cunningham says. “It’s really not about driving.” Opened in June 2015 as the first of its kind in the U.S., the Porsche Experience Center contains a mile-long handling circuit and other driving elements such as a low-friction, polished circle that’s perfect for executing donuts, as well as the “kick plate,” a wetted, epoxy surface that throws cars into skids and spins. There’s even an off-road course to see what the Cayenne

∏ Brian Cunningham stands in front of the wet track at the Porsche Experience Center as Tyler Heinzelmann, lead instructor, drive operations, pilots the Porsche 911 GT3. Josh Meister

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Answering the question, “What does Tech think?” Celebrating the fascinating andGeorgia offbeat careers of Tech alumni.

∏ The Porsche Experience Center opened in Atlanta in June 2015. SUV can do in the elements. The handling circuit mimics a country road, so top Porsche speeds are, for the most part, out of reach. But plowing through winding curves in a Cayman GTS—Cunningham calls it “a nice day-to-day driver” that makes “great sounds”—and then topping 85 miles an hour on a short straightaway can provide plenty of thrills. “Speeds are relatively modest here compared to a racetrack, but at the same time, I think there are things that this facility offers that are different than anything you can experience anywhere else,” he says. Indeed, the Porsche Experience Center isn’t quite the same as a traditional sports car driving school. It’s designed to teach drivers more about the cars’ performance capabilities, improve safety awareness and learn new techniques. If that’s not enough, you can also buckle in to virtual driving simulators that emulate intense racing scenarios. Driving guests can pick from a variety of cars to test out during the experience, which allows customers to spend about 032

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an hour and a half on the course accompanied by an instructor. The least expensive ride, the $52,000 Cayman, costs $300 per session. Cunningham’s favorite car to drive, the $130,000 911 GT3, is offered in a package deal with a 911 Turbo for $850. Collision insurance is available for those worried about how gonzo they’ll go. Cunningham and his staff—two assistant chief instructors and a stable of Porsche Driving Coaches—put up to 20 drivers at a time onto the course in two-hour blocks. During the week, these motorists are often part of corporate events and company fun days, but on the weekends, Porsche enthusiasts, car buyers and adventure hounds pack the park. Experienced Porsche owners and newbies alike can be paired up with coaches for custom, individualized sessions. The Porsche Cars North America headquarters itself isn’t overtly continental, but the German history of the Porsche is everywhere. The company routinely showcases vintage Porsche collections from its museum in Stuttgart and from

private collections throughout the U.S. Cunningham sees the Porsche culture not just in these cars, but also in his day-today interactions with employees. “They’re very, very proud of that heritage,” he says. “They’re proud of what Porsche is and what it represents.” So how does a computer expert get to be a Porsche driving instructor? Cunningham has always been a sports car hobbyist, but it took him a while to make the switch. For roughly a decade after he graduated, Cunningham worked at IT-leaning firms like Equifax, Versant and Innoverse. As he tells it, moving over to Porsche wasn’t a frightening career change, but rather a natural shifting of the gears. He slowly made more time for his hobby of repairing and racing cars until it became his full-time job. Conveniently, he also found the skills he learned at Georgia Tech and cultivated during his first career have helped him explain the finer points of Porsche driving to his customers. “As a sales engineer, my task was to explain the technology and help clients find a fit with it in their business,” he says. “A lot of what I did was basically instruction.” Cunningham got the Porsche bug early. As a college graduation present and somewhat odd marketing ploy, Porsche sent the then 22-year-old a car poster. The 1989 model 911 Turbo was cresting a hill, wheels off the ground, sunlight glancing off a personalized license plate stamped “Brian.” That present made quite an impression. “I never did get to own that 911 Turbo, but I’m pretty fortunate to be able to drive them often for work,” he says. “I’m able to do every day what I’m passionate about. Not everybody is able to say that.” GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLU M E 92 NO.1 2016

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Recent works penned by members of the Georgia Tech community.

JACKET COPY

Shadows in the Shining City

John D. Cressler, Phys 84, and Georgia Tech Schlumberger Chair in Electronics

This second book in the Anthems of al-Andalus series, Shadows in the Shining City tells the story of the forbidden love between Rayhana Abi Amir, a Muslim princess of the Royal Court, and Zafir Saffar, a freed slave. Young love blossoms in 10th century Madinat al-Zahra, set against the backdrop of the epic rise to power of Rayhana’s ruthless father, who threatens the foundations of Moorish Spain.

HISTORICAL FICTION

Foreword by Mike Martyn Co-author of Own the Gap, 2012 Shingo Research Award Winner

THE TRANSFORMATIVE

LEADER D

WAR

BIOGRAPHY

THRILLER

BUSINESS AMIR GHANNAD

Fuller E. Callaway: Portrait of a New South Citizen

The Strong Gray Line

Buckner F. Melton & Carol Willcox Melton

Nicholas Horton, MBA 15, and Chris Baldwin, MS IA 16, contributing authors

The Callaway family has long held strong ties to Georgia Tech, Atlanta and the state of Georgia, and this sharp biography traces the improbable story of its patriarch, Fuller E. Callaway. Over four decades, Callaway rose from a lightly educated farm boy to a powerful leader whose energy helped propel his companies and Georgia out of economic devastation following the Civil War.

This tribute to the 14 West Point classmates who lost their lives fighting the global war on terror includes personal essays, poems and recollections of shared bonds. Horton’s poem “A Place in the Fight” serves as a great transition from the memorial pieces to the personal experience essays, while Baldwin’s chapter “The Men I Went to War With” focuses on his first deployment to Iraq.

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Skyflash Lee Gimenez, ID 74

The Transformative Leader

Selected as a “Featured Novel” of the International Thriller Writers Association, this pageturner—Gimenez’s 11th published work of fiction— follows private investigator J.T. Ryan as he strives to solve a string of heinous murders in Atlanta, all of which are linked to a mysterious new drug called Skyflash.

What beliefs, skills and actions make someone a transformative leader? Leadership and culture coach Ghannad takes readers on a personal journey of selfdiscovery through stories, techniques and lessons designed to empower them to make a difference in their own lives and the lives of their employees and colleagues.

AmirGhannad,ME82,MSME85

Are you an author? Send details about your book and a book cover image to Editor, Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, 190 North Ave. NW., Atlanta, GA 30313 or publications@gtalumni.org.

Courses

Certificates

Degrees

Workforce Development

pe.gatech.edu/alumni2016

BE LEGENDARY IN YOUR CAREER. CONTINUE YOUR SUCCESS STORY

TKTK

GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLU M E 92 NO.1 2016

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INNOVATE

Some of the most exciting recent breakthroughs from faculty, students and alumni.

ENERGAIA SPIRULINA What is it? A specially farmed, edible microalgae called spirulina platensis that is turned into a healthy, highprotein “super food” Who makes it? Though spirulina has been farmed in natural and man-made lakes for decades, Saumil Shah, AE 95, MS AE 96, helped devise a way to farm it in closed tanks on urban rooftops and other unused spaces in Bangkok, Thailand. What inspired it? EnerGaia was originally

focused on developing technologies to use algae for capturing industrial CO2 emissions. Shah was intrigued by spirulina not only because it consumed a lot of CO2, but also because it had a second use as a food source. Why is it a game changer? Most spirulina on the market is sold in pill form as a nutritional supplement, mainly because it easily picks up the tastes of environmental contaminants. Shah and his team designed a way to sustainably farm the algae in a closed system bioreactor. This process keeps out those contaminants to

produce a tasteless, odorless product that can be turned into a powder or paste and added to food without any negative impact on the palate. “We want to make it available in grocery stores and we want to expand to make it available not only in Thailand, but also in other countries around the world,” Shah says. Additionally, the closed system allows spirulina to be farmed virtually anywhere there’s space, including near factories and other places where high CO2 levels need to be reduced. It’s a win-win proposition as a way to feed the world and make the air cleaner to breathe.

materials. Why is it game changing? The free iOS app has been a longtime Editor’s Choice in the Apple App Store, standing out from competing products for its ease of use and powerful tool set. Unlike PDF document readers and ebooks, LiquidText’s reading app does not try to replicate the reading-onpaper experience. Instead, it’s designed to improve reading comprehension by letting users build connections within the text at the swipe of a finger, pinch of the screen, and now—with the advent of the iPad pro—a tap of the Apple Pencil. LiquidText’s lab studies have found that 75 percent of users preferred the company’s interaction model to the PCs and paper they are accustomed to. “With every technology, there are two eras: In

the first, the new technology forms as close a replica as possible to the previous way of doing things, and then, in time, designers reimagine how the technology should work by focusing deeply on the underlying human need,” Tashman says. “This is what is happening to digital reading design right now, and we are leading it.”

LIQUIDTEXT What is it? Named “Most Innovative iPad App” of 2015 by Apple, LiquidText was designed for Apple iOS to improve the way consumers digest and understand written media, especially complex business, scientific and academic d o c u m e nt s. W h o m a d e i t ? C ra i g Ta s h m a n , P h D C S 1 2 , L i q u i d Text founder and CEO. What inspired it? Tashman specialized in studying human-computer interaction while at Tech, and the app grew from his research. Tashman’s studies focused on developing technology to help people use their iPads to read electronic documents—including PDFs, slides, web pages and Word files—more actively by making comparisons and organizing key points so they can better understand the 036

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“I have a deep sense of pride in Georgia Tech’s mission. Those who supported Roll Call shaped this school so that I benefitted from a full and rich experience. It is now my honor and duty to do the same for the next generation of students. Just as my father did with us, I look forward to my family continuing the tradition of pride for our beloved Georgia Tech.”

“Most all I have in this world comes as a result of my Georgia Tech experience … the education I received and the friends I made at Tech and have kept close through the years. I give because of the love I have for this institution and the gratitude I feel for all I have received from my Georgia Tech experience.”

-MAYSON THORNTON MGT 05 BOARD MEMBER, GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

-BERT THORNTON IM 68 BOARD MEMBER,

GEORGIA TECH FOUNDATION

FORMER CHAIR,

Leadership

GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

The Leadership Circle is the cornerstone of Roll Call - Georgia Tech’s annual fund. BURDELL SOCIETY

a gift of $25,000

PHOENIX CLUB

$10,000 - $24,999

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$2,500 - $4,999

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$1,000 - $2,499

We hope you’ll join us and enjoy benefits such as a limited edition tie or scarf and an invitation to the annual President’s Dinner.

www.gtalumni.org/giving

Please send your gift or pledge to: ROLL CALL, GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 190 North Avenue | Atlanta, Georgia 30313-9806 o r c a l l (4 0 4) 8 9 4 - 075 6

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FAR FLUNG:

TECH’S GLOBAL CAMPUS Providing students with a range of international experiences—from facultyled study abroad and exchange programs to global internships—has become a top priority at Georgia Tech. In fact, the percentage of Yellow Jackets who have studied or worked outside the U.S. at least once during their education at Tech far exceeds the national average. Find out why. BY MELISSA FRALICK | ART BY ADAM MARTINAKIS

After 12 weeks studying abroad in Asia, Alex Berry developed a new perspective on social interactions. “I now have no fear,” says Berry, a fourthyear industrial engineering student. Leveraging every bit of his limited Chinese language skills, Berry learned to navigate the complex Beijing subway system and order food at restaurants. He found that the best way to find a seat on a train is to sprint with the crowd as soon as the doors open. And he learned that talking to strangers can, indeed, be a good thing. As a 6-foot-2-inch AfricanAmerican in China, he attracted the curiosity of those eager to meet him and ask questions. “In America, we forget how blessed we are by diversity,” Berry says. “In China, they are so happy to meet someone from a different

country with a different perspective. That’s something I wanted to bring back from my time there.” Back at home, Berry says he’s less reserved and has an appreciation for what international students on campus are going through as they try to assimilate to American culture and practices. He’s even made new friends by taking a page out of the Chinese playbook—striking up conversations with interesting strangers at Tech. “Talking with them gives me a different perspective on the diverse group of students that go to Tech and all the nuanced struggles they experience,” Berry says. “I’ve made more international friends on campus. Everyone, no matter where they’re from, has such a unique story here.”

AN INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE

Tech student Alex Berry takes in the sights in China during his time abroad.

A World of Experiences

A Growing Priority for Success

Berry spent his three months in Beijing and Singapore studying global supply chain and logistics on a faculty-led study abroad program. While his engineering classes were interesting and challenging, Berry says the most memorable part of the program was experiencing Chinese culture firsthand. That’s exactly the kind of reaction Tech faculty and administrators hope students have when they study abroad, participate in an exchange program or get an internship in another country. Over the past decade, Georgia Tech has put considerable effort and resources toward promoting and offering international experiences for students that will help them to be better equipped to work in the global economy of the 21st century. Chen Zhou is an industrial engineering professor and Tech’s associate chair for undegraduate studies who for the past 15 years has led Tech’s study-abroad program in Beijing and Singapore—precisely the one Berry took. Zhou says it’s interesting to watch his students react and adapt during their time overseas. The first portion of the program is spent in Singapore, a Westernized city where the majority of people speak English. Beijing, on the other hand, is a much more foreign experience. Some students recoil in response to the contrast, while others thrive. “Beijing may not be very clean—it’s very crowded,” Zhou says. “People have different cultural norms. So for some students it’s too foreign. But others love it. They get to experience a new culture and a new thinking process.” Zhou says experiencing life in another countr y ele vates the educational experience for students, most of whom are likely to interact with foreign cultures in some way during the course of their careers. “As an industrial engineering alumnus, if you go to work for a car company, your boss may say, ‘We need to figure out a supplier for this gear,’” he says. “That supplier could be in Mexico, the U.S., Brazil, China, India— you never know. If someone never goes out of the country, their view of the outside is inaccurate.”

International experiences in college are beginning to be viewed more as a priority than an add-on luxury. Of G eorgia Tech undergrads who earned their degrees in the 2014-15 school year, nearly 52 percent had interned internationally, s tudied abroad or participated in an exchange program. That far exceeds the national average. According to the Institute of International Education, today only about 10 percent of U.S. students study abroad before graduating from college. Still, the total number of U.S. students studying abroad has more than tripled over the last two decades. Amy Henry, MS IA 05, director of Georgia Tech’s Office of International Education, says this trend can be traced back about 20 years. When she began giving

Over the past decade, Georgia Tech has put considerable effort and resources toward promoting and offering international experiences for students that will help them to be better equipped to work in the global economy of the 21st century.

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Who’s Studying Abroad College of Architecture

36.9% 14% undergrad

presentations to Tech students about studying abroad in the mid-1990s, she would ask for a show of hands to see how many students had passports. Then, about one out of every 10 students had a passport. Today, Henry says she no longer even bothers to ask the question. “Students are different than they were 20 years ago,” she says. “It happened so gradually, you didn’t see it.” More and more students are coming to Tech with experience traveling abroad with their families or on service trips. They are exposed to a wide range of foods and often have friends from different backgrounds. And the Internet has made information and Amy Henry communication across cultures easier and more abundant for them. “The world has become a much smaller place, but we still have many students who have not traveled and most certainly have not had a significant learning experience abroad,” Henry says. G e o r g i a Te c h i s u n i q u e a m o n g technically focused schools. Studying abroad has historically been dominated by liberal arts curricula. After all, it’s a natural fit for students to study art history in Paris or Latin in Rome. But Tech provides its students with coursework and experiences critical to earning their degrees and succeeding after they “get out.” “ T h e f a c u l ty h av e a l w ay s b u i l t programs that are relevant for our students and help them understand the global context of their majors,” Henry says. “Study abroad at Tech has never been an add-on. It was always developed and delivered to students as an invaluable part of their education.” Through many of these programs, Tech students also have the chance to take classes at prestigious, topranked universities around the w o r l d — s u c h a s T U Mu n i c h , t h e

National University of Singapore and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology—as well as Tech’s international campuses and research centers (see page 44).

Why Study-Abroad Programs Work Exchange programs, in which a student lives and takes classes at a university in another country, are the oldest type of experience abroad. Henry says these programs are great because they are totally immersive: Students are often living with a host family, taking classes with foreign students and experiencing day-to-day life in another country. But the majority of Georgia Tech students participate in what are known as faculty-led study-abroad programs, in which professors from Georgia Tech teach courses to Georgia Tech students in another part of the world. Though faculty-led study-abroad programs have been criticized for being less immersive than exchange programs, they are also more flexible and offer many benefits such as smaller class sizes and opportunities for experiential learning. “One of the beauties of study abroad is that you’re just not bound by the same systemic constraints you have on campus,” Henry says. “Students are only taking classes from one professor. You have their attention in a different way when everything revolves around a theme. Your lives are intertwined in different ways.” Zhou says visiting real-world sites in logistics hubs like Singapore and Beijing helps his students to better understand concepts in class. “Say we go observe an IBM server plant,” Zhou says. “Then when I teach my class, I use what we all see together on the tour as examples. That registers for years. Such experiences really drive the concepts home. They’re a lot less dry than book material.”

grad

Scheller College of Business

35.4% undergrad

52% grad

College of Computing

37.3% undergrad

1.3% grad

College of Engineering

61.6% undergrad

4.3% grad

Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts

44.9% undergrad

4.4% grad

College of Sciences

31% 5.2% undergrad

grad

*During 2014-15 academic year

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AN INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE

Here are the top five destinations Georgia Tech students visited for study abroad and internship opportunities in 2014-15.

Where They’re Studying Abroad

Many engineering firms have offices worldwide, and students who can tout experience in other countries and proficiency in another language often have a competitive edge when it comes to finding jobs. “There are all kinds of ways their work will intersect with global issues and global firms, and hopefully they will contribute to solving global challenges,” Henry says.

How Tech’s International Programs Evolved Georgia Tech’s first international program began shortly after World War II. Known as the World Student Fund, it was a small-scale exchange in which one or two students from Germany would come to Tech, and one or two Tech students would travel to study in Germany. Marilyn Somers, Hon 06, director of Georgia Tech’s Living History Program, says the program had a lot of support among the student body. At home football games, students passed around collection cans to raise money for the exchange program. She says that even before women were admitted to Tech, girlfriends of Tech students would often volunteer to stand at the ends of rows in the stadium to help collect donations. But momentum on international studies didn’t really begin until the 1990s. Tech’s first major international efforts included a program at Oxford for President’s Scholars and a senior year abroad in Paris for architecture students. Time and again, President’s Scholars reported that the opportunity to study abroad was the most memorable and transformative part of their college experience. Hearing this from Tech’s best and brightest students helped to convince faculty that studying abroad was a valuable experience that more students could benefit from. 0 4 2

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France 30.9% China 14.8% England 10% Ireland 5.5% Germany 4.8% All Other Countries 34%

In 1998, the Alumni Class of 1968 devoted their 30th class reunion gift to an endowment for study-abroad scholarships. It was the first gift of its kind at Tech and highlighted the fact that alumni, too, believed studying abroad was something more students should have access to. By the early 2000s, Tech was all in on preparing its students for the global economy of the 21st century. As part of its reaccreditation process in 2005, Tech created the International Plan. Students who graduate with this degree designation spend at least six months abroad, become proficient in a second language and knowledgeable about the sociopolitical systems and culture of at least one other country or region of the world. The International Plan is available to students in each of Tech’s colleges, with the idea that graduates of any discipline can practice within an international context. In its strategic plan, Tech set a goal for 50 percent of students to have an international experience, and achieved it in 2015.

Creating Globally Minded Students Alex Berry fits the mold of the globally minded student that Tech has created these initiatives for. The Beijing-Singapore program is just one of three experiences abroad Berry will participate in while at Tech, and he is working toward a double minor in Chinese and business. “Part of why I chose Tech is I wanted that global perspective,” Berry says. After graduation, Berry yearns to return to China. He’s planning to apply for a fellowship program at Tsinghua University in Beijing. And he’s confident that the time he’s spent abroad will be important for his future career. “Business starts by understanding people and the population you’re working with,” Berry says. “You need a certain amount of international acumen, an understanding and empathy, toward cultures you’re providing engineering solutions for.”

