Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, Vol. 92, No. 2 2016

TA L K OF T ECH

MY TA ISN’T

FE AT URE

KEEPING OUR

FE AT URE

BIG BUSINESS

HISTORY

TECH’S OLYMPIC

HUMAN SECRETS SAFE ANALYTICS LEGACY

A L U M N I

M A G A Z I N E

BIG DATA [It’s changing how we do everything.]

VOLUME

92 NO.2 SUMMER

2016

“We want deserving students from Georgia to have the opportunity to attend this extraordinary university.”

-Alla Traber and Charles A. Campbell, IE 1966 Charles Campbell is no stranger to hard work. After graduating

Charles,” explained Alla. “And we recognize that providing this

from Georgia Tech, he served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy

type of opportunity can — and does — change lives. This gift plan

Civil Engineer Corps, worked as a production engineer for Boise

allows us to do both.”

Cascade Corporation, and earned an MBA at Harvard Business

Over the years, Campbell served in various leadership roles

School — and that was just in the first seven years of a long and

in manufacturing, computer services, and financial services. In

successful career.

1990, he founded his own company, North American Technology

Campbell, the first in his family to attend college, was raised

Corporation, providing computer and financial services to the

in Brunswick, Georgia, and graduated from Glynn Academy. “I

trucking industry in North America. Campbell was the president

grew up with very modest means,” he said. “Being able to go to

and CEO until he retired after selling it to First Data Corporation

Georgia Tech was a real turning point for me.”

in 2007.

He and his wife, Alla, were looking for a way to help current

Since then, he and Alla, who met on a blind date while Charles

and future generations of young people attend one of the best

was at Tech, have traveled the globe extensively. Closer to home

public universities in the country. That is what inspired them

in Greensboro, Georgia, they enjoy golf and are active in the Lake

to establish, through a combination of an outright gift and a

Oconee Community Church, the Oconee Performing Arts Society,

retirement account expectancy, a G. Wayne Clough Georgia Tech

and the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center. They have three

Promise scholarship that will bear their names.

children, five grandchildren, and three step-grandchildren.

The Alla Traber and Charles A. Campbell Scholarship will be

This year Charles is serving on the