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Tech’s Campuses & Research Centers Abroad BY MELISSA FRALICK | ART BY NANCY MCCABE

Today, Georgia Tech continues to expand into a truly global university, with campuses, research centers, partnerships and programs located around the world. This means our students—as well as those from international institutions—have access to numerous experiences abroad that in many ways look and feel like Tech. They can take classes in France, conduct research in China or observe the global supply chain action in Panama. Though Tech’s international initiatives and partnerships are too numerous to list, here’s a sample of some of the exciting opportunities available to Yellow Jackets around the world. Georgia Tech-Beijing Beijing, China

Lorraine is Georgia Tech’s only standalone campus abroad, with courses for undergraduate and graduate students as well as programs for research and commercialization.

In partnership with Emory University and Peking University in Beijing, Georgia Tech students can earn a PhD in biomedical engineering while living and conducting research in China.

Georgia Tech-Costa Rica Center for Productivity San Jose, Costa Rica

Georgia Tech-Lorraine Metz, France

Georgia Tech-Shenzhen Shenzhen, China

Students can earn a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering surrounded by multi-national corporations in Shenzhen, known as the Silicon Valley of China.

This research center has broadened its scope beyond logistics and assisted the government of Costa Rica with several visible initiatives.

Georgia Tech-Singapore Singapore

Together with the National University of Singapore, Georgia Tech operates the Logistics Institute-Asia Pacific, a collaboration in global logistics.

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Georgia Tech-Panama Logistics and Innovation Research Center Panama City, Panama

Located in a strategic trade hub in Latin America, the center focuses on civil engineering, logistics, and more.

NORTH AMERICA

SOUTH AMER

P A C I F I C O C E A N

GT-Lorraine Twenty-five years ago, the mayor Metz, France, set out with a goal of recruiting an American university to the city. The search pointed him to Georgia Tech, leading to the creation of a satellite campus in the heart of France’s Lorraine region, known throughout Europe as a valley of innovation in materials and energy. Since then, Georgia Tech Lorraine has established itself as not only a popular destination for Tech students but a respected university and research center in Europe. “We are able to really intertwine very well education, research and innovation, just like we do here in Atlanta,” says Yves Berthelot, president of GT-Lorraine. “It’s not just an undergraduate program or a research center or an entrepreneurship program. It’s all of the above, and the three legs of the stool make it work very well.”

ASIA

EUROPE

A T L A N T I C O C E A N

02 P A C I F I C O C E A N

AFRICA

03 I N D I A N O C E A N

ICA

AUSTRALIA

Many Tech students also have transformative international learning experiences at the campus. Each year, around 600 students from Georgia Tech travel to France to study at GT-Lorraine. The majority are undergraduates who spend a semester taking classes and experiencing French culture. About 100 master’s students, many of whom are European, take classes at GT-Lorraine before completing their degrees at Tech’s campus in Atlanta. In 2006, GT-Lorraine established a Joint International Lab with the French National Centre for Scientific Research, the first of its kind for an American-based university. CNRS is one of the largest and most respected research organizations in Europe. “That was transformative for GT-Lorraine. We were able to begin competing for research funding,” Berthelot says. Georgia Tech also brought its expertise in innovation to France through the establishment of the Lafayette Institute in 2014, backed by a $30 million investment from the French government. Georgia Tech is admired abroad for its entrepreneurial prowess and ability to work with industry to create commercial applications for new research and technology. The Lafayette Institute, which focuses on commercialization for startup businesses, is similar to Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute and features a clean room much like Tech’s Marcus Nanotechnology building.

“Our researchers are breaking technology barriers, developing new materials for solar energy applications and pollutant detection, as well as innovative structural materials, ” Berthelot says. “It’s very interesting for our team here in Atlanta to be able to take advantage of opportunities in France and even more exciting for the French to understand how successful Georgia Tech has been and learn from that.”

GT-Costa Rica Center for Productivity Launched in 2010 as the Costa Rica Trade Innovation and Productivity Center, Georgia Tech established this outpost in Costa Rica with an emphasis on logistics. But after strategizing about the future of the center, alumni and stakeholders felt it was important to broaden the organization’s scope beyond logistics and rename it the Center for Productivity. The center has been involved in several visible initiatives for Costa Rica, such as cross-border modernization to increase trade and tourism flow between Costa Rica and its neighboring countries in Central America. The center also helped to simplify Costa Rica’s medical registry, implementing a digital platform for the country’s Ministry of Health, as well as creating substantial cost and time savings. GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

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Future plans for the Center for Productivity include the launch of a cyber security and big data research center and infrastructure projects. Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis, who visited Georgia Tech in 2015, also wants to collaborate to strengthen the country’s programs in science, technology and innovation.

GT-Panama Logistics and Innovation Research Center

classrooms. Shenzhen is home to multinational corporations such as Oracle, IBM, Microsoft, Intel, Samsung, TI, Siemens, Phillips, Kodak, PMC-Sierra and Hitachi, as well as some of the largest Chinese companies including Tencent, Lenovo, Huawei, ZTE and Mindray. Georgia Tech is working with Chinese officials and Tianjin University to expand the Shenzhen program into a full international campus. “The Shenzhen campus could be as transformational to Georgia Tech as the Lorraine campus was in France,” Berthelot says.

GT-Beijing

The Georgia Tech Panama Logistics Innovation and Research center was established in 2010. This year, the center is expanding its scope beyond logistics by forming a partnership with Universidad Tecnólogica de Panamà. Known as the GT-UTP Center, it will focus mostly on areas related to Civil Engineering. Panama provides the U.S. with a strategic hub for trade with Latin America. The country is also an obvious destination for students to study logistics. Seeing the Panama Canal in action provides a real-world opportunity like no other. But officials are looking to explore other fields such as transportation, waste management, geotechnical engineering and structures. “This is really incredible for our students to be exposed to all this, particularly in civil engineering and logistics,” Berthelot says. “It’s an incredible lab for us.” Georgia Tech has a strong relationship with Panama, due to its robust alumni community and the support of the country’s leader, alumnus and President Juan Carlos Varela, IE 85.

GT-Shenzhen In the high-tech city of Shenzhen, China, Georgia Tech offers a master’s degree program in electrical and computer engineering. The program is housed at the Shenzhen Virtual University Park—an innovative model in China emphasizing university-industry partnerships, technology transfer and business incubation. It’s also surrounded by the Shenzhen High-Tech Industrial Park, where students have opportunities to pursue internships with companies located within walking distance of their 0 4 6

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Georgia Tech has a unique partnership with Emory University and Peking University in China to offer a joint PhD program in the growing field of biomedical engineering. This joint doctoral degree allows American students to spend at least one year taking classes and participating in research at Peking University, while their Chinese counterparts will have the opportunity to live, study and conduct research in Atlanta. The structure of the program prepares students to be competitive in the global economy and health environment. As a result of the partnership, there are many research collaborations taking place between Georgia Tech, Emory and PKU. For the past five years, faculty have competed for seed grant funding to create projects that span both continents.

GT-Singapore

The Logistics Institute-Asia Pacific, known as TLI-AP, is a partnership between Georgia Tech and National University of Singapore. Founded in 1998, this partnership focuses on logistics and supply chain management, areas of major importance for Singapore. More than 200 Georgia Tech students have taken courses at National University of Singapore as part of their graduate studies in industrial and systems engineering. In addition, in July 2015, Provost Rafael Bras visited Singapore to help inaugurate a new joint research center between Georgia Tech and the National University of Singapore, known as the Center for Next Generation Logistics. The center will serve as an open logistics innovation platform with goals such as developing and nurturing the supply chain and logistics workforce and providing up-to-date business intelligence to better understand the competitive landscape.

PRIME DESTINATION BY MELISSA FRALICK

Why more international students than ever are competing to get into Georgia Tech, and how their presence makes for a more vibrant and diverse educational experience for all. Georgia Tech’s reputation in the global community has never been higher. The quality of the Institute’s degree programs, campus life and entrepreneurship opportunities—not to mention its bangfor-the-buck value—continue to bolster its position as one of the world’s top-ranked universities. As international recognition of Tech’s academic prowess continues to grow, so does the number of applications the Institute receives from students worldwide. Top rankings are especially influential to international students interested in studying in the United States, says Rick Clark, Tech’s director of undergraduate admission. Clark says that many prospective students abroad use such lists as a guide to ensure they are applying to the best American colleges. “In many cultures, these rankings play a huge part in student interest,” Clark says. For the 2015-16 academic year, s tudents representing 143 countries vied for a spot at Georgia Tech—both for undergraduate and graduate programs. This heightened interest in the Institute, both from the U.S. and abroad, is fairly recent, Clark says. In 2008, the Institute received fewer than 10,000 applications total, about half of them from Georgia residents. Of that number, about 1,000 were from prospective students overseas. Then the Great Recession happened, and many universities worldwide saw applications and enrollment plummet. But Tech stood out because it offered students the opportunity to build in-demand skills in science, technology, engineering and math

As international recognition of Tech’s academic prowess continues to grow, so does the number of applications the Institute receives from students worldwide. for careers in fields with high earning potentials. Combine that with Tech’s relatively reasonable cost of tuition, even for out-of-state and international students, and families knew they were going to get a good return for their investments. “We sat right at the intersection of those two things,” Clark says. “We started seeing more and more interest from outside Georgia and around the world.” With each passing year, the number of students applying to Georgia Tech has grown significantly. In 2012, Tech had just less than 15,000 applications. This year, there were more than 30,500, including 6,600 from abroad. Clark says it’s important to note that the number of applications is much higher than the GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

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AN INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE

number of students actually admitted. But Tech’s increased application numbers fall in line with national trends. According to the Institute of International Education, the number of international students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities during the 2014-15 academic year grew by the highest rate in 35 years, increasing 10 percent to a record high of 974,926 students. Amy Henry, MS IA 05, director of Tech’s Office of International Education, says in many parts of the world, it’s much more common to move abroad for college than it is in places like the U.S., Canada or the United Kingdom. “English-speaking countries move the least,” Henry says. “Others much more often go abroad for their degrees.”

The Benefits of Diversity Clark says that about 10 percent of the undergraduates at Georgia Tech are international students. “The dynamic that international students bring to a campus is invaluable,” Clark says. In master ’s and PhD programs, the number of international students ranges anywhere from 20 to 40 percent depending

upon the program. In the 2014-15 academic year, 1,319 international students were enrolled in master’s degree programs, while 1,531 international students worked toward [CONTINUED ON PAGE 50] doctoral degrees.

In the 2014-2015 academic year, 1,319 international students were enrolled in master’s degree programs, while 1,531 international students worked toward doctoral degrees.

The International Student Experience Four students from different countries and different circumstances share why they love being Yellow Jackets. ULISES NÙÑEZ GARZÓN, AE 17

Though Nùñez graduated from high school in 2013 with the highest grade point average in the country of Panama, he almost gave up on his dream of studying aerospace engineering in the U.S. Despite his academic success, he didn’t win a national college scholarship for students in STEM fields and was left devastated. Nùñez had everything he needed to attend Georgia Tech—the ambition, the grades, the acceptance letter—except for the money to move abroad and pay tuition. But then he received a very unusual phone call. It was from Juan Carlos Varela, IE 85, a Tech alumnus and then vice president of Panama. Varela offered to fully fund a scholarship for Nùñez to attend Georgia Tech. 0 4 8

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“It was completely unexpected and a huge deal,” Nùñez says. At the end of his first semester at Georgia Tech, Nùñez was pleased with his grades: all As and one B. But on his first visit back home in Panama, Varela pushed him to do even better.

“You see that one B? Let’s make that an A next time,” Nùñez recalls Varela telling him. Determined to live up to Varela’s expectations, that freshman B was the first and last Nùñez has earned in six semesters. “His idea of good grades are perfect grades,” Nùñez says. “I’m studying aerospace engineering, so that’s a ton of pressure.” He concedes that it’s pretty crazy to have a personal audience with Varela, who is now Panama’s president. Like many of his fellow students—regardless if they’re from the U.S. or abroad—Nùñez says being at Tech has pushed him to work harder than he ever thought he could. But he’s also enjoying life outside the classroom. He’s involved in the Baptist Collegiate Ministry on campus, where he’s developed close friendships, and loves attending football games. “I love Tech with my life,” Nùñez says. “Football is just awesome. Well, this past season we did awful. But student life here is great when you do have time to have a life.” Nùñez is on track to graduate in May 2017,

They Came, They Saw, They Studied For the academic year 2014-15, 4,416 students from around the world were enrolled at Tech’s campus in Atlanta. Some were working toward their degrees, while others were studying here temporarily as part of an exchange program. Here’s a breakdown of where the majority of these students came from and what they studied. College of Architecture: China - 71 South Korea - 23 India - 26 Iran - 8 Chile - 5 Turkey - 3 Brazil - 3 College of Computing: India - 252 China - 179 South Korea - 49 Vietnam - 16 Taiwan - 12 Iran - 12

College of Engineering: China- 1,033 India - 831 South Korea - 408 Taiwan - 89 France - 67 Iran - 65 Turkey - 56 Pakistan - 55 Scheller College of Business: China - 87 India - 43 South Korea - 19 Israel - 4 Sweden - 3 Mexico - 3

four years after he first set foot on Georgia Tech’s campus, and he hopes to stay on as a graduate student. “I never thought my dreams could happen in such unexpected ways,” he says. “But sometimes that’s how things end up working, which makes me all the more thankful.” SAHAS SINGH, ME 17

Sahas Singh has a vivid memory of his first glimpse of Georgia Tech: the North Avenue Apartments, rising over I-85, as he drove into Atlanta for the first time. “I’ll never forget that,” says Singh, who enrolled in Georgia Tech from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, without ever visiting the campus. “It was a huge leap and it was kind of nerve wracking getting here.” But Singh has never regretted his decision. A third-year mechanical engineering major, Singh says Georgia Tech has provided him with so many opportunities to explore his interest in renewable energy. “I’m really happy I came to Tech and came to the U.S.,” Singh says. “I feel like the opportunity

you get to network, to meet professors, people you wouldn’t necessarily meet as a student— there’s a culture here to be very open and to learn with no drama or politics.” Singh says that growing up in Dubai gave him access to a very diverse environment and range of experiences. “It’s a really beautiful

Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts: China - 30 South Korea - 7 India - 2 France - 2 College of Sciences: China - 165 India - 58 South Korea - 24 Taiwan - 17 Turkey - 13 Colombia - 7 Vietnam - 6 Iran - 6

place, very hospitable,” he says. “It has a great mix of cultures and has been really good for my personal development.” Singh attended British schools in Dubai and considered going to college in the United Kingdom. Ultimately, he was drawn by the entrepreneurial spirit and accessibility of faculty in the U.S. “Over here, I’d say nine out of 10 professors, I can just knock to see if they’re available and go have a chat with them,” Singh says. “Being able to interact with these world-renowned researchers and engineers, that’s the thing that kind of astounds me every time.” He says he’s also enjoyed exploring his interest in renewable energy outside the classroom. He joined the Energy Club his freshman year, and has helped it to grow from small gatherings at Rocky Mountain Pizza to more than 60 people who regularly attend meetings at the Student Center. He’s also part of the Spark Clean Energy Fellowship program, where he’s had the opportunity to attend conferences at UC Berkeley and MIT. [CONTINUED ON PAGE 50] GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

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AN INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE

Where Our International Students Come From Students come to Georgia Tech from all over the world. But the majority of international students come from three countries: China, India and South Korea. These demographics aren’t unique to Tech. However, Undergraduate Admission has worked in recent years to diversify the international enrollment.

For the 2015-16 academic year, students representing 143 countries vied for a spot in one of Georgia Tech’s bachelor’s, master’s or PhD programs.

China sends more students to the U.S. than any other country in the world, which is not surprising given the country’s enormous population. In the 2014-15 academic year, the number of Chinese students at American universities grew by 11 percent to a total of 304,040. Meanwhile, the number of Indian students studying in the U.S. increased by nearly 30 percent to a record high of 132,888. Together, China and India account for nearly 45 percent of the total number of international students in U.S. higher education, according to the Institute of International Education. Many countries provide financial assistance for their students to study abroad, particularly in places where there is a shortage of seats in high quality graduate programs. In the 2014-15 school year, two-thirds of Tech’s international students were pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees. And though Georgia Tech has impressive programs that draw students from all over the planet, it’s still best known for producing a helluva’ engineer. “By far, most of our graduate students are in engineering,” Henry says. “It’s what we’re known for. We have a name brand that people recognize.” Of the 4,330 international students enrolled at Tech from 2014-15, nearly 3,000 were in the College of Engineering.

Supporting the Transition Many of these students, like Sahas Singh, a third-year mechanical engineering major from Dubai, enroll at Georgia Tech before they ever step foot on campus. Few have the luxury of embarking on a transcontinental

The International Student Experience [CONTINUED FROM PAGE 49]

well-

Singh says he and a freshman dorm-mate used to joke about the contrast in their circumstances: His friend’s family lived 30 minutes from campus, while Singh’s family was 30 hours away by airplane. “But that’s what makes Georgia Tech’s student body so strong, and I’m really lucky to part of this experience,” Singh says. NIKHIL DHANDA, CS 19

Few students come to Georgia Tech and can say the pace is relaxing. But computer science major Nikhil Dhanda says getting involved in extracurricular activities was not something he ever had time for as a high-school student in India. “I was studying 12 hours a day in the 12th grade,” he says. “Here, it’s not as much. You can be way more involved in campus. You can do a lot more than just study.” Now in his third semester, Dhanda is fully in the groove of life at Georgia Tech and enjoying a 0 5 0

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rounded college experience. He’s completed a semester of co-op; he’s active in the Student Alumni Association; and he enjoys watching Yellow Jacket football. The transition has been pretty smooth, considering the first time

Dhanda ever boarded an airplane was when he flew to Atlanta to start school at Tech. “My first time being outside India was when I came here to study,” Dhanda says. “I wasn’t scared—I was just very excited.” Dhanda spent his first semester just taking all in. But soon he found himself wanting to explore what else was out there. “During my second semester I realized I’d been missing out on a lot by not doing anything extracurricular,” he says. A peer leader from his dorm suggested that he look into the Student Alumni Association. Now he’s a member of the group’s leadership and uses his position to help other international students. “We give incoming freshman some presentations about Georgia Tech culture,” Dhanda says. “I mostly try to organize events that would help them to see more of Tech as a cultural thing, not just a place to study.” Despite his many campus activities, Dhanda remains very serious about his academic

flight for a visit, so Tech provides a number of resources to help them not only get acquainted with campus, but also with American culture. Singh says Georgia Tech did a good job of providing detailed information to help ease his sudden transition. “The Office of International Education does a lot of work for international students about what to expect when you get here, down to where to go to buy sheets and pillows,” Singh says. Henry says there are a number of programs that support international students. They range from an orientation at the beginning of every fall semester— outlining American cultural norms and smaller challenges like understanding Southern accents— all the way to a professional development series that helps students practice networking skills and understand employment-based visa categories for finding jobs in the U.S. Lin Li, an aerospace engineering PhD student from China, says she’s appreciated the support she’s received on campus. “When you’re having trouble, someone will help you,” Li says. “Especially as an international student, you’re in another country and your parents aren’t here and you have to depend on yourself. A lot of faculty and staff on campus are really nice and helpful. It makes you feel like you want to be here and you are welcome.” Marta Garcia, associate vice president of development for Georgia Tech, says she has watched the Institute’s international outreach grow dramatically over the past 20 years. Georgia Tech now emphasizes the importance of international experiences because science and technology is advancing through international collaboration.

“A lot of faculty and staff on campus are really nice and helpful. It makes you feel like you want to be here and you are welcome.” —LIN LI Innovation doesn’t recognize national boundaries. And those who can function effectively across cultural lines will have an edge in the job market. As a result, Garcia predicts that Tech’s embrace of international students and global learning opportunities may one day prove to be not just advantageous, but also vital. In the future, top-tier universities will be those that truly have a global footprint. The academic and research communities will become more competitive, making the ability to engage and communicate with people across the globe a key to success. “If you’re not a global university, chances are you may not even survive in this market,” Garcia says.

studies. He says he’s really enjoying his computer science classes at Tech, especially because of the Institute’s emphasis on problem solving and real-world applications. “It’s very different when you first come here,” Dhanda says. “The whole system of study is entirely different than in India. There, we have a more theoretical approach. Here, we have a lot more focus on practical ways to solve a problem. It’s much more fun to study and take the same courses. It’s a much more interesting and holistic approach to the subject.” LIN LI, PHD AE 17

While tutoring fellow students as an undergraduate, Lin Li found that she really enjoyed helping others learn—an experience that helped her decide she would one day like to become a professor. “I realized I really liked helping other students figure out their struggles and solve problems and feel more confident about themselves,” Li says.

This epiphany ultimately led her to Georgia Tech, where she is pursuing a PhD in aerospace engineering. Li, who is originally from China, isn’t new to the U.S., though. She first came to America eight years ago to get her bacherlor’s degree

at the California Institute of Technology. But she found that Georgia is much different than California. “It was easier for me going to California first, because there are a lot more Asian people,” Li says. “It was really easy for me to find Chinese stores, for example.” With the smaller Chinese community in Atlanta comes certain challenges. “The food is different,” she says. “I miss the food in China—you can’t really get it here.” But Li has also benefited from the diversity of Georgia Tech. Getting out of her cultural comfort zone has helped her to befriend more American students. “It’s also definitely been a good way to practice my English,” she says. “And some of my new friends and classmates are really interested in learning about my culture as well.” After earning her PhD, Li hopes to work in industry in America and one day return to Tech to teach. “I chose grad school so I could inspire students, especially women,” Li says. “There aren’t a lot of women in aerospace.” GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

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BY ROGER SLAVENS

ON THE

MAP

Thousands of Georgia Tech alumni live and work internationally in more than 135 countries around the world, many of them making a significant impact on global communities. Thousands more remain in the United States but their efforts ripple far beyond borders. Here are the stories of 10 Yellow Jackets who have helped put Tech on the map in engineering, entertainment, politics, fashion, health care, humanitarian efforts and more.

JUAN CARLOS VARELA IE 85 PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA PANAMA CITY, PANAMA Georgia Tech has long held strong ties to Panama, with Ramblin’ Wrecks enlisted to help engineer the Panama Canal more than a hundred years ago. Now that Tech alumnus Juan Carlos Varela serves as president of the country, those ties have never been stronger. Varela is near to finishing his second year leading the Central American nation—he was elected on May 4, 2014—and he readily admits he’s leaned heavily on his engineering education at Tech when making decisions as head of state. “Engineers are trained to understand and solve problems,” Varela says. “Engineers think differently. I’m using that training to help transform many of my country’s bureaucratic ways to build a government that’s focused on service and operates with transparency and honesty. Politics, like engineering, should be about making life better for everyone you serve, not just yourself.” In tackling that formidable task, Varela has identified a 0 5 2

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ANU PARVATIYAR BME 08 PROGRAM MANAGER, POLIO, FOR EHEALTH AFRICA NIGERIA, AFRICA She won’t brag about it, but Anu Parvatiyar and the nonprofit organization she works for played a big part in helping to nearly eradicate polio from the African nation of Nigeria. In 2015, for the first time, there were no recorded cases of wild polio in the country, down from 122 cases in 2012 when eHealth Africa first got involved. As eHealth Africa’s program manager for polio, Parvatiyar’s team supplies the technology and logistics to map—via mobile phones and GPS—the efforts of vaccination teams throughout Nigeria. “At the beginning, we started with an empty map,” says Parvatiyar, who manages some 300 workers on the ground in Kano and other cities and villages in Nigeria. “Now we have 100 percent of north Nigeria mapped.” In addition, she and her team endeavor to make sure the vaccine gets delivered to wherever it’s needed, even the most remote areas. “Sometimes it gets down to identifying that a specific village has the

only refrigerator that can store the polio vaccine within a 30-mile radius,” she says. “It’s amazing to see how such information can transform local health systems and governments.” Pa r vat i y a r ’s u l t i m at e go a l i s to eventually help wipe out polio everywhere—there were some 55 cases worldwide last year—using and sharing what eHealth Africa learned in Nigeria. “Not only that, but our work here with polio is translatable to eradicating other diseases and stopping outbreaks in other places,” Parvatiyar says. “The data we collect and manage can make a lasting legacy and inform future public health policy and decision-making in the field.” Case in point: When Ebola hit Nigeria in the summer of 2014, she says eHealth Africa was asked to use its mapping technology to assist in stopping the outbreak. Parvatiyar lives in the Bay Area, but spends about 75 percent of her time in Africa. “It’s hard to manage what we do from afar,” she says. She started her career working as a design engineer in the medical device industry, but when she had the chance to work abroad, she jumped at the opportunity. “I’m an engineer; I love to work on interesting and complex problems, especially in the field,” Parvatiyar says. “And though I know I’m not going to save the world all by myself, the impact of my work is readily apparent and very satisfying.”

ANDREW CRIPPS IM 81 PRESIDENT OF IMAX EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA LONDON, ENGLAND

variety of specific intiatives he’s started in his country, such as providing more support for senior citizens, improving transportation infrastructure and promoting bilingual education. In fact, on a recent stop at Georgia Tech, he spent a considerable amount of time talking to several Panamanians enrolled in the Georgia Tech Language Institute’s Intensive English Program. In addition, Varela checked in with aerospace engineering undergraduate Ulises Nùñez Garzón, a Panamanian student he’s sponsoring on scholarship (see page 48). “Ulises is doing great, but I know how challenging Georgia Tech can be,” Varela says. “All I ask for him is to put forth his best effort, as my professors once demanded of me.”

Moviegoers are in love with IMAX, the large-screen movie format—often paired with 3D effects—that’s delivering dramatic wows and big box-office returns worldwide. It’s Andrew Cripps’ role to lead the expansion of IMAX’s footprint in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, which currently includes 225 theaters, using his more than 25 years of experience in movie distribution. Cripps started his celluloid career working for a British company looking for someone to set up an office in Tokyo to distribute videocassettes and laser discs in Japan and Korea. While there, he [CONTINUED ON PAGE 54] GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

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TIM KOPRA MS AE 95 NASA ASTRONAUT INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (THROUGH JUNE 2016)

[CONTINUED FROM PAGE 53]

was approached by United International Pictures (UIP) to go into sales, and he rose through the ranks—eventually moving to London—until he was named UIP’s president and COO to handle the marketing and distribution of all Paramount, Universal, MGM, United Artists and Dreamworks films outside of North America. When UIP broke up in 2006, Cripps became president of Paramount Pictures International. But when his job moved to Los Angeles, he stayed in London for the sake of his teenage children and soon joined IMAX. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect; Cripps climbed onboard as IMAX was soaring. “IMAX has been around for almost 50 years, and while our roots are in North America, it has become a truly global brand operating in 66 countries,” Cripps says. “Today there is an IMAX theater operating virtually every second of every day. The majority of our network growth will come from international markets.” Of the 1,008 IMAX theaters around the world, 574 of them are located outside the U.S. “Also, approximately 87 percent of the 364 theaters we currently have in backlog will be installed in international markets,” Cripps says. “Similarly, a majority of our global box office is generated from our international locations. Nearly two-thirds of our third-quarter box office last year was generated outside North America.” While movie theaters are facing increasing competition from streaming and other in-home alternatives, IMAX stands apart. “Our immersive cinematic experience offers consumers something that is difficult to achieve or replicate in the home,” Cripps says. “Still, in response to that competition we have to continue to do what we’ve been doing for almost 50 years—innovate and push the boundaries of what is possible in our theaters.” A Brit born in Sri Lanka and then raised in Yokohama, Japan, Cripps came to Georgia Tech by happenstance. Many of his friends were headed to universities in the U.S., and he thought he’d do the same. “At the time, I only knew one person in the states—my sister—who lived in Monroe, Ga.,” Cripps says. “My high school counselor knew little about schools in Georgia, so he basically told me to pick between Tech, the University of Georgia and Georgia State with no other guidance. Luckily for me, I chose Tech.” Cripps keeps many close friends from his time at Tech, and he hopes to meet up with them in Dublin, Ireland, later this year to catch the Yellow Jackets football game.

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Chances are, as you read this, a Georgia Tech alumnus is hurtling through space above you. This past December, NASA astronaut Tim Kopra launched into space aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. He joined his crewmates, cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Tim Peake of the European Space Agency, on Expeditions 46 and 47 to the International Space Station (ISS). Kopra is no stranger to international missions: It’s his second trip to the ISS. His first mission was the two-monthlong Expedition 20 in 2009, which launched on the Space Shuttle Endeavor and returned on the Space Shuttle Discovery. Alongside Russian, Japanese, Belgian and U.S. crew members, Kopra served as a flight engineer. On his current mission—which is scheduled to last until June—Kopra is serving as a flight engineer on Expedition 46 (the first leg), but in March he will become the commander of Expedition 47 as fellow NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov end their one-year stints aboard the space station. Kopra received a little scare in January when on a scheduled spacewalk, he noticed a four-inch bubble of water accumulating into his helmet. The walk was cut short for precautionary reasons. “I could definitely tell the sides [of the water-absorbing pad] were swollen,” Kopra reported after returning to the ISS. But coping with such anomalies is part of his training. Kopra joined NASA as a test engineer in 1998, then was selected to become an astronaut in 2000. He completed two intense years in space shuttle and ISS flight instruction. To bridge differences in language and procedures with international crewmates, Kopra had to complete a Russian language immersion course in Moscow, and then spent time at Russian, Japanese, German and Canadian training sites. For Kopra and his crewmates, everything’s been worth the effort . “We’d like to say what a privilege it is to serve on board the International Space Station, and how grateful we are for all the teams on the ground that support our flying in space, and the science on board,” he says.

ARCHEL BERNARD STC 11 FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF THE BOMBCHEL FACTORY MONROVIA, LIBERIA When Archel Bernard moved to Monrovia, Liberia—her ancestral homeland which her parents had fled in the 1980s during a brutal civil unrest—she wanted to be the Oprah of West Africa. “I would go to communities and shoot videos of exciting things happening in the city,” Bernard says. “And, of course, the West African Oprah just had to wear West African clothing.” So Bernard would design bold, colorful dresses that combined African fabrics and patterns with U.S. styles and have a local shop make them for her. That is, until she realized that not only was her dressmaker taking far too long with her orders, but also that she had copied Bernard’s design and made one for herself and was selling them to other customers. “At that point, I realized I could figure out a way to design and make my own dresses, and possibly make a profit it from it,” Bernard says. “I made eight different styles, found two tailors and paid them a small amount to make my first line. I didn’t even know I was creating a line, much less a company. I sold out of everything and used the feedback and money to create more styles.” She called her fledgling company Mango Rags, and by scraping up every bit of money she could earn, she opened up a small storefront. And then the Ebola outbreak happened, and all Bernard had worked so hard for, seemed lost. “People were scared to shop, so my business declined,” she says. “I got a ticket back to

JAMES JIANZHANG LIANG CS 90, MS CS 91 CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF CTRIP.COM INTERNATIONAL SHANGHAI, CHINA Travel is big business in the United States. But it’s becoming even bigger in China. After working for Oracle Corp. in the U.S. and China following his graduation from Georgia Tech, James Jianzhang Liang capitalized on the online travel trend by cofounding Ctrip.com International in 1999. Headquartered in Shanghai, Ctrip.com is a powerhouse Asian alternative to online travel booking companies such as Expedia and Priceline. (In fact, Priceline is an investor in the

the U.S., closed the shop and left my employees without knowing when or if I would return.” Bernard spent five months figuring out her next move—but all she could think of was returning to Liberia. She decided not to wait until the epidemic was over. “Ebola or no ebola, I needed to come back and help my people bounce back,” she says. “I knew I could do it with my business.” She decided she would help train and employ disadvantaged Liberians. “As I developed The Bombchel Factory, I wanted to include more people who were struggling to be accepted into Liberian society,” Bernard says. She offered jobs and internships to Ebola survivors, rape survivors and deaf students. But the Bombchel Factory is not a charity, insists Bernard. It’s both a business and an opportunity to lift up Liberian women and give them a trade. “Ten years from now I want all my trainees to have their own shops and be my competition,” she says. “I want more women learning to be designers and stylists and believing there are careers in fashion that start at home and can carry them across the world.” A recent Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign has exceeded Bernard’s expectations, with her backers able to pre-order a wide range of apparel and jewelry. She expects production on these first orders to begin in May and delivery to start in July.

company.) Through Liang’s leadership, Ctrip.com quickly grew into one of China’s most recognized travel brands, and its transactions exceeded US$24.5 billion in 2014. In terms of the volume of bookings made by consumers—rather than travel agents or group travel companies—it is the largest consolidator of hotel and transportation tickets in China. To handle this massive demand, Ctrip.com employs more than 30,000 people in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea and Japan. With his formidable technical background, part of it forged at Georgia Tech, Liang has also been a driving force for the company’s use of cutting-edge algorithms to optimize the customer experience, as well as its rollout of Ctrip.com services onto mobile platforms. And though mobile is all the rage in the U.S. right now, the scale of the Chinese market still boggles the mind: The company’s app has been downloaded more than 1 billion times. GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

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LYNN AUSTIN PHDPP00 DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR MANAGEMENT, NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE WASHINGTON, D.C. During his last State of the Union address to the country, President Barack Obama announced a new initiative that amounts to a cancer “moonshot”—that is, an unprecedented commitment to fighting cancer much like the United States’ effort in the 1960s to put a man on the moon. Few could have been happier than Lynn Austin, the chief operating officer for the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health. Austin may not be trained as a medical doctor or epidemiologist, but she inarguably has made a larger impact during her operations career by “keeping the trains running” and making sure that researchers and practitioners have the resources to do their jobs. At the NCI, she oversees 5,000 employees—500 of them who work for her directly—as well as a budget of $5 billion and 120 buildings and facilities. The revitalized commitment to fighting cancer means she’ll have more support than ever. “I absolutely love my job,” Austin says. “We are doing the cutting edge, complicated research that’s difficult to fund outside of government. Then we share wour findings so that that they can be put into practice broadly.” That means not only in the U.S., but also globally. “The NCI works with other countries to help them detect, deter and respond to diseases and conditions,” she says. “We also learn a lot from other countries’ research and operations, and we work together to tackle problems.” Austin long yearned for such a world-changing career. “I was indoctrinated into government service at a young age,” she says. “My mother worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and I found it so interesting that what I was seeing in the news was what my mom was dealing with in her job. She helped send epidemiologists out to research such things as botulism outbreaks.” Austin herself served with the CDC for 25 years. While there, she was empowered to earn her PhD in public policy from Georgia Tech, which helped her advance her career. Former CDC Director Julie Gerberding named her chief of staff in 2005. And Austin was later selected as deputy director for the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response in 2009. In that role, Austin led operational responses to the earthquake in Haiti, the H1N1 flu outbreak and many others. “I had come full circle from what I saw my mom doing,” she says. “As I did with my time at the CDC, I feel the impact of my work at the NCI every day. I love solving problems and making sure the work gets done—especially when the stakes are high.”

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MIKE EVERLY BME 82 OWNER AND FOUNDER, BEES AND TREES MANUKA HONEY ATLANTA AND NEW ZEALAND When Mike Everly moved his family to New Zealand in 2009, the main objective was to give his family an opportunity to live outside the United States for a spell. But at the same time, Everly was looking for business opportunities. “I knew that we’d be there for about three to four years, and I wanted a project that wouldn’t consume me fulltime—preferably a business I could eventually manage back in the States,” Everly says. The opportunity he found was literally a sticky proposition—making honey. But this wasn’t your run-ofthe-mill honey. New Zealand is one of only two places in the world where you can find manuka trees, a flowering plant in the myrtle family that New Zealand bees love to forage upon. The resulting manuka honey is prized around the world as a super food and for its health benefits. “The manuka market had been around for 10-15 years, and the demand was skyrocketing, so I thought it would be a safe investment,” Everly says. At first, he bought some beehives and let local workers manage things for him. But after spending two seasons observing, Everly took over operations and put a plan in place to expand the business and differentiate his product from the competition. “For one thing, manuka honey is expensive—you can find it in Whole Foods for $40 to $50 a jar,” he says. “By selling our honey online, direct to consumer, we can limit our costs and charge $36, which is a big advantage.” Another is Everly’s commitment to quality. “We are hive-tojar,” he says. “We pack it directly with very minimal processing, and due to this and our favorable microclimate conditions, customers recognize that our honey has a superior taste.” Though Everly and his family have since moved back to Atlanta, he’s fully committed to the 1,200 hives and six fulltime workers he manages. “Thanks to high-tech scales, I’m able to sit at home and monitor the weight of the hives during manuka season from thousands of miles away,” he says, though he still travels to New Zealand two or three times a year for a month or so at a time.

CURT HOPKINS MSMGT95 NOVASTONE MEDIA LTD. LONDON, ENGLAND When Curt Hopkins graduated from Georgia Tech with his master’s degree in management, the Internet was taking off globally—especially the use of email and basic web browsing. With a background in telecommunications, he was recruited to take a look at a new joint venture opportunity in Kazakhstan, a relatively new country formed when it declared its independence from the Soviet republic in 1991. “There were 15 million people living in the country,” Hopkins says. “And it was a very educated populace eager to find out what was happening around the world. But its telecom network was shockingly bad.” The venture, called Nursat, was a collaboration with Lucent Technologies—which itself had just split off from AT&T—as well as the U.S. government and Kazakh investors. Hopkins was hired to help bring the Internet and other telecom services to consumers and corporate networks in 25 cities using satellite technologies. “Over a span of four years, we built up Nursat to $10 million in annual revenue and then sold the business in 2000,” Hopkins says. Though he enjoyed being part of a startup in a place with so much growth opportunity, Hopkins decided to look for a role with a larger, more stable corporation in a larger, more stable location—London. For the next several years, he held positions overseeing business units for major companies such as Marconi, Fujitsu, Nortel and Vodafone, among others.

JASMINE BURTON ID 14 FOUNDER, WISH FOR WASH, AND GLOBAL HEALTH CORPS FELLOW LUSAKA, ZAMBIA Two years ago, just before she “got out” of Georgia Tech, Jasmine Burton and her team of students won Tech’s InVenture Prize—the largest undergraduate invention competition in the United States—with their design of an inexpensive, portable toilet called SafiChoo. She’d been inspired to do something about the global sanitation crisis after learning as a freshman that nearly half of the world didn’t have access to a toilet, and that women and girls were disproportionately burdened. “Pubescent girls in the developing world frequently drop out of school because their schools lacked toilets,” Burton says. Such realities angered her as both a designer and a woman,

“But then I decided I wanted to get involved with startups again,” Hopkins says. He acquired with private equity a company called Redeem that focused on recycling trade-in mobile phones and other electronic devices, growing the business to $45 million in annual revenues before selling it to financial investors. And then he began looking for other new, small- to medium-sized technology-related businesses to help lead, fund and grow to scale. “I’ve been a serial entrepreneur and investor ever since,” he says. Today, Hopkins is the COO for Novastone Media, a software business that provides secure mobile messaging for private banks and wealth management firms. “It’s like a secure form of WhatsApp, allowing users to talk to high-value customers in a safe way but also compliant with financial regulations,” Hopkins says. “Email phishing and spoofing is a big threat in this arena.” In addition, he is heavily involved in tech startup incubation through the Alacrity Foundation in Wales, where he’s so far helped launch five startups with 10 more in the pipeline. “Silicon Valley may get all the attention, but London has a very vibrant startup scene, especially in FinTech,” he says. “It’s a dynamic ecosystem and there are a lot of Georgia Tech alumni who are part of it.”

and she decided to dedicate her life to solving such problems. After graduation, Burton went to Africa to further development of the SafiChoo and to work on a number of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure initiatives. She launched Wish for WASH, a social impact startup that seeks to bring innovation to sanitation. Through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, her team raised nearly $26,000 to support their efforts. Burton simultaneously serves as a design specialist at the Society for Family Health, a reproductive health organization in Zambia, via her Global Health Corps fellowship. “Similar to WASH, reproductive health is often seen as a taboo topic in Africa, with people uncomfortable or afraid to talk about it,” Burton says. “I believe that if you can’t talk about something, then you cannot improve it. I want to help normalize this conversation and empower people to make educated decisions for themselves.” GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

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The tenacious violence of an extremist, would-be Islamic state. Ideological acts of mass terrorism in Paris and California. Bloody civil wars in the Middle East and Africa. Political and military posturing by no-longer-sleeping giants Russia and China. An ongoing chess game of deterrence by nations with nuclear WMDs and those who want them.

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And underneath it all, the invisible, underestimated threat of cyberwarfare. Does our planet teeter on the brink of doomsday? Or does the longer lens of history present a different picture? We asked two of Georgia Tech’s most respected alumni—who also happen to be two of our nation’s most noted military minds—to help make sense of our world of conflict.

BY ROGER SLAVENS

Few people in the world are as well qualified to discuss the current threats facing the globe as Gen. Philip Breedlove, CE 77, and retired Adm. James A. “Sandy” Winnefeld, AE 78. Breedlove serves as the supreme NATO allied commander for Europe and head of the U.S. European Command. Winnefeld recently retired from his post as the vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and last year joined Georgia Tech as a distinguished professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs. Not only are these two top military leaders both Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity brothers—and former PIKE housemates—but together they have more than 80 years of experience in serving their country at home and abroad during times of war and peace. The Alumni Magazine asked Winnfeld and Breedlove to share their expert opinions on the multitude of conflicts and threats the United States and the global community now face. GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 91 NO.4 2015

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Just how bad off is the world today in terms of its ongoing conflicts and the likelihood of major threats compared to other periods over the past few decades? SANDY WINNEFELD: One only has to consider the major wars of the 20th century to understand that our world has seen far greater—indeed existential— threats to security than ISIL. That said, while the combination of imminence and magnitude of security challenges may be somewhat decreased, their number and complexity seems to have increased. Major nation states like Russia and China have closed the gap on conventional war-fighting capabilities for a variety of reasons, and seem to be willing to challenge American leadership. Lesser and insecure authoritarian powers will apparently use any available means to either achieve hegemony over their region, as with Iran, or maintain regime survival, as in North Korea. And, of course, the juxtaposition of numerous conflicts within the Middle East is resulting in enormous instability that in some cases extends beyond the region. ISIL has changed how we look at organized terrorism. What is the key to defeating these extremists when air strikes on oil refineries and depots so far haven’t worked? How do we engage ISIL conventionally in the Middle East—boots on the ground? Forces from other Arab countries taking some of the load? And meanwhile how do we also maintain our vigilance against attacks in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere? PHILIP BREEDLOVE: I believe that if there were a simple solution to this problem, we would have already won. Every combatant

— RET. ADM. JAMES A. “SANDY” WINNEFELD command is affected in some way by the war against ISIL and extremist groups who use terrorism as their weapon throughout the world. When you consider the mindset of the individuals involved with these extremist organizations, there really isn’t a whole lot of room for negotiation. These people are consumed with a twisted ideology that promotes violence as the “means,” and their “ends” are completely out of touch with what any civilized society would deem acceptable. While the battle is taking place mostly in the CENTCOM and AFRICOM areas of responsibility, profound effects from the war have been seen in EUCOM, PACOM and NORTHCOM, as well. I regularly speak with my fellow COCOMs about our combined efforts within the Department of Defense to make sure we are sharing information and resources. There are some things working in our favor. I think that having a large, multinational coalition which is committed to defeating ISIL is a step in the right direction. This broad coalition, comprised of over 60 nations, has momentum and we are seeing many nations expanding their commitments in this fight. Additionally, we are now seeing Arab nations take a larger role in speaking out against these brutal and murderous groups. That is also a step in the right direction.

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∏ Gen. Philip Breedlove, CE 77 The airstrikes the coalition has conducted against ISIL locations and personnel are the immediately visible aspect of this fight. But the coalition is also taking great steps to share intelligence and halt the financing of these terrorist organizations. That may not sound like much, but ISIL needs resources to pay for their operations and the jihadists who carry them out, and govern the areas they have captured. Starving their ability to resource their organization is of great importance. WINNEFELD: In my opinion, one must consider the rise of ISIL as yet another chapter in the generational struggle between majority moderate and minority extremist interpretations of Islam. It will only end when extremism is sufficiently attenuated—or outright rejected—by the entire Muslim world, in much the same way as the Soviet Union collapsed of its own internal contradictions. The most immediate problem we’re addressing is how to protect the U.S. and our allies and partners while this struggle runs its course. While better protecting ourselves at home, it will also be necessary to balance the magnitude of our physical response

overseas with the importance of the national security interests that are actually affected. This would seem to imply a measured rather than full-bore approach that enables local governments and populations to win this battle. This approach is gradually working, but will take time and strategic patience. Is a war against terrorism something that can be won, or can terrorism only be contained? What can be done better to stop terrorism at its roots? Is there any possible resolution between Islamic extremists and the West, or is de-escalation impossible? WINNEFELD: That gets to a second question, which is very important in the longer term: What will it take for moderate Islam to carry the day over extremist Islam? Answering this will require a better understanding of what causes young Muslim millennials to radicalize. At a minimum, the answer will require at least five concerted efforts. The first is providing more economic opportunity to young Muslims—both within and outside the Middle East—so they have a stake in something they GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

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∏ Retired Adm. James A. “Sandy” Winnefeld, AE 78 do not want to lose to extremism. The second is according more dignity to Muslim populations to reduce the sense of humiliation that can drive them to extremism. The third is effectively countering the “jihadi cool” factor that leads many young wouldbe jihadis down a fatal path. The fourth is to find credible Muslim voices to help turn the tide. And lastly, we need to show what life under a caliphate is really like for those who choose to migrate in that direction. None of these efforts is currently effective. BREEDLOVE: I agree with Sandy. To really make a difference and appreciably shift the momentum in our direction, the world writ large needs to have a very convincing counterrecruiting campaign take hold. Individuals who are prime targets for jihadist recruiting must be convinced by moderate members of the Islamic faith that jihad is not the answer. This is going to be way more than a propaganda effort. If you want to use the “carrot and stick” analogy, right now we are heavy on the “stick.” Long-term, effective changes in governance and economics that will provide greater opportunities for young people susceptible to ISIL recruiting really will be the “carrot” that makes the biggest difference in this fight. When young Muslim men and women are more convinced that driving changes through peaceful efforts is more lucrative than joining jihadi forces, the tide will turn completely against ISIL.

Cyberwarfare and cyberterrorism seem invisible or at least distant to most U.S. citizens beyond criminal bank and retail data breaches, but we keep hearing about how massive the threat is to our national security. What should we know and why should we be concerned about it? WINNEFELD: Cyber threats exist in what I call “the land of fading borders,” where the lines between near and far, strength and weakness, peace and war, state and individual, civil and military, and public and private have become increasingly blurred. Cyber threats are posed by a diverse array of actors, including nation states and their proxies, criminals, hacktivists and possibly even terrorists. Depending on their sophistication, they can steal economically important data, disrupt networks through denial of service attacks, or actually destroy networks using malicious software. Such attacks threaten our economy, our infrastructure and our physical security. There are a number of keys to countering cyber attacks, including the understanding that cyber security is a journey, not a destination. Because nearly every successful cyber attack is enabled by human error, we need to not only focus on technical solutions, but also on human performance. BREEDLOVE: I would defer to Sandy on much of this question, as he has been a strong advocate for cyber security. This is a complicated issue that some view as state competition, but

The Council on Foreign Relations, through its Center for Preventative Action, recently polled U.S. policymakers on the top perceived threats to U.S. national interests in 2016, based on their potential impact and likelihood of occurring. This year, the further escalation of the Syrian civil war was policymakers’ top priority to prevent, replacing the ongoing conflict in Iraq. Here’s a full chart of the top tier of threats as identified by elected officials, academic experts and foreign policymakers, in the CFR’s eighth annual Preventative Priorities Survey. 0 6 2

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THREAT

Intensification of the Syrian Civil War (resulting from increased external support for warring parties, including military intervention by outside powers)

IMPACT

High

LIKELIHOOD

High

many argue it is a warfare domain. Viewed either way, there can be major ramifications if it is not taken seriously. Peers, adversaries, state and individual actors are routinely probing every minute of every day looking to exploit systems, gain intelligence and potentially do harm to us. Everything we do resides in the digital domain. The cyber piece of social media exploitation cannot be ignored. Our adversaries, both state and non-state sponsored, generate a great deal of propaganda over a vast network of social media. So far, they have been very savvy with their ability to communicate via social media platforms that are encrypted or difficult to trace. Whether these communications are to coordinate attacks, or discredit the U.S. and our Allies, they are difficult to counter. Many organizations worldwide are dedicating a lot of resources and effort to exploit and limit these capabilities. Simply looking at this in terms of resources and manpower, it seems inevitable that the tide will shift in our favor. Our biggest challenge has been to get ahead and stay ahead of technology, and work within legal boundaries. How do you view the security of the U.S. power grid and our water supplies? What initiatives need to be put in place to ensure physical or electronic attacks are mitigated? WINNEFELD: Our power grid and other elements of physical and financial infrastructure are at grave risk from a cyber attack. A number of defensive steps need to be taken, accounting again for the fact that this is a journey not a destination. First and foremost, those at risk need to ensure they invest wisely in improvements in both technical and human performance in

— RET. ADM. SANDY WINNEFELD the cyber domain. These investments need to be aligned to not only protecting networks, but to protecting data as well. Second, we should fully leverage the recently passed Cybersecurity Act of 2015, which better allows businesses to protect their networks and voluntarily share cyber security information, and do so with liability protections. Third, we should continue our efforts to deter such attacks, including the ability to respond in any appropriate manner against those who conduct them. And finally, far more research is needed regarding how to move beyond signature-based defenses (which always allow the first attacks to succeed until preventive measures are put into place) and towards the ability to defend against attacks in progressu, while they are occurring for the first time.

A mass casualty attack on the U.S. or a treaty ally

A highly disruptive cyberattack on U.S. critical infrastructure

A severe crisis with or in North Korea (caused by nuclear or ballistic missile weapons testing, a military provocation or internal political instability)

Political instability in EU countries (stemming from the influx of refugees and migrants, with heightened civil unrest, isolated terrorist attacks or violence against refugees and migrants)

High

Moderate

* Source: “2016 Preventative Priorities Survey,” Council on Foreign Relations’ Center for Preventative Action

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After creating havoc in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been flexing his muscles in the Middle East, and his support of the Syrian regime is at odds with most of the rest of the U.N. What is he really up to? How big a threat is Russia to the geopolitical arena? BREEDLOVE: Russia endeavors to be seen as a world power, and it hopes to achieve these results by changing the regional security system. If you look at some of the actions Russia has taken in the last year, they have all served to attempt to discredit the West, destabilize the NATO alliance and force changes in the current European security system. Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that by destabilizing regional security with his campaigns in Ukraine, Crimea, Georgia and Moldova, he can test the will and the strength of the alliance. Russia’s involvement in Syria is much like those campaigns, where Russia has placed blame on U.S involvement and leadership and claimed that the conflicts are a result of an unjust security system. And in Syria, Putin believes he can create an alternative security structure where Russia will emerge as a leader in that region. By supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and by partnering with Iran and Hezbollah, Putin believes that he is demonstrating leadership indicative of a world power. This is a strategically flawed policy that will create greater instability in the region, but not to the benefit of Russia. As we see Russia continue to pour military resources into Syria, what we are actually witnessing is that nation embarking on an “all in” strategy, and this could have profound negative effects on Russia’s already struggling economy. In Syria, Russia’s involvement will destabilize the regional security structure. Additionally, the importance of the NATO alliance cannot be overstated. Russia seeks to chip away and cause rifts within the alliance, and we must continue to support our partners and protect their interests.

— GEN. PHILIP BREEDLOVE

WINNEFELD: I defer to Phil Breedlove on most of this, since he is right in the middle of that problem. However, I try to understand President Putin’s behavior as a combination of classic Russian paranoia and post-Soviet thuggery and kleptocracy. He is confronting a daunting landscape of the three factors ancient Greek warrior-philosopher Thucydides suggested cause conflict: fear, honor and interest. As with any totalitarian state, Russian leaders are acutely afraid of losing control of their population— which will become restless as it continues to decline in both demographic and economic power. Russian leaders long for the honor that accompanied their prior status as a global power. And, of course, Russia often expresses its own national interests in their so-called near-abroad and even beyond. Despite commentary that would suggest brilliant maneuvering, Russia’s approaches in Ukraine and Syria have actually been clumsy and have largely backfired. They have been tactical, not strategic.

THREAT

Continued political fracturing of Libya (with heightened violence and further military intervention by Arab states)

Heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinian territories (leading to attacks against civilians, widespread protests and armed confrontations)

Intensified political violence in Turkey (involving various Kurdish groups and Turkish security forces, exacerbated by spillover from the Syrian civil war)

IMPACT

Moderate

LIKELIHOOD

High

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While we can hope their leaders’ recognition of this will have a moderating influence on Russian behavior, for now we cannot allow hope to be our strategy, and will need to remain firm yet wise in countering this insecure power. How is the U.S. truly perceived in the global community today in terms of foreign relations influence and military strength? Are we really weaker as some presidential candidates claim? WINNEFELD: We have to understand that this is a political season, and regardless of which party is in power, the other will try to depict its competitor as weak on security. Meanwhile, across a number of decades now, the United States has enjoyed the most robust set of allies and partners of any nation in history. There are several reasons for this. One of the most important is our generally principled adherence to international law, in contrast to several other major powers. We also have enduring strengths in geography, natural resources, demographics and diversity, higher education, rule of law, the quality and innovative spirit within our economy, our values of freedom and liberty, and the world’s strongest military. When the chips are really down, our allies and partners always look to us for leadership. BREEDLOVE: In regards to NATO countries, this is not an easy question to answer because the U.S. is perceived differently by each of the nations, and we all have different perceptions

on different issues. Strength and influence are relative and subjective, so the range of view is likely to be wide. I will tell you that NATO nations still look to the U.S. to lead, and it would be greatly disappointing to many of them if we were ever to be perceived as abdicating our role as leaders on the world stage. The U.S. is, and I hope will always be, the No. 1 advocate for freedom, democracy and human rights around the world. As for the global perceptions and utility of NATO, I can say that NATO has stood proudly as an alliance for peace for over 70 years now. No other alliance enjoys such an amazing track record. NATO’s greatest strength is unity of all, not the individual strength of one nation, and this is what has made NATO so successful. NATO decisions require the careful consideration of all allies, with consensus of 28 nations, and this can create powerful and enduring results. At times, this makes processes a bit slow, but on the flip side, there is great strength in 28 (soon to be 29) nations speaking with one voice. Is our military shrinking too small to support the various conflicts around the globe? How big should our military be in terms of numbers of service members and in terms of spending as a percent of GDP? WINNEFELD: I believe the size of our nation’s investment in its military should not be coupled to GDP. If we did so, our military would be hopelessly tied to the growth or shrinkage

— RET. ADM. SANDY WINNEFELD

Increased political instability in Egypt (including terrorist attacks, particularly in the Sinai Peninsula)

Increased violence and instability in Afghanistan (resulting from the strengthening of the Taliban insurgency)

Continued fracturing of Iraq (due to territorial gains by the self-proclaimed Islamic State and ongoing Sunni-Shia sectarian violence)

Moderate

High

* Source: “2016 Preventative Priorities Survey,” Council on Foreign Relations’ Center for Preventative Action

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o f o u r e c o n o m y, which would not serve us well. Rather, we need to determine what our national interests are, prioritize them, understand the gaps between threats to those interests and our ability to mitigate those threats, and then adjust accordingly. ∏ Gen. Philip Breedlove addresses NATO forces. To b e s u r e , I a m concerned that funding for our military’s three key variables of capability, capacity and readiness is becoming less adequate to the imperative of protecting our most important security interests. However, I am more concerned about the shape of our military than its size—the threat landscape is changing, and we need to be careful to avoid becoming trapped in old ways of protecting ourselves. BREEDLOVE: I agree with Sandy’s response to the question, but would like to add a little bit regarding U.S. forces in Europe. Following the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union, the major adversary to counter in Europe no longer existed. Our force structure in Europe was no longer required to be at the level it was in the 1980s, so it was drawn down significantly. Fast forward to now. Today we have two very real, very credible threats of ISIL to the south, and Russia at Europe’s eastern doorstep. With the continued fiscal constraints we face, I think we all accept that our current permanent force structure will probably not change substantially. What we need to determine is the appropriate size and composition of future rotational forces, coupled with pre-positioned equipment. In addition, we’ll need to continue incorporating NATO rotations as well to further enhance our assurance and deterrence measures into the foreseeable future. 0 6 6

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Given the upcoming U.S. presidential election, no matter who wins, what new attitude or approach toward foreign relations do you think will be best serve the U.S.—and what would be the worst? BREEDLOVE: Throughout the history of our nation, we have had periods of smooth foreign relations and periods of significant friction. I think we need a recollection of history and to continue to do what works, and steer away from what has hurt our credibility. Our national bilateral relationships are built upon trust. We must be very conscious of that fact and do everything we can, through diplomacy, through economic support, through information sharing, and through use of our military, to ensure that we do not take actions that could erode that trust. WINNEFELD: As I alluded to earlier, we should ensure we operate from a clear understanding of our prioritized national security interests, which in my view include: the survival of the nation; prevention of catastrophic attacks on the nation; protection of the global economic system; secure, confident and reliable allies and partners; protection of American citizens abroad; and protection and where possible extension of the universal values we cherish. Viewing security through this lens adds discipline to a process that otherwise drifts with currents of the latest crisis. When higher or many national interests are threatened in large degrees, then more power must be applied to protect them; and the reverse is true. In so doing, we need to use all instruments of national power, including diplomacy, economic power, the power of information, and— as a last resort—military power. In my view, we have been doing this fairly well for quite some time, but could do a better job of articulating it to our own population and to the world. On the home front, what is the biggest single threat to the security of the U.S. and its citizens? WINNEFELD: Threats have to be viewed in the context of a combination of likelihood and consequences. Though least likely, the most consequential threat to the security of the U.S. is a nuclear attack from a major power, such as Russia or China. Because intentions can change overnight, we need to

ensure the ability to deter this type of attack through a robust response. North Korea is a far lesser power, but may soon be able to launch a much smaller n u c l e a r a tt a c k . Because such an attack is more likely—though it is still very unlikely— it makes sense to ∏ Ret. Adm. Sandy Winnefeld has returned to Georgia invest in a missile Tech as a distinguished professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs. defense system that can actually counter such an attack. Finally, while the threat of a terrorist attack is far less consequential than a nuclear attack, it is far more likely, and we need to continue to invest in the capabilities required to prevent one from occurring on a significant scale. Cyber attacks, as I mentioned earlier, are also serious, ongoing threats. BREEDLOVE: As Americans, we share a set of values that include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If you ask Americans what the biggest threat is, I would venture to guess they would respond with the threat that they view as most perilous to these values. How we view threats alters our perception. A sudden, all out catastrophic event, such as a nuclear attack, while not probable is no less dangerous than the slow insidious damage to society caused by terrorism from extremist organizations.

Where do we stand in our nuclear détente with Russia, North Korea and other powers, as well as in our efforts to make sure Iran isn’t able to manufacture nuclear WMDs? WINNEFELD: Deterrence may be a better word than détente. Our nuclear deterrent force is presently in good shape, especially in light of improvements that have recently been made to a culture that was, candidly, slipping a bit. However, we are facing the need to recapitalize the three legs of our deterrent triad, which are all coming due very soon and within a relatively compact time period. BREEDLOVE: I am also not a big fan of the word “détente,” but I am confident that we are taking steps in the right direction to ensure that our deterrence portfolio remains strong, and should deterrence fail, NATO is on a path to improving policies and increasing capacity with regards to ballistic missile defense capabilities. How prepared are we to defend ourselves against a biological or chemical weapon attack at either NATO bases in Europe or a major U.S. city? How big of threat do such attacks pose? BREEDLOVE: This is a question of likelihood and consequences. The likelihood of a well-planned, well-coordinated, wellexecuted attack going completely undetected is very small. Prevention is the key. The crux of this issue is ensuring host nations have the capability and information to prevent an attack from occurring. Our intel community is particularly focused on prevention of WMD attacks. Within NATO, we share much of this intelligence and have taken steps to increase informationsharing processes. All that said, if an attack were to occur, I think the civil and national responders would get a lot of help from Allies and partners around the world. WINNEFELD: At home, we have a relatively robust structure of civilian and military capability to respond in the wake of a moderatesized attack. The challenge, of course, is prevention, which requires the best possible intelligence and law enforcement capability. In this and other areas, we need to enable development of intelligence information without impacting the freedoms we enjoy as a nation, which I am convinced is possible if we have the right safeguards in place. Looking at the current state of global conflict and threat, what makes you most optimistic for humankind’s collective future?

— RET. ADM. SANDY WINNEFELD

WINNEFELD: I am most optimistic about the enduring idea presented to the world by this never-perfect democratic experiment we call the United States of America. Our respect for freedom, our creativity, and all the other strengths I mentioned above in a previous answer will continue to provide a positive example for all the world. Regardless of the criticisms we receive, whether accurate or baseless, we still represent, GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

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in Abraham Lincoln’s words, “the last best hope of earth.” We need to live up to that challenge and not fall prey to the temptation for isolationism or, worse, bigotry and jingoism. BREEDLOVE: Our strong relationships with our allies and partners have, and continue to, serve us well. We must remain committed to investing in these relationships and collectively implement a broad strategy using diplomatic, information and economic influence. Military intervention alone will not resolve any of the issues we have discussed. As Americans, we must never forget that our freedom and democracy are protected by the military and led by the people elected to office. I am optimistic that America will continue to be the leader of the free world. There are many people in many nations who see America as a beacon of hope, and they are depending on us to lead. What worries you most? WINNEFELD: Candidly, I am most concerned that our elected officials, and in particular members of Congress, have raised their personal and party fortunes to a higher priority than our national security, prosperity and leadership. They have done so in an increasingly vitriolic way and almost without exception. Our political discourse has evolved into a competition for sound bites, not interesting new ideas on hard issues. Members of opposite parties in Congress rarely ever meet with each other. This has nearly eliminated the ability for political compromise on key issues, which has always driven this nation forward. This is evidenced by brinksmanship, continuing resolutions and budgets that are consistently delivered months late. Perhaps most concerning is the increasingly acerbic rhetoric from politicians, politically aligned pundits and certain members of the media on both sides, which makes it harder for ordinary Americans to obtain a balanced view and makes compromise even harder to achieve. Finally, the combination of gerrymandered congressional districts and political primaries has forced those running for office on both sides to increasingly reach out to, and appease, the extreme elements of their party, expressing positions from which it is hard to walk back. Even the slightest compromise is viewed as political weakness in this toxic, hardened environment. It will take exceptionally strong and courageous leadership to restore our political process to one that is able to compromise intelligently and move our nation forward. It is hard to be optimistic about this. BREEDLOVE: From my foxhole, I worry about unintended consequences from strategic miscalculation or tactical level mistakes: In many ways our nation and the NATO alliance fail to clearly demonstrate our resolve to keep Europe free, prosperous and at peace. Avoinding belligerants, or wishing them away, has proven costly throughout history. It would be extremely dangerous if 0 6 8

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Russia was to interpret our lack of clarity as opportunity for further adventurism. Unintended consequences also come from the tactical level: Think of the potential impact that an unsafe and unprofessional Russian act could have if it caused U.S. loss of life. Finally, what do you think the world will look like in 20 years in terms of global conflict? BREEDLOVE: Predictions are a tricky thing, and if you simply look at what the world looked like one to two years ago, there are not a lot of people who can confidently say they predicted what we are facing now. Right now we are fighting ISIL, a group that perverts religion, exploits poverty and takes advantage of the fringe and disaffected populations to achieve their goals. No one will argue that ISIL is an immediate threat to security on a global scale. But, as I mentioned earlier, Russia’s potential to threaten our allies in Europe must be taken seriously. ISIL and Russia are the present challenges we must deal with today. Even though we may not be able to predict with absolute certainty what new threats or conflicts may arise in the future, we can shape the conditions and build a strong force to meet these threats or conflicts. WINNEFELD: I am not even sure I would call terrorism the main threat to security—though it is the most likely threat. As the late, great Yogi Berra once said, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” I would make two points. First, I believe we are in a generational struggle for the hearts and minds of large, disaffected and increasingly well-connected populations across the globe. We will fail to account for this at our peril. Second, the uni-polar moment we enjoyed immediately after the end of the Cold War has passed. While the combination of factors I mentioned earlier sustains the U.S. as the strongest nation on earth, we will have to interact with our increasingly capable competitors from a position of principled strength—which is the only thing they understand—across all elements of national power.

PROVIDED BY GEORGIA TECH'S OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT

THE

IMPACT

PHILANTHROPY

Intel invests $5 million in workforce diversity Intel is investing $5 million in Georgia Tech over the next five years to build a pipeline of underrepresented engineers and computer scientists. The Intel Diversity Scholars Program will recruit and retain underrepresented minority students to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) majors and prepare them for graduate school. The effort is anticipated to benefit roughly 1,000 high school and undergraduate students over five years through scholarships, mentoring, and professional develRosalind Hudnell

opment workshops.

GEORGIA

TECH

$30 million Kendeda Fund grant to advance sustainability Georgia Tech has received a commitment for $30 million from The Kendeda Fund to build what is expected to become the most environmentally advanced education and research building in the Southeast. With a combined focus on sustainable design, construction, and operation, the commitment represents The Kendeda Fund’s largest single grant, and is one of the largest foundation grants received in the Institute’s history. The planned facility will be integrated into Georgia Tech’s

“Filling the tech industry pipeline with diverse

Eco-Commons, a series of

students is critical to increasing the number of diverse engineers and

campus green spaces designed

computer scientists in the field,” said Rosalind Hudnell, vice president

to conserve natural resources,

of human resources and chief diversity officer at Intel. “The goal of

including energy and water, and

this program is to inspire and to support more women and underrep-

provide the campus community

resented minorities to earn technical degrees so we can hire them

with educational and recre-

down the road — we want to foster those future tech innovators.”

ational amenities.

Record-shattering year for Reunion Giving

Living Building Challenge — a

Francis “Bo” Godbold IE 1965 50th Reunion Chair

“I am so fired up about our class’ results,” said Francis S. “Bo” Godbold, IE 1965. “We had the largest committee, we had the largest percentage participation, and we had the largest amount that any 50th reunion class has ever given to Georgia Tech.” And indeed, the Class of 1965 accomplished what Godbold had set out to do from the begin-

The facility is part of the program, advocacy tool, and philosophy that defines the most advanced measure of sustain-

The Bullitt Center in Seattle, Washington, is certified as a Living Building, and is a model for green building.

ability possible in the current built environment. Meeting the challenge requires close adherence to some of the most stringent building performance standards in the world. To be certified under the program, a building must meet all requirements over a full 12-month period of continued operations and occupancy. Pending final approval by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents and reaching defined milestones, the goal is to begin construction in 2017, with occupancy targeted for late 2018 and building certification planned for 2020.

ning of his tenure as chairman of the reunion committee — break last year’s record. With almost 50 percent participation, this year’s 50th reunion class raised a whopping $41 million, exceeding the Class of 1964’s total by more than $8 million. The other milestone classes enjoyed tremendous success as well, as the Class of 1975 and the Class of 1990 both went over their respective goals. Combined, these classes raised a historic $58 million, and the Institute is all the stronger for it. The Georgia Tech Eco-Commons will be integrated into the environmentally advanced education and research building that The Kendeda Fund grant will support.

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PROVIDED BY GEORGIA TECH'S OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT

EBB dedicated on day of remembrance

Noonan Golf Facility breaks ground On the morning of October 8, in the shadow of IKEA and just off bustling 14th Street, supporters of Georgia Tech golf gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new practice facility. The $13 million project began with purchasing the land and will now involve a full-scale renovation and redesign of the practice facility. From the beginning, the leading philanthropic supporters have been Thomas E. Noonan, ME 1983, and Kim P. Noonan, IMGT 1983. But, as Tom Noonan acknowledged, they were by no means alone in making this happen, thanking “the countless donors who supported this project.” He added, “Leave it to the strength and fortitude of Georgia Tech people to get it done.” When completed in fall 2016, the facility will feature a new building with interior spaces for year-round use, hitting bays, a par 3 complex, and chipping and pitching greens.

On September 11, a sun-drenched, late-summer Friday afternoon, members of the Georgia Tech community joined with Institute friends and partners from Emory University and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to formally dedicate a stunning new facility, the Engineered Biosystems Building (EBB). The occasion was also marked by solemn reflection and remembrance for the lives lost in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Donna Hyland, president and CEO of Children’s, told the audience, “We are thrilled to call this home. We hope we can encourage the many talented faculty and students here at Georgia Tech to direct their talents and interest to pediatric research.” EBB houses the new Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Pediatric Technology Center. “The cures are going to come,” Hyland said. “What I see in this building are cures.”

Joining Buzz (from left to right): Bud Peterson, Kim Noonan, Tom Noonan, Mike Bobinski, and Bruce Heppler.

Einstein Monument dedicated on Tech Green As Homecoming and Reunion Weekend neared on Friday afternoon, October 23, hundreds of students, faculty and staff, alumni, and friends joined together in the northwest corner of Tech Green to welcome Georgia Tech’s newest permanent resident: Albert Einstein. That is, the Albert Einstein Monument, a 12-foot bronze sculpture of the Nobel Prize-winning physicist and humanitarian created by American artist Robert Berks (1922-2011). The unveiling and dedication were the culmination of months of fundraising, planning, transporting, and finally installing the piece. Dozens of friends and alumni, including the Class of 1966, provided funds to make the purchase, installation, and long-term maintenance as well as Einstein-related programming possible. James F. Barksdale, Atlanta investment manager and chief investment officer of Equity Investment Corp., was the lead donor.

Donors to the Albert Einstein Monument join President Bud Peterson and First Lady Val Peterson, Provost Rafael Bras and Pat Bras, and Tod Berks, widow of sculptor Robert Berks, at the dedication.

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PROVIDED BY GEORGIA TECH'S OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT

Haley estate gift to support graduate fellowships

Edge Center Renovation Challenge in full swing

The late Marian Peacock Haley, who died in 2013, designated in her Will a gift of $2 million to establish merit-based graduate fellowships in honor of her late husband, Herbert P. Haley, ME 1933.

An anonymous donor has established a $3 million challenge grant designed to inspire charitable gifts to support renovations to the Arthur B. Edge Jr. Intercollegiate Athletics Center.

As a result, the Herbert

That challenge is in full swing, marking the first phase of a

P. Haley Fellowship Fund

far-reaching, multi-year renovation project. The goal of the challenge

has been created, ensuring

is to provide a minimum of $6 million in gifts and commitments to

that the Haley legacy will

complete the first stage of updating and modernizing the Edge Center

endure on Georgia Tech’s

— in particular, the areas within the facility that have a direct impact

campus.

on the lives of all student-athletes, regardless of sport, notably the

“Graduate education

academic center and the sports medicine/rehabilitation center.

and research in traditional

It has been decades since either of these areas has been signifi-

and emerging disciplines

cantly updated, and both are crucial to Georgia Tech athletics. The

are vital to the future,”

renovation will create state-of-the-art spaces that give student-athletes

said Susan E. Cozzens,

the tools and resources to excel academically, and access to the best

vice provost for Graduate Education and Faculty

Graduate students now represent onethird of Tech’s student body.

Development. “Preparing future generations to take on the grand

treatment for the physical rigors of competition. To date, almost $1 million has been raised toward the initial $3 million goal, as the planning continues.

challenges of their time has been a part of Georgia Tech’s DNA for more than a century. Marian Haley knew how critical this work was and will always be. Her generous support of Tech graduate students is truly inspirational.”

Batts commitment strengthens TI:GER Warren L. Batts, EE 1961, has made a seven-figure commitment to an existing endowment fund that bears his name and provides transformational support for TI:GER (Technology Innovation: Generating Economic Results).

PROPOSED

INTERIOR PERSPECTIVE VIEW

Created in 2002, the program was originally funded by a National Science Foundation grant. It is housed in the Ernest Scheller Jr. College of Business. TI:GER brings together graduate

GTAA PROGRAMMING REPORT

COLLINS COOPER CARUSI ARCHITECTS

students in business, science, PROPOSED

and engineering to collabo-

INTERIOR PERSPECTIVE VIEW

rate with students from the Emory University School of Law. Participants form teams

Warren Batts and Marie Thursby.

around the research interests of Ph.D. students and take core courses together, meeting regularly to work on assignments to solve the problems related to bringing products to the market. “Interdisciplinary programs are hard to put together and sustain — it is the rare individual who recognizes how important it is to invest in programs like TI:GER,” said Marie Thursby, Regents’ Professor, Hal and John Smith Chair of Entrepreneurship, and the program’s founding executive director. “The students and I have been unbelievably fortunate that Warren is the generous and thoughtful man he is.”

The renovation of the Edge Center will have a significant impact on all student-athletes, enhancing the academic center and the sports medicine and rehabilitation center. GTAA PROGRAMMING REPORT

COLLINS COOPER CARUSI ARCHITECTS

GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

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PROVIDED BY GEORGIA TECH'S OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT

Save the Date: Campaign celebration events set for 2016 The Office of Development Stewardship is hard at work planning a national calendar of winter and spring events to celebrate the successful conclusion of Campaign Georgia Tech. Please see the list below for a full schedule of events to honor those who have made gifts and commitments to Campaign Georgia Tech. Invitations to all events will be mailed or emailed in early 2016.

DATE

LOCATION

FACILITY

1. Thursday, January 28

Atlanta, GA

Callaway Club, McCamish Pavilion, Georgia Tech Campus — open to all Campaign Georgia Tech donors.

2. Saturday, February 20

Atlanta, GA

Zelnak Basketball Center, Georgia Tech Campus — open to all Campaign Georgia Tech donors.

3. Tuesday, March 1

Jacksonville, FL

Atlantic Beach Country Club — open to all Campaign Georgia Tech donors.

4. Wednesday, March 2

Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL

Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort and Golf Club — open to all Campaign Georgia Tech donors.

5. Thursday, March 3

Naples, FL

By invitation only.

6. Thursday, March 3

Miami, FL

By invitation only.

7. Tuesday, March 29

Greenville, SC

Poinsett Country Club — open to all Campaign Georgia Tech donors.

8. Tuesday, March 29

Charlotte, NC

Quail Hollow Club — open to all Campaign Georgia Tech donors.

9. Wednesday, March 30

Raleigh, NC

Carolina Country Club — open to all Campaign Georgia Tech donors.

10. Thursday, March 31

Dallas, TX

The Joule Hotel — open to all Campaign Georgia Tech donors.

11. Friday, April 1

Houston, TX

By invitation only.

12. Friday, April 1

Houston, TX

The Petroleum Club — open to all Campaign Georgia Tech donors.

13. Wednesday, April 13

Washington, D.C.

By invitation only.

14. Wednesday, April 13

Washington, D.C.

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center — open to all Campaign Georgia Tech donors.

15. Thursday, April 14

New York, NY

By invitation only.

16. Thursday, April 14

New York, NY

Grand Masonic Lodge — open to all Campaign Georgia Tech donors.

17. Tuesday, May 10

Redmond, WA

By invitation only.

18. Wednesday, May 11

Menlo Park, CA

Sharon Heights Country Club — open to all Campaign Georgia Tech donors.

19. Friday, June 10

Sea Island, GA

By invitation only to members and guests of The Hill Society.

20. Saturday, June 25

Atlanta, GA

By invitation only to leadership donors to the 2015-16 Roll Call.

For more information about planned celebration events, please contact the Office of Development Stewardship at 404.894.6096 or email julie.hawkins@dev.gatech.edu. 0 7 2

GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

Georgia Tech Engineered Biosystems Building (EBB). Designed in collaboration with Lake|Flato Architects.

Like art, architecture should lift the spirit while beautifying its surroundings; it’s all about connecting people to place. At Cooper Carry, it permeates everything we do. Connecive Architecture is our philosophy – and our process – for connecting ideas and people to the places where they work, learn, live and relax.

ATLANTA

NEW YORK

WASHINGTON

coopercarry.com

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The GA Tech Alumni Association has partnered with Credible, to help you put your student debt behind you a whole lot faster. It works like this:

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Visit: www.credible.com/GATech GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

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alumni

house

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GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

TOWER OF SECRETS Alumni know it all too well from the outside, but few have ever seen Tech Tower in person from the inside. The structure hides many secrets, some of which can be discovered here on the third (top) floor, including the names of ANAK Society Members etched into

Rob Felt/Institute Communications

the woodwork and brick. Here windows also open out on all four sides, where you can look through the iconic TECH letters onto campus and downtown Atlanta. For a full insiderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tour of Tech Tower, visit www.news.gatech.edu/features/ hidden-georgia-tech-tech-tower.

GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

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alumni

house

Visit the redesigned Alumni website at gtalumni.org and register to see all that’s new.

Connecting Alumni Beyond Borders

Melissa Fralick

How Tech’s international development team engages Yellow Jackets worldwide. More than five years ago, Shelton Chan

offered some key advice to Georgia Tech officials visiting Shanghai: The Institute needed to step up its game in China. At the time, Tech’s International Development Program was in its infancy, and officials were just beginning efforts to identify and reach out to alumni overseas. Chan noticed that many of Georgia Tech’s peer institutions were more visible and active in China. He told Tech administrators, including President G.P. “Bud” Peterson, that he would do everything he could to help if the Institute would commit to engaging alumni in Asia. The International Development Team took him up on his offer. Chan, MS IL 03, was then managing operations in China for Manhattan Associates—a global supply chain software company. But he was so passionate about energizing his fellow Yellow Jackets abroad that he was asked to join Tech full time to head up a development office in China. “Having promised the president that I would assist in the effort in Asia, I had to go the extra mile to help them do this full throttle,” says Chan, who works as managing director of development for the Asia/Pacific region. “And it came at a point in my life when I was ready for a change and to devote my time to something more meaningful than a corporate assignment." Today, Chan oversees just one part of the efforts designed to help connect Tech with alumni around the world. The Institute also has a full-time development presence on two other continents, with permanent staff members stationed in Colombia and Belgium. Though Tech has long had international alumni, it has only recently created a formal program to connect with them, says Marta Garcia, associate vice president of 0 7 6

GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

∏

Tech pride was on display during Provost Rafael L. Bras' (far right) visit to China last summer.

international development at Tech. Garcia realized early on that international alumni weren’t getting much attention from Tech’s Office of Development. So she booked a couple of exploratory trips to Latin America—shorter than flights to the West Coast, she adds—to develop relationships with alumni. The response was strong, leading to funding for new programs in Costa Rica and Panama, and President Peterson tasked her with establishing a formal program to connect with more of Tech’s alumni and friends abroad. One of Georgia Tech’s strategic goals is to expand its global footprint and influence—so engaging alumni abroad is a natural fit. “Alumni are a major resource that you need to tap into when you are expanding into the international arena,” Garcia says. But it’s a challenging endeavor. Garcia notes than in many other cultures, college alumni don’t typically donate to and keep up with their alma maters the way we do in the United States. Through their concerted efforts, Garcia and her team are indeed changing the culture. “Our international alumni may have achieved levels of significant prominence, or started companies, or other exciting things, but we are just learning about them,” Garcia says. “And they are jumping

on board with great gusto when they learn interested we are in keeping them connected to the Institute. “You can’t raise $3 or $100,000 or a million dollars from them if they don’t feel that connection.” Garcia says international events have been a huge success. For example, 97 of the 120 alumni living in Thailand attended a recent event in Bangkok. “We also always bring people together whenever Dr. Peterson is town,” she says. “It’s like a rock star event—wherever he goes there’s a huge draw. They are so excited to sit face to face and have someone from Tech remember that they exist.” Additionally, Garcia’s team has been key in helping the Alumni Association foster networks for alumni living in major cities and regions around the globe. “We have a great partnership with development,” says Len Contardo, GTAA’s vice president of outreach. “Their work reaching out to international alumni helps us to strengthen the Georgia Tech network abroad so alumni have more opportunities to connect with one another and back to the Institute.” And, in turn, alumni living and working abroad have been very eager to give back to Tech by hiring graduates, raising scholarship funds and donating to the Institute.

Nominate the 2017 Alumni Association Board of Trustees

arts@tech Enjoy the Arts on Campus this Spring! Margaret Guthman Musical Instrument Competition March 2-3

The Alumni Association welcomes nominations for members of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Board of Trustees for the term beginning July 1, 2016, and ending June 30, 2019. Nominees must be Tech alumni and have a significant record of supporting the Institute. Self-nominations are accepted. The nominating committee will review all submissions in late March and propose a slate of candidates in April that best reflects and promotes active engagement and support of the Association and the Institute. Go to gtalumni.org/boardoftrustees or fill out the form below to submit a nomination. The deadline to submit nominations is March 21. Include a resume or brief biographical profile and mail to: Trustee Nominations, Attn: Emily Newman, Georgia Tech Alumni Association, 190 North Ave. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30313; or email emily.newman@alumni.gatech.edu. Online Voting Opens in April. Alumni may review and vote on the slate of candidates beginning in late April at gtalumni.org/ boardoftrustees. Alumni will be emailed when voting opens. If you do not have a current email address on file, please visit gtalumni.org, log in and select Update My Profile and enter your email address. If you haven't yet registered on the GTAA website, select the Register button on the home page and follow the prompts to complete your one-time registration. For more details, email emily.newman@alumni.gatech.edu.

Arts@Tech Season Cellist

Maya Beiser

March 5

Georgia Tech Chamber Choir Six Motets of JS Bach

March 6 Arts@Tech Season

Dorrance Dance March 9-10

Georgia Tech Spring Choral Concert April 3

Poetry@Tech and Arts@Tech present

An Evening with

Marc Bamuthi Joseph April 7

DramaTech Presents

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee April 8-9, 13-16, 20-23 Arts@Tech Season

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo April 9-10

Arts@Tech Season

Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental & Wilhelm Bros:

Red-Eye to Havre de Grace NAME OF NOMINEE

CLASS/DEGREE

April 14-16

Georgia Tech Symphony Orchestra April 17

TELEPHONE NUMBER

HOME ADDRESS

EMAIL ADDRESS

COMPANY AND TITLE

Georgia Tech Jazz Ensemble and Concert Bands April 19

Arts@Tech Season

Jazz Guitarist Earl

April 23

Klugh

Arts@Tech Season NOMINATED BY

CLASS/DEGREE

TELEPHONE NUMBER

HOME ADDRESS

EMAIL ADDRESS

Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale April 24

Georgia Tech Glee Club April 25

details and more events at

arts.gatech.edu 404-894-2787

GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

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wrecks

at work

Tap into career advice and resources for alumni at gtalumni.org/career.

A Recruiter’s Tips for Tackling Career Fairs Melissa Fralick

Dean Landers, ME 08, shares how to make lasting, winning connections with employers. Dean Landers, ME 08, not only has experience interviewing and helping hire young college graduates looking for their first jobs, but he also knows firsthand what it’s like for those making a career change. He himself made a successful transition from being a high school physics teacher to a mechanical engineer. Today, Landers leads the recruiting efforts for Kansas City-based engineering design and construction consulting firm CRB. The upcoming Georgia Tech Alumni Career Fair on May 9 will be his fourth as a recruiter, and he’s confident he’ll find top candidates. (You have to be a Yellow Jacket, after all, to attend.) The Alumni Magazine caught up with Landers to get his insight on how jobseekers should get the most out of career fairs and other interviewing opportunities. Recruiters like you meet a lot of people at the Career Fair. How can jobseekers and networkers make themselves stand out?

In general, people will remember you if you can create a personal connection. Try and engage the people at the booth as people and not gatekeepers to a potential job. That general principle is true regardless of the specific interaction—for example, a potential client is a person first and foremost, not a paycheck. There is no formula for this—Georgia Tech emits a collective gasp!—but one tactic is to try and squeeze in at least one short story that helps connect what you want to talk about with the recruiters. We employers love 0 7 8

GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

and remember a beginning, middle and end. By the way, telling stories that demonstrate your abilities is an excellent interview tactic: Past behavior predicts future performance. A simple and much less subtle tactic I’ve seen was a candidate who included a thumbnail-sized professional photo on his resume. We engineers tend to be visual thinkers, and the photo really made that candidate easy to remember. Is there anything jobseekers do that turns you off as an employer?

For one, bragging—about GPAs or just in general. Bragging is very different than confidence and self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses. Other turnoffs include: lack of eye contact; poor handshakes; mumbling; the expectation that a resume can do all of the talking and selling, or that they are entitled to a job strictly based on their resume and experience; and treating us as means toward an end instead of as people. What advice could you give to jobseekers about periods of unemployment or other gaps on their resumes?

I want to hear what you did with your time. Gaps give you a great opportunity to demonstrate your abilities as gogetters who don’ t need goals and deadlines spoon-fed. Job hunting can be emotionally exhausting—I want to hear how you coped with the stress of

uncertainty and rejection. Did you binge watch Netflix for six months while becoming a connoisseur of ice cream and margaritas? Or were you able to set goals and benchmarks? Did you take free online courses? Did you volunteer somewhere that has always interested you? What was it like trying to create personal goals and metrics? Many people are interested in seeking new careers. What are the best ways to talk with potential employers about a lack of experience in the field you are interested in?

Focus on your transferable skills. In the broadest terms, I expect that successful professionals in any field—especially if they have graduated from Georgia Tech—are good communicators (even if the language is math or Java), good problem solvers and critical thinkers, and good at perseverance (the current buzzword for this is “grit”). Next, try and focus on some of the activities you did in your previous field from a perspective that aligns them with the field you are interested in. Additionally, we’ll want examples of times you were thrown in over your head and succeeded. Talk about a time you have had to learn quickly and ultimately delivered. It all comes back to your ability to tell a good short story about yourself and how you applied your skills and experiences on the job. These stories will build a potential employer’s confidence that you can get up to speed quickly.

Looking for a job or a chance to network with a wide range of employers? Sign up for the Georgia Tech Alumni Career Fair, to be held on May 9, at gtalumni.org/careers.

Yellow Jackets on the Move Another benefit from the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Preferential YELLOW JACKET treatment * * * * * * *

Minimum of a 55% discount on all interstate relocations. Free Full-Value Coverage up to $50,000. 15% discount on all Georgia and Florida intrastate moves. Guaranteed on time pick-up and delivery. Personalized attention from start to finish. Top rated drivers will be assigned to all Yellow Jacket shipments. Sanitized air-ride vans.

Contact Tom Larkins (The Ramblinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Relocator) for details on this program

1-800-899-2527 or e-mail him at tom.larkins@atlanticrelocation.com

Atlantic Relocation Systems/ Interstate Agent for

ATLAS VAN LINES 1909 Forge Street Tucker, GA 30084

* A portion of the proceeds collected from the transportation costs will be paid to the Georgia Tech Alumni Association

tech

travel

Discover dozens of trips for all tastes at gtalumni.org/travel.

Alumni Tours by the Numbers Melissa Fralick

A look back at our trips from 2015 and a look ahead to a handful of top tours this year. Ah, 2016. It’s a fresh new year, full of possibilities. If a vacation is on your radar, make sure to check out the incredible roster of tours available through the Georgia Tech Alumni Association. We partner with top-of-the-line tour operators and cruise companies so you don’t have to worry about a thing. You’ll travel with fellow alumni and friends of Georgia Tech, so you’re bound to meet some new friends and maybe even connect with old ones. Still need some convincing? We thought you might want to take a look at just who goes on our trips and where. So we’ve broken down our 2015 tours to let you see the data for yourself. Here’s a snapshot of the last year in Tech travel.

Total Tech travelers in 2015: 465

Male travelers:

Number of tours offered: 36 Percentage of travelers 57% who have traveled with Tech before New Tech 43% travelers: 0 8 0

GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

Alumni travelers who are Roll Call donors: 75%

51% Female travelers:

49%

Top majors of 2015 Tech travelers:

1. Industrial Management 2. Mechanical Engineering 3. Industrial Engineering 4. Civil Engineering 5. Electrical Engineering

Top class years for 2015 Tech travelers:

1. 1968

Top five states that Tech travelers came from:

2. 1963 3. 1970 4. 1962 5. 1965

Top 2015 tours with the most Tech travelers: 1. Alaska Passages – Oceania Cruise (46) 2. Canada & New England – Oceania Cruise (46) 3. Baltic Marvels – Oceania Cruise (30) 4. Ancient Mysteries of the Americas – Oceania Cruise (24) 5. Treasures of Peru (18)

1. GEORGIA – 45% 2. FLORIDA – 8% 3. SOUTH CAROLINA – 7% 4. TEXAS – 6% 5. NORTH CAROLINA – 5%

Most requested 2015 tour Brochures:

1. Baltic Marvels – Oceania Cruise

2. The Divine Amalfi Coast – Alumni Campus Abroad

3. Grand Danube Passage River Cruise

4. Alaska Passages – Oceania Cruise

5. Swiss Alps & the Italian Lakes – Alumni Campus Abroad

GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

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tech

travel

Alumni Travel takes Yellow Jackets to exciting locales around the globe.

So what do you say? Here’s a sampling of the many trips around the world you can take with Georgia Tech in 2016. We’d love to have you join us. 1. ITALIAN RIVIERA, SEPT. 3 – 11 Explore the Italian Riviera, where nature and culture coexist. Cruise over the bluest water, walk Sestri Levante’s beaches, stroll through picturesque towns, visit villages perched on cliffs, sip limoncello and savor the delicious Mediterranean cuisine of Liguria.

2. AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND, SEPT. 3– 25 Let’s go to the Lands Down Under. Travel from Australia’s spectacular Great Barrier Reef to the storied Outback and Ayers Rock to sophisticated Sydney; from New Zealand’s towering Mt. Cook and breathtaking Milford Sound to high-spirited Queenstown and Auckland. 3. CHINA & THE YANGTZE RIVER, SEPT. 6– 19 Enjoy monumental Beijing, a cruise on the fabled Yangtze River, fascinating Xian and cosmopolitan Shanghai on this small group tour of China. You will meet local people and experience China’s wonders, both ancient and of the moment.

4. ITALY – SORRENTO, SEPT. 14 – 22 Discover the many treasures of the Campania region, from the quaint cafes and lemon groves of Sorrento to the sun-drenched Isle of Capri. Travel along the Amalfi Coast, where mountains erupt from the Mediterranean and pastel villages cascade down their sides. 5. CANADA & NEW ENGLAND, SEPT. 30– OCT. 12 Experience the glorious autumn foliage along North America’s east coast aboard Oceania Cruises’ regal Regatta. From New York to Montreal, explore a wide range of picturesque landscapes and historic sites. 0 8 2

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Want to cruise or travel with fellow Ramblin’ Wrecks? Find out about the dozens of alumni tours being offered at gtalumni.org/travel, or call Martin Ludwig, director of Alumni Travel, at (404) 894-0758.

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Make sure to put these upcoming Alumni Association events on your calendar.

Save The Date! APRIL 30, 2016

Pi Mile 5K Road Race

Join us for a run through Tech’s beautiful campus during the 44th Annual Pi Mile Road Race. For the serious runners out there, the Pi Mile 5K is an officially timed event. But it’s not all work and no play. We’ll

MAY 9, 2016

have Buzz on hand to keep the party going, as well as music, food and more! Be a part of this fun 3.141592… tradition with fellow Georgia Tech alumni, students, family and friends. Register at gtalumni.org/pimile.

Alumni Association Career Fair If you’ve found yourself in a professional rut, the Alumni Association Career Fair is the perfect opportunity to find something new. The Alumni Career Fair is a recruiting event exclusively for Georgia Tech alumni.

JUNE 25, 2016

President's Dinner Celebrating Roll Call

The President’s Dinner celebrates not only the good that funding from Roll Call provides to Georgia Tech, but the annual fund’s most generous donors. Those who donate $1,000 or more each year to Roll Call will snag an invitation to this fun and swanky

SEPT. 3, 2016

Dozens of top employers will be there specifically looking to hire capable Yellow Jackets like yourself. The event is open to all alumni, whether you just graduated or “got out” decades ago. Register at gtalumni.org/careerfair.

celebration. This year, attendees will enjoy a special evening at Georgia Tech's McCamish Pavilion featuring dinner with President G.P. “Bud” Peterson, dancing and more. Learn more at gtalumni.org/ presidentsdinner.

Georgia Tech vs. Boston College in Ireland Tickets are on sale now to watch Georgia Tech football like never before. The Yellow Jackets will take on the Boston College Eagles in a once-in-a-generation matchup at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. There’s also an exclusive alumni package that gives you

access to food and beverages in the Alumni Tailgate Lounge, live traditional Irish music and a commemorative souvenir. Get tickets now to secure your place at this extra special kick-off to the 2016 football season. Learn more at gtalumni.org/irelandpackage.

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Masters from Afar

Michael Terrazas

Georgia Tech welcomed the first 20 new graduates of its groundbreaking online master’s in computer science program. Jacob Fugal knew an opportunity when he saw one. A software engi-

neer by trade, Fugal recognized an advanced degree in computer science would help propel his career. Trouble was, that same career made it challenging to carve out time for graduate study. Then he heard that Georgia Tech, in collaboration with Udacity and AT&T, was about to offer a new, online master’s program in computer science (OMS CS) priced at a fraction of the on-campus cost. “The idea of a full degree offered in the MOOC style—with rigor on par with the traditional program and full academic credit—was exciting to me,” Fugal says. “It could be done anywhere and with a flexible schedule. To top it off, it was cheap enough to use as an experiment. If after the first semester I didn’t like it, I was only down about $1,000.” So he took the leap. Less than two years later, Fugal traveled from Utah to walk across the stage in McCamish Pavilion as the proud owner of a master’s degree from Tech. It was the first time he had set foot on campus and the first time he had met any of his professors face to face. All totaled, he will have spent less than $7,000 on his degree, which he earned while working full time. Nineteen of Fugal’s fellow students in the OMS CS program received their diplomas in December, and they are the first of what promises to be a quickly growing community of OMS CS graduates. Indeed, with enrollment expected to top 3,000 students in Spring 2016, OMS CS might soon require its own seating section at commencement. “These are the pioneers, the trailblazers,” says Zvi Galil, the John P. Imlay Jr. Dean of Computing at Georgia Tech. “They took a chance on something that was new, and now it’s about to pay off for them. I congratulate each and every one of these students for their courage in taking a risk on something new, for their dedication to their studies, and for their commitment to see things through to the end.” The 20 OMS CS graduates hail from coast to coast, North Carolina to California, Alabama to Illinois, and many states in between. Graduating students also came from Canada and China, but like the program overall, the large majority of students live and work in the United States. In Fall 2015, 79 percent of OMS CS students were U.S. citizens or permanent 0 8 4

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residents, nearly the inverse of the citizenship demographics for Georgia Tech’s residential MS CS program. Like nearly every other OMS CS student, the recent graduates maintained jobs while completing their degrees. In fact, it’s the program’s flexibility for working students—combined with the hard-to-beat price tag—that has made it such an attractive option for so many applicants, nearly 8,000 in two years. “OMS CS proved to be the best of all possible worlds, giving me the opportunity to stay in my hometown, continue to work and earn a master’s degree from Georgia Tech,” says new alumnus Nathaniel Meyer, who lives in North Carolina. “There has been no discernible loss of academic rigor in transitioning from traditional, in-person courses to online courses. There have even been several ‘I know kung fu’ moments after completing a project in Advanced Operating Systems or Machine Learning that seemed incredibly hard before I had done it.” Of course, the ultimate proof of OMS CS will be in the estimation of employers: Will the degree help students advance in their careers? The vast majority may already be working, but a master’s from Georgia Tech should position them well for advancement. That’s the reason most—but not all—applied to the program in the first place. “My friends and family keep asking me if this will lead to a better job or more money, and I hope it will,” Meyer says. “That’s not why I’ve done it, though. I have a great job, work I enjoy, and I really enjoyed learning new things. I want to take what I’ve learned and find new and challenging problems to apply it to— and to keep learning.”

Thousands O F P R O U D R A M B L I N ’ W R E C K S H AV E DEMONSTRATED THEIR BELIEF IN

Georgia Tech BY PUTTING THEIR NAMES ON THIS LIST.

Have you?

CHECK THE LIST OF DONORS HERE:

gtalumni.org/donors

69th

Make your gift to the 69th Roll Call: gtalumni.org/giving ROLL CALL, GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 190 North Avenue | Atlanta, Georgia 30313-9806 o r c a l l ( 8 0 0 ) GT-ALUMS GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

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1970s Quentin Dastugue, CE 77, was one of 25 people nationwide selected to serve on the Michael J. Fox Foundation Patient Council. The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s Patient Council meets twice per year to learn about the most recent Parkinson's disease-related research developments directly from scientists and doctors. Dastugue, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s six years ago, co-founded, Kickin’ Parkinson’s, a local Team Fox group which supports the Michael J. Fox Foundation. His involvement with the Patient

Have a new job or other news to share? Email details to ramblinroll@gtalumni.org.

Council will allow him to share timely news and information with the Parkinson’s community in Louisiana.

1980s R.G. “Kelly” Caldwell Jr., EE 88, CEO and president of Caldwell Trust Company, reported that the company’s board of directors awarded a total of $5,000 in grants to Sarasota Military Academy and an SMA graduate. The Sarasota Military Academy is a public charter secondary school and the largest charter school in Sarasota County, Fla.

Roger Grabman, MS Mgt 88, became a North Carolina registered professional engineer. Grabman is the principal of Grab Innovations & Services. He is also the treasurer of the Southeast Inventors Association and vice president of the Atlanta Metro chapter of the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers. Richard Kramer, Arch 80, M Arch 82, was recently elected president of the Atlanta chapter of the American Institute of Architects for 2017. He is a principal at Pieper O’Brien Herr Architects and has also served on the city of Alpharetta’s Design Review Board for the past 19 years.

Zoo Atlanta to name tiger habitat in honor of the late John Imlay Zoo Atlanta has announced plans to name the Sumatran tiger habitat in honor of the late Atlanta technology titan John Imlay Jr., IM 59. A fundraising campaign to name the John P. Imlay Tiger Exhibit is being led by two other leaders in Atlanta’s tech community: John Yates and Tom Noonan, ME 83. “John Imlay’s legacy of building Atlanta’s high-tech industries and giving back to our community philanthropically has been a vital piece of Georgia’s success,” said Zoo Atlanta CEO Raymond King, Mgt 87. “Naming Zoo Atlanta’s tiger habitat in John’s honor will be a tribute to his numerous contributions and his belief in the importance of having a strong tiger instinct in business.” Imlay passed away in March 2015, leaving a lasting legacy in Atlanta’s business community. He found success as the CEO of software company 0 8 6

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MSA and later as an angel investor, backing more than 120 technology companies — including Noonan’s Internet Security Systems Inc., which was sold to IBM Corp. for $1.6 billion. Imlay wrote an industrial management book, “Jungle Rules: How to be a Tiger in Business,” which nods to his affinity for tigers. The goal is to raise at least $500,000 for the tiger exhibit fundraising effort, of which $100,000 has already been committed. Once the goal is reached, the tiger habitat will be named the John P. Imlay Tiger Exhibit for the life of the exhibit, in addition to featuring a list recognizing donors of $5,000 or more. “John’s ability to motivate and inspire entrepreneurs, combined with his vision to build Management Science America (MSA) into a globally recognized software leader, helped launch the careers

of more than 300 CEOs and nearly 100 companies. It’s only fitting that we commemorate his legacy and well-known admiration of tigers in this way,” Noonan says.

SUTHERLAND APPOINTED TO KEY POSTS AT AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY John Sutherland, Phys 62, MS Phys 64, PhD Phys 67, was named a professor of physics, associate dean for research and graduate studies for the College of Science and Mathematics and director of the Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship at Augusta University in Au g u s ta , G a . Additionally, he became professor of physics emeritus at East Carolina University and continues as senior biophysicist emeritus at Brookhaven National Laboratory. His research interests focus on biological applications of physics, particularly the damages done to DNA by ultraviolet and ionizing radiations, and post-irradiation effects on cells. While a doctoral student at Georgia Tech, he performed most of his dissertation research at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. After graduate school, he served two years on active duty as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps, stationed at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington, D.C., and three years as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Meyer Named CEO of Financial Fitness Group Andrew Meyer, ME 80, has been appointed CEO of Financial Fitness Group. FFG offers a software as a service-based online platform to help employees assess, benchmark and improve their personal financial knowledge. Meyer has more than 20 years of senior management experience growing software companies including Scientific-Atlanta (now Cisco Systems, Inc.), Websense, Epicor, Boost Academy and multiple mobile start-ups. He has expertise in marketing, sales, business development and product and general management in early stage firms. To date, more than 700 employers —including Staples, Gulfstream, PayChex, Morningstar and the state of Iowa—and 100,000 employees across multiple industries have used FFG’s programs. Employees take an initial assessment, and are then guided through a series of individualized courses. They then reassess, providing the employee and their employers with benchmarked reports and key metrics on their progress.

1990s Robert Baird, Arch 93, has been promoted to operations manager for Georgia and the Carolinas for Turner Construction. Baird has been with Turner for almost 25 years, starting in 1992 as a carpenter. Dave Tyler, Mgt 96, was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Tyler is an instructor pilot for the United States Air Force.

2000s Mia K. Fiedler, CS 03, MS PP 05, was hired as an associate at Cantor

Colburn LLP, one of the country’s top IP law firms. Jason Fowler, ME 02, has been elected as a partner at Covington & Burling LLP, a global law firm based in Washington, D.C. Fowler focuses his practice on high-stakes patent litigation in the high-tech and pharmaceutical areas. Deborah Phillips, PhD Arch 09, president of The Quadrillion consulting firm, was honored with the 2015 REME Award for CPM of the Year by the Institute of Real Estate Management. The prestigious award recognizes excellence in real estate management and outstanding contributions to the real estate management profession. GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

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WEDDINGS

1. Matthew Brown, BA 14, and Jessica Brown on Oct. 12, 2014. Matthew is an IT recruiter with ICS. They live in Atlanta. 2. Douglas Cain, IE 09, and Brittney Bell, Mgt 11, on Aug. 29. Douglas is a process management lead and Brittney is an application administrator. They live in Atlanta. 3. Ian Fralick, Arch 09, M Arch 13, and Melissa Weinman on Sept. 26 in Atlanta. Ian is an architectural associate at Gamble & Gamble Architects. Melissa is the assistant editor of Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine. They live in Atlanta. 4. Caitlin Hanson, Mgt 10, and

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Jacques Gouws, IE 09, on Sept. 5 in Suwanee, Ga. Caitlin is a marketing and business development manager and Jacques is an operations and engineering manager, both working for The Hanson Group, LLC and Guardian Innovations, LLC. They live in Atlanta. 5. Ashlee Hatcher, BC 11, and G. Lane Nichols II, Mgt 11, on Aug 1. Ashlee is a project manager for Cambridge Swinterton and Lane is a project manager for JR Nichols Company. They live in Smyrna, Ga. 6. Ana Jara, IE 12, and Nicholas Wood, AM 12, on Sept. 18, 2012. Ana is a freight analyst and Nicholas is a software engineer. They live in Stamford, Conn.

7. Victor Jaworski, ME 07, and Casenya Groner on Aug. 7 in Portland, Ore. Victor is a corporate operations staff engineer for FM Global. They live in Boston. 8. Jason Kulpe, ME 10, MS ME 12, PhD ME 15, and Rachel White, Bio 10, on Oct. 10 in Norcross, Ga. Jason does applied research at the University of Texas at Austin and Rachel is a physician assistant practicing in orthopaedics. They live in Austin, Texas. 9. Tim Maryak, MSE 07, and Emily Spurlock, Mgt 11, on Oct. 3 in Atlanta. Tim is an account executive at UL Transaction Security and Emily is a senior financial analyst at Manhattan Associates. They live in Atlanta.

21,000' Conference/Event Space 252 Beautiful Guest Rooms Only True Campus Hotel Georgia Tech Inspired

Where Innovative Meetings Thrive 11

sales@gatechhotel.com gatechhotel.com 404.347.9440

Georgia Tech Alumni Association Presents

CHARTING YOUR RETIREMENT 10. Joshua McKelvey, ME 15 and Caroline Freeman, BA 14, on Nov. 15. Caroline is a digital analyst at Accenture and Josh is in the Emerson Global Leaders in Training Program. They live in Atlanta. 11. Lauren Rhodes, IAML 14, and Eric Lange, ME 12. Eric is a product development engineer and Lauren is an event coordinator. 12. Taylor Virgil, IE 09, and Lauren Olson in July 2014 in Chicago. Taylor works as a management consultant for Midtown Consulting Group. They live in Chicago. 13. Tucker Vason, ME 15, and Katherine Vason, BA 15, on June 20 in Savannah, Ga. Tucker is an engineer at Gulfstream Aerospace. Katherine is a freelance writer and graphic designer. They live in Port Wentworth, Ga.

This financial seminar is taught by David W. O’Brien, Senior Vice President- Investment Officer with Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, member of SIPC in the Atlanta office. David is registered in the area of investment securities and insurance licensed. Wells Fargo Advisors is not a tax or legal advisor. Class topics include: • Financial Basics • Taxes • Social Security • Retirement Income • Risk Management

• Medicare • Investment Strategies • Retirement Goals • Estate Planning • Retirement Plans

Dates, Time and Location March 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd 6:30 - 9 p.m. Georgia Tech Alumni Association Alumni/Faculty House 190 North Avenue NW Atlanta, GA 30313 To register call: 404.894.0751 or email betsy.rogers@alumni.gatech.edu

For more information visit: gtalumni.org/chartingyourretirement

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TECH ALUMNI FEATURED IN FORBES '30 UNDER 30' Top business magazine singled out seven of the Institute's brightest young graduates. The Forbes "30 Under 30" list for 2016 features “600 of the brightest young entrepreneurs, breakout talents and change agents in 20 different sectors.” And Tech alumni are featured in six categories: Science; Manufacturing and Industry; Retail and Commerce; Energy; Marketing and Advertising; and Healthcare. Georgia Tech also gets a shout out in Forbes’ writeup of entrepreneur Jewel Burks, who got her company PartPic off the ground with the help of Georgia Tech programmers. Read more about what these amazing young alumni are doing: Josh Allen, Chem 08: Allen is VP of research and development for Oncoceutics. Allen discovered a tumorfighting agent as a PhD student that is using to develop a drug to kill cancer cells while leaving healthy cells intact. Allen Chang, BME 08: Chang is the co-founder o f Ve r t e r a S p i n e , a company that grows a porous material similar to bone that can be used for implants. Vertera Spine will be the first

company to FDA-clear, manufacture and implant a surface porous synthetic bone in humans. The company has attracted $2 million in funding to date. Alec Manfre, ME 11: Manfre is CEO and cofounder of Bractlet, a company that uses specialized technology to determine equipmentlevel data on electrical usage to help building and business owners cut their energy costs. Bractlet has helped customers cut costs by 35 percent after identifying wasteful energy usage. Candace Mitchell, CS 11: Mitchell is the co-founder of Techturized, Inc., a company that’s using science to revolutionize hair care for women of color. An app called Myavana analyzes a customer’s hair sample and makes custom recommendations on which products will work best for her individual hair type. Lujendra Ojha, PhD 16: Ojha noticed unusual geologic features on Mars that appeared similar to the streaks that

would be left by running water on Earth. His research led to NASA’s big announcement last year that flowing water had been discovered on the Red Planet. Paris Rouzati, BA 13: Rouzati is the head of marketing for About. me, a platform for personal webpages. She’s responsible for promotion, social media, and strategic partnerships and specializes in Millennial and Gen Z user behavior. At Tech, Rouzati helped launch a digital magazine that reached an audience of more than 200,000 women. Emily Woods, ME 10: Woods co-founded Sanivation, which developed the first solar treatment method for human waste. Woods, who is now a sanitation engineer in Kenya, designed a way to convert feces into a sustainable solid fuel. She’s raised more than $500,000 in grants to expand Sanivation’s services.

Ryan Gravel Chosen to Envision the Future of Atlanta Ryan Gravel, Arch 95, M Arch and M CRP 99, has been chosen to help shape Atlanta’s future. Mayor Kasim Reed selected Gravel to head up the Atlanta City Design Project, an undertaking aimed at envisioning what the city will look like in decades to come, as well as guide future decisions on the growth and development of the city. “Pioneering a project that will shape 0 9 0

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all the future planning decisions and that promotes strategic development in Atlanta is my dream job,” Gravel says. While a master’s student at Georgia Tech, Gravel had an idea to take unused, overgrown railroad corridors and convert them into a system of parks, transit and trails connecting Atlanta neighborhoods. His grad school thesis evolved into what is now the Atlanta BeltLine.

“It’s a community revitalization project, it’s an economic development project, it’s a public health project,” Gravel says. “It does all of those things, so it brings in a lot of people wanting the same thing. It brings a lot of constituencies together.” Gravel and the Atlanta City Design Project will begin meeting and planning this summer.

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1. Matthew Brown, BA 14, and wife Jessica welcomed Amelia Grace Brown on Oct. 30. Matthew is an IT Recruiter at Infinity Consulting Solutions. The family lives in Atlanta. 2. Allie Dublinski Clarke, Arch 06, and Ben Clarke, EE 07, MS ECE 09, welcomed son Rowan Mitchell on Oct. 27. The family lives in Morristown, N.J. 3. Linda Harris, CmpE 07, and Anthony Harris, EE 07, welcomed daughter Anna Zenobia on Oct. 15. Anthony works as an electrical engineer and Linda is a marketing coordinator. The family lives in Orlando, Fla. 4. Peter James Mennite EE 13 and wife Monica Mennite welcomed son Matthew Anthony Mennite on Oct. 8. Peter is a storage architect for Hewlett Packard. The family lives in Tampa, Fla.

5. Julie Simon Paul, EAS 07, MS EAS 08, and Michael Paul, ChE 07, welcomed daughter Talia Brynn on Aug. 10. The family lives in Brookhaven, Ga. 6. David Reed, ChE 02, and wife Sara welcomed daughter Anne Moseley Reed on Feb. 4, 2015. Annie has already attended her first game on the Flats. The family lives in Atlanta where David is a patent attorney with Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton. 7. Jill Vukmanic Robinson, ME 06, and husband Michael Robinson welcomed son Tate Vukmanic Robinson on June 12. The family lives in Houston, Texas. 8. Sarah Graybeal Ruiz, AE 01, and husband Jose welcomed daughter Charlotte Rose on Sept. 2. She joins big sister Emma. The family lives in Houston, Texas where Sarah works for NASA.

9. Gena Scott, CE 01, and Michael Scott, CE 06, MS CE 07, welcomed son Inman Michael Scott on Feb. 4. He joins big brother Theo. Inman is the grandson of Mike Wilder, CE 69, MS CE 71 and Rhonda Wilder, who worked in Techâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chemistry department. 10. Betsy Bulat Turner, IAML 04, and Steve Turner, MBA 11, welcomed son Thomas Clayton on Nov. 16. 11. Jamie Valenti-Jordan, ChBE 04, and wife Lisa welcomed Aiden Christopher on Sept. 11. 12. Damon P. Williams, IE 02, and wife Khalia J. Williams welcomed son Thomas Christian Williams on Nov. 14. Damon teaches at Georgia Techâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s School of Industrial and Systems Engineering. The family lives in Atlanta.

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memoriam 1930s

John W. Brinks, EE 47, of Fort Collins, Colo., on Aug. 17. Westinghouse Electric Company.

J. Samuel Slicer Jr., EE 39, of South Yarmouth, Mass., on Oct. 29. Army. Chief protection engineer, Factory Mutual Insurance Companies. Fellow, Society of Fire Protection Engineers.

Charles O. Fiveash Jr., IE 49, MS IE 50, of Edisto Island, S.C., on Nov. 16. Pi Kappa Phi. WWII. Army. French Liberation Medal. Engineer, E.I. DuPont. John Gall, EE 49, of Orlando, Fla., on Nov. 6. WWII. Army. Air Force (Lt. Col.). Calculus teacher, Air Force Academy. Engineer, Martin-Marietta.

1940s Bill Bazemore, EE 43, of Waycross, Ga., on Nov. 15. Production control officer, Naval Air Station. Electrical engineer, Bell Aircraft. Vice chairman and CEO of First National Bank in Waycross.

Arthur H. Hinners Jr., AE 46, of Brenham, Texas, on Nov. 21. Navy. Systems test branch manager, NASA. ARO Inc. Joe “Jim” Ingram Jr., EE 47, of Raleigh, N.C., on Nov. 12. Flight instructor,

Bobby Dews LEGENDARY COACH AND AUTHOR BOBBY DEWS, CLS 61, OF EDISON, GA., ON DEC. 26.

s an athlete at Georgia Tech, Dews was a star on both the Yellow Jackets’ baseball and basketball teams. But Dews ultimately chose to devote his life to baseball, spending 53 years as an adviser, coach and manager. Dews spent the majority of his career with the Atlanta Braves. Dews retired in 2012 after 37 years with the Braves organization, according to an article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Dews was also a published author. He wrote several novels and a collection of short stories, and spent time as a writer-in-residence at Andrew College.

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Army Air Corps. WWII. Engineer, IBM. Oliver K. Lewis Jr., ME 43, of Lawrenceville, Ga., on Nov. 10. Sigma Nu. Engineer, Manhattan Project. Life fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Life fellow, American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers. Georgia State Board of Registration for Engineers and Land Surveyors. Son: Philip Lewis, EE 74. George R. Mende, Cls 47, of Atlanta, on Nov. 19. Holland America Line. Lockheed Corporation. Senior vice president, Wachovia. Boris “Buzz” Pundick, Cls 42, of Sarasota, Fla., on Dec. 5. General Electric. Manager of manufacturing, Magnavox. General manager, Hammarlund Manufacturing Company. Environment One. National Radio Company. John D. Raulerson Jr., ChE 43, of Bartow, Fla., on Dec. 1. Alpha Tau Omega. Army. WWII. Army Corps of Engineers. Davidson Chemical. IMC. Frank Murphy & Associates. Systems Development Inc. Jacobs Engineering. Founding partner, Lakeland Engineering. Author. Paul Taylor, ChE 49, of Decatur, Ala., on Oct. 30. Pi Kappa Phi. Army Air Corps. WWII. Distinguished Flying Cross. Korean War. Director of research and development, Air Force Materials Laboratory. Air Force Reserve (Lt. Col.). Union Bag and Paper. DuPont. Manager of technology operations, Chemstrand/Monsanto. Boeing. State Engineering Board. President, National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame. Fellow, American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

1950s George Mathews

Charles E. Allen Sr., IM 55, of Marietta, Ga., on Oct. 8. Alpha Tau Omega. Army. Korean War. Insurance Sales. Byron S. “Bart” Bartholomew Jr., ME 55, of Springfield, Va., on Oct. 25. Navy. Korean War. Hunter Fan. Atlantic Research Corporation. Senior vice president, corporate officer, VSE Corporation. Joe H. DeLany Jr., IM 59, of Atlanta, on Nov. 12. Georgia Tech Football. Phi Delta Theta. College football official. George Gardner Award. Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. Thomas Daniel Efland, MS Text 56, of Lexington, S.C., on Nov. 10. Army Corps. WWII. Flight Engineer Wings. J.E. Sirrine Foundation professor in textiles and Dean, Clemson University. Head of Clemson’s Textile Research Department. Consultant, World Bank in Africa. Eugene Vincent Ellis, Arch 55, of Atlanta, on Oct. 21. Lambda Chi Alpha. Owner, Eugene V Ellis Architect/Builder. L.I. “Chip” Harris Jr., EE 56, of Sarasota, Fla., on Sept. 26. Beta Theta Pi. Navy (Lt.). Southern Bell. AT&T. Hospital chaplain, Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Adjunct professor. Daughter: Lynda Helon Humm, IM 86. Son: John Humm, Cls 88. Edward Kornahrens Jr., IE 59, of Johns Island, S.C., on Nov. 15. Navy Reserve (Cmdr.). Facilities engineer, Genuine Parts Company. Son: Scott Kornahrens, BC 82. Joseph K. Pinnell Sr., ME 57, of Orange Park, Fla., on Nov. 7. Delta Tau Delta. Supply Corps, Navy (Cmdr.). Navy Marine Corps Relief Society.

BUSINESSMAN AND FOOTBALL STAR GEORGE WILLIAM MATHEWS JR., IM 48, OF ATLANTA, ON JAN. 2.

athews was a star athlete who leaves lasting memories in Georgia Tech’s football history. At Tech, Mathews served as president of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Society and the ANAK Society. As a student athlete, Mathews lettered twice in basketball and four times in football. Under football coaches William Alexander and Bobby Dodd, Mathews played in two Orange Bowl games and was selected for the 1947 College All-Star game. Mathews garnered national attention for his 96-yard fumble recovery returned for a Georgia Tech touchdown against national powerhouse Navy in 1946. That day, Mathews not only gave the Yellow Jackets an improbable win but also set a Tech record. Upon graduating in 1948, Mathews was recruited by the New York Giants but chose instead to pursue an M.B.A. at Harvard Business School. With that degree, he began his business career in 1950 at Bluebird Body Company in Fort Valley, Ga. He served as executive vice president for the Columbus Iron Works division of the W.C. Bradley Company in his hometown of Columbus and then as vice president in charge of operations at Peachtree Door Inc. in Atlanta. In 1971, after purchasing Columbus Iron Works, Mathews started Columbus Foundries Inc. As chairman and CEO, Mathews transformed that single plant into Intermet Corporation, the world's largest independent manufacturer of ductile iron parts, with foundries in Europe and Asia as well as the United States. In 1992, Mathews received the Peter L. Simpson Gold Medal Award from the American Foundry Society "for a lifetime of dedication to the growth of the foundry industry through his leadership, management and motivation of people." He was elected to the Georgia Tech and State of Georgia athletic halls of fame. Mathews served on the boards of the Georgia Tech Athletic Association, the Georgia Tech Foundation and Wesleyan College in Macon. He was a co-founder of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award. He generously supported not only educational and charitable institutions but also many individuals who came to him in need.

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memoriam Pietro “Peter” Portanova, IE 57, of Los Angeles, on June 26. Navy. Douglas Aircraft Company. The Aerospace Corporation. Space Launch Modernization Plan. Project Emily. Anthony B. Purdy Sr., ME 50, of Savannah, Ga., on Nov. 25. Army Air Corps. Air National Guard (Lt. Col.). Union Camp Corporation. CDC. Professional engineer, Army Corps of Engineers. Carter S. Terrell, IE 56, of Weddington, N.C., on Dec. 2. Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Georgia Tech golfer. Navy (Lt.). Coowner, Computrol Inc. Kenneth M. Thrash, CE 57, of Gainesville,

Ga., on Nov. 21. Sigma Chi. Georgia Tech football player. The Letterwinners Club. Air Force. Base engineering and maintenance officer, Laon Airbase. Plant engineer, W.B. Roddenberry Co. Coca-Cola.

Wilkinson, BM 76. Elizabeth Wilkinson, IM 84. Sons: William Wilkinson, IM 81. Bradley Wilkinson, IM 83. Fred Mote, Mgt 87. Grandchildren: William Wilkinson Jr., Mgt 13. Christopher Wilkinson, Cls 14.

Jack C. Webb, Text 51, of Matthews, N.C., on Nov. 17. Theta Xi. Army (Capt.). WWII. Korean War. Vice president, American Enka Company. President, North American Rayon Corporation. Financial adviser.

Abbott G. “Shorty” Williams, ChE 53, of Birmingham, Ala., on Dec. 5. Alpha Tau Omega. Army (2nd Lt.). Steel City Oldsmobile. Peace Corps. Peace Corps Lillian Carter Award.

Frank S. Wilkinson, IM 54, of Haralson, Ga., on Dec. 3. Kappa Alpha. Air Force Reserve (Lt. Col.). President, National Ginner Association. Daughters: DeDe

Thomas H. Willings Jr., Text 52, of Birmingham, Ala., on Nov. 5. Navy. Korean War. General manager, Cummins Engine Company. Willings Detroit Diesel.

L. Gordon Sawyer ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE AND HISTORIAN L. GORDON SAWYER, NS 46, OF GAINESVILLE, GA., ON NOV. 5.

awyer had a long and successful career in advertising and devoted himself to the history of northeast Georgia in retirement. In 1960, Sawyer founded SawyerRileyCompton, an advertising agency, in Gainesville, Ga. SawyerRileyCompton was accepted into the American Association of Advertising Agencies in 1972, and Sawyer served as the organization’s chairman of the Atlanta Council, chairman of the Southern Region and a member of the national board of directors. Sawyer was active in many professional organizations and was frequently recognized for contributions to his field. He was U.S. president of the national Agrimarketing Association from 1974-75, and in 1989 he was named the Agricultural Communicator of the Year. He served on the national board of the Business/Professional Advertising Association, representing the Southeast. In 1990, he received the G.D. Crain Award and was named to the B/PAA Advertising Hall of Fame. He served on the board of the Atlanta Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and received its Phoenix Award. Sawyer was also awarded

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the Silver Medal from the American Advertising Federation. Despite being a Yellow Jacket, he was elected to the Public Relations Hall of Fame at the University of Georgia in 1992. Sawyer was also active in his community. He served for a decade as a board member for the Georgia State Chamber of Commerce, and served in several capacities with the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, where he received both a Silver Shovel Award and a Distinguished Service Award. Sawyer served as a trustee of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, and was an executive-in-residence in the Tech continuing Education department from 1990-92. In 1983, Sawyer was appointed by President Ronald Regan to the Technical Advisory Board for the international trade, advisory to both the U.S. Trade Representative and the Department of Agriculture. After retiring from advertising in 1991, Sawyer became a northeast Georgia historian and Gainesville talk radio personality on WDUN. He was a columnist for AccessNorthGeorgia.com, writing regular commentaries on politics and history under the title of “Common Sense Chronicles.” He also authored several books about history.

James A. Wills, IE 51, of Abilene, Texas, on Nov. 4. Navy. WWII. Vice president, T.S. Lankford and Sons. Production manager, Aileen Inc. Department of Defense.

1960s

Robert L. Graham Jr., ChE 78, of Baton Rouge, La., on Oct. 1. Dow Chemical.

architect, PeopleMatter. Wife: Julie Kish, IE 81.

Samuel R. Glidewell, MS Math 77, PhD Math 81, of Marietta, Ga., on Dec. 3. Research scientist, Georgia Tech Research Institute. Wife: Tricia Glidewell, Bio 74, MS Bio 76.

Antonio Lacayo, IE 71, of Managua, Nicaragua, on Nov. 17. Minister of the Presidency in Nicaragua. Executive director, Centro Empresarial Pellas. CEO, TicoFrut. Business consultant.

John W. Kish, EE 79, of Atlanta, on April 12. Pi Kappa Alpha. Systems

Michael Lulejian, Text 70, of Greensboro, Ga., on Nov. 21.

F. Brian Arbour, IM 60, of Stone Mountain, Ga., on Oct. 30. Cummins Inc. Frank C. Barnes, IE 61, of Charlotte, N.C., on Dec. 4. Professor of operations management, University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Henry Lawrence Patrick ADVOCATE FOR RIVERS AND WATERWAYS

Troy Beatty III, IE 61, of Auburn, Ala., on Nov. 19. Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Navy (Lt. Cmdr.). Pilot, Delta. Firefighter. Ronald E. Corbitt Jr., IE 65, MS IM 68, of Dallas, Texas, on Oct. 26. Sigma Chi. Army (Lt.). Vietnam. Stockbroker, Merrill Lynch. President, South Broward Utilities. Vice president, Ivanhoe Land Investment Inc. Vice president, Mode Inc. William “Jack” Hudson, EE 62, of Greenville, S.C., on Nov. 11. Air Force. General Electric. Frank P. Williams, CerE 64, of Kohler, Wis., on Oct. 21. Chi Phi. Ceramic engineer, Kohler Company. Vice president of global vitreous operations, K&B Group.

1970s Paul L. Bowen, Mgt 73, of Brisbane, Australia, on Oct. 21. Theta Chi. Bank of Knoxville. Oak Ridge National Labs. Professor. GeiThae “GT” Breezley, IE 75, of Grayson, Ga., on Nov. 26. U.S. Department of Labor. Son: Jared Breezley, Cls 10.

HENRY LAWRENCE PATRICK, JR., TEXT 73, OF CHARLOTTE, N.C., ON OCT. 25.

atrick was a river advocate who created a massive rafting event at Georgia Tech that drew national crowds and helped bring attention to the need for protecting rivers. As a child, Patrick was active in the Boy Scouts and reached the rank of Eagle Scout at the early age of 12. He kept going until he achieved the rank of Eagle Silver Bronze Palm, which was the highest rank of any Boy Scout in the state of North Carolina at the time. After graduating from high school, Patrick was appointed to West Point in 1967. He later transferred to Georgia Tech, where he joined and then became president of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity. Patrick put Georgia Tech on the map when he had an idea for the fraternity to host a rafting race on the Chattahoochee River. In subsequent years, the race grew to become the Ramblin’ Raft Race, an annual event that drew hundreds of thousands of people to Atlanta to float down the Chattahoochee or watch the homemade rafts of various shapes and sizes go by. The Guinness Book of World Records even recognized the Ramblin’ Raft Race as world's largest spectator sporting event. Though the Ramblin’ Raft Race ended in 1980, attention from the event helped lead to the creation of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Patrick later got involved in the movement to restore and protect inland rivers and waterways across the country. His environmental vision for urban rivers led to his receiving “Honorary Citizen” awards in many cities, including Atlanta, New Orleans, Louisville, Indianapolis and Jacksonville. He was also a former president of the American Rafting Association. Patrick loved life, and lived it to the fullest even while battling a degenerative lung disease. He was an avid student of history, particularly his family’s link to the Revolutionary War’s Battle of Kings Mountain. For the past two years, he was active in supporting the play “Liberty Mountain,” an outdoor historical drama about the events surrounding the battle that his ancestors helped to shape. Brother: Gilbert Hambright Patrick, Text 77.

Oby T. Brewer III, IM 76, of Atlanta, on Oct. 8. Morris Manning and Martin. James Bates Brannen and Groover. GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 NO.1 2016

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memoriam John J. McStay III, EE 71, of Toccoa, Ga., on Nov. 12. Electrical engineer, NASA. Brother: David McStay, EE 84. H. John Renner Jr., AM 72, of Pine Brook, N.J., on Nov. 5. Chi Psi. UPS.

Curtis L. Stoner, IM 75, of St. Marys, Ga., on Dec. 3. Chi Phi. Army National Guard. Newport News Shipbuilding. Manager, CSX Transport. Son: Matthew Bommer, IE 07. Daughters: Elizabeth Stoner, Mgt 05. Deborah Bommer, IE 08, PTFE 09.

James Daniel White PROFESSOR AND AUTHOR JAMES DANIEL WHITE, OF ATLANTA, ON OCT. 21.

r. James Daniel White was a journalist, researcher and author whose career took him around the globe. Before retiring in September, White was a professor in Georgia Tech’s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. At Tech, White served as the director of communications studies in the Center for Advanced Communications Policy; senior research scientist in the School of Public Policy; and senior research fellow at the Center for International Strategy, Technology and Policy. He was also co-director of the policy initiative of the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies at the CACP. In addition, White was a visiting professor at the University of Hong Kong. White's research focused on the impact of communications on society and he was the author of several books. His books include "Global Media: The Television Revolution in Asia,” in which he presented research into the impact of new technologies and forms of communication on society; and "Fear of Persecution: Global Human Rights, International Law and the Wellbeing of Refugees and Displaced Persons,” an overview of essays related to human rights and refugees. Before coming to Georgia Tech, White was associate director, Program in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance and associate director, Globalization Research Center, both at the University of Hawaii. White was born in St. Albans, United Kingdom and earned his bachelor’s degree in American Studies from the University of Manchester. He earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Hawaii. Before coming to the United States, White worked in Japan for 11 years, where he held various positions, including president of Dewe Rogerson, managing director of JDW Associates, and senior international consultant in public relations. White also worked in Thailand for several years, where he was an editor of a business magazine and a consultant for several publications. He also worked for the largest public relations agency in Southeast Asia at the time, as well as the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok. He leaves a legacy of enduring commitment to open and transparent communications as a path for resolving conflict, violence, and war. Son: Jonathan Z. White, IAC 17

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1980s Thomas W. Barr II, CE 86, MS CE 92, of Atlanta, on Nov. 24. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. BellSouth. NE Technologies Inc. Son: Victor Barr, Cls 19. Bruce D. Crawford, EE 83, MS EE 84, of Mableton, Ga., on Oct. 9. Global Sales Technical Lead, Zebra Technologies. Wife: Karen Crawford, EE 85. Alan Hunter, CE 88, MS CE 90, of Marietta, Ga., on Nov. 30. Owner, Atlanta Structural Metro Atlanta Property Management.

2010s Benjamin Jacobson, EE 10, of Atlanta, on Oct. 28. Sigma Phi Epsilon.

Friends William “Tony” Clark, of Atlanta, on Nov. 26. Georgia Tech Research Institute. Jane Simpson Davoli, of Amelia Island, Fla., on Nov. 20. Paul R.A. Davoli Memorial Scholarship. Olga Casteleiro de Goizueta, of Atlanta, on Nov. 16. The Goizueta Foundation. Son: Thompson Rawls, Mgt 73. Jerry Hitt, of Atlanta, on Nov. 20. Navy. Korean War. Director of admission emeritus, Georgia Tech. Son: Carlos Fox, Mgt 85. Granddaughter: Courtney Strauss, Mgt 08. Ellen Merwine Weatherly, of Atlanta, on Nov. 17. Georgia Tech Faculty Women’s Club. Sons: Thomas Weatherly, IE 84. James Barksdale.

Our time. Our legacy. Our gratitude. To each of the 91,000+ alumni and friends who made Campaign Georgia Tech an unprecedented success . . .

Thank you! Your gift is helping to make a great institution even greater.

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Software for better hiring Improve hiring efficiency and effectiveness with HireIQ’s multi-media digital interviewing and job fit solutions. Nearly half of HireIQ’s employees are GT alumni. Go Jackets! 678-279-2830 | hireiqinc.com info@hireiqinc.com

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Tech

history

The letters of Robert Bannerman, CE 15 (above), are a treasure trove of Tech history.

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A Yellow Jacket’s Letters Home Marilyn Somers, Hon 06, and Roger Slavens Robert Bannerman, CE 15—that’s 1915 not 2015—was a bright young man who attended Georgia Tech right before the United States entered World War I. (He’d go on to serve shortly after graduation.) While in school, he dearly missed his family in Florida—from whence he hailed—but he came to terms with the rigors of education at Georgia Tech, overcame a series of academic and personal obstacles, and “got out” of the Institute with honors and great confidence. We know this because, from 1911 to 1915, Bannerman wrote dozens of letters to his family detailing his life as a young college student and what he saw in the world around him. These 100-year-old, hand-written notes were discovered only recently by Bannerman's daughter, Ann Camp, inside an old duffle bag full of his belongings. Through her friend, fellow Tech grad Charley Redding, CE 75, of Tallahassee, she agreed to share the letters with Tech’s Living History program. Of course, the letters proved to be a treasure trove—and a bit of a puzzle to put together. They had to be scanned, transcribed and then put in chronological order. It wasn’t easy since many letters were separated from envelopes or weren’t dated (or both). Here are some of the interesting observations Bannerman made about Tech and Atlanta 100 years ago:

• Early on in his studies, he wrote: “If you want to pass in everything, you have got to work from 6 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. and not lose a minute.” • A r a r e “ b l i z z a r d ” p r o m p t e d a n impromptu snowball fight between the Swann Building and Knowles Dormitory.

• Due to chronic malaria, one April he was sent home to recuperate for a period of nearly three weeks. • As he grew confident in his coursework, he later wrote, “School is much better this year than it was the first few years. People treat me better.” And then “A good many fellows flunked out this term—junior class too. Hard to get up that high and then quit. Reckon they should have studied." • He accounts that one semester he spent $15.35 for his textbooks and supplies, though he was able to sell back three of his old books for $3.50. • Of his fraternity Alpha Pi Alpha’s house, he wrote: “ The House is mighty comfortable and has fine fireplaces and is five minutes from Tech.” • His class on highway engineering focused on the demands for road building since automobiles were becoming so popular and there were few roads to accommodate them. • On a trip to see the “moving pictures,” he claims he saw the actress Billie Burke in person at the Atlanta Theater. • Upon getting out: “I have been here a long time and have good friends on faculty and fellow students, however I’m glad it’s over.” See the full presentation of the

Time Machine 5 years ago, in 2011, Junior’s Restaurant closes its doors after 63 years of serving Tech students, faculty and staff. • 10 years ago, in 2006, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Tech opens the campus to 300 displaced Tulane University students. • 25 years ago, in 1991, the Student Galleria opens to include a student services building, the Ferst Center for the Arts and a new facility for DramaTech. • 50 years ago, in 1966, Sally Lam Woo, ChE 66, becomes the first Asian woman to graduate from Tech. • 100 years ago, in 1916, ROTC is established on campus and plays a key role in wartime training when the U.S. enters WWI. • 125 years ago, in 1891, Tech’s first student publication, The Technologian, is published. A subscription to the eight-page monthly costs $1 a year.

Bannerman letters online at livinghistory.gatech.edu. GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLUME 92 91 NO.3 NO.1 2016 2015

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Back

page

‘Some day I will stand on this exact spot and will be as happy then as I am sad this night.’

Kissing at the Crosswalk Stephen C. Hall, IM 67 The time is the fall of 1963. I was a Rat Cap freshman, and like all the other

guys—there were only 12 female students at the time—I was merely trying to survive at Tech. I had done well in high school and had walked on campus with a self-image only slightly smaller than the Goodyear blimp. But six weeks later, I was fighting for my college life, with the heretofore unknown phrase “academic probation” having found its way into my vocabulary. Like most kids back then I had very little money—I was on a $1-a-day budget. But unlike most other kids, I had no family in this country. My father was an Army officer, and my family was living in South Korea. I would not see them for two-and-a-half years and would share only one scratchy phone call with them in all that time. I lived across town in 1 0 6

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Morningside with my grandparents, riding the No. 16 Noble bus to and from classes. Living away from campus meant I had almost zero after-class friends and no social life at all. It was not a happy time. One Friday evening, I had just finished a lab, and was crossing the park in front of the Admin Building on my way to the bus stop on West Peachtree Street. It was a beautiful evening. The old-growth trees that sentineled the park were changing color, there was a nip in the air and the illuminated Tech Tower put an early evening glow over the whole scene. It was a beautiful venue, but difficult to enjoy because I was completely by myself,

completely on my own, no joy in sight. I had never felt lonelier in my life. The park is crisscrossed with two walks, and in 1963 a sundial (now gone—I know not why) stood at the intersection. I stopped at that intersection, looked around and began thinking. “I know we’ve gotta pay our dues in this world,” I said to myself. “But I’ll be glad when this part is over, ’cause it isn’t much fun right now.” Though still only 18 years old, I had already begun making big life promises to myself—so big I would officially number them—that I vowed to keep no matter what. I had made two thus far and would eventually make six total during my lifetime. That evening I made Promise No. 3: “Some day I will stand on this exact spot and will be as happy then as I am sad this night.” I gave the scene one last look, took a deep breath and headed for the bus stop. The years came and the years went, and happiness—underwritten in no small part by a successful Tech experience—supplanted many times over the sadness of that evening. But I never forgot those minutes alone by the sundial. And now, whenever my bride of 45 years and I return to campus, we always visit the crosswalk. I gaze upon the same trees that had quietly watched over the solitary freshman that night, and then I proclaim in a voice triumphant, “I told you I’d do it! I told you I’d do it!” I smile at my bride and say, “Darlin’, assume the position.” She does. I plant a big, ol’ smooch on her lips and fulfill a promise made 50-plus years ago. So I hereby propose a new Tech tradition: Kissing at the Crosswalk. Whenever you and your sweetheart visit the spot, stop and have a warm thought for each other and for all the things the Institute has made possible in your lives. Tell your sweetheart, “Darlin’ assume the position,” and then exchange an industrial-strength kiss. If we do this right, we can add yet another tradition to the many that cloak our alma mater—and we can teach all those young folks a thing or two about smooching!

About the Author Hall is a former U.S. Air Force colonel, and he and his wife, Pam, are ardent supporters of Georgia Tech. The Stephen C. Hall building on campus, which houses the Ivan Allen College Writing and Communications programs, is named for him.

Joe Ciardiello

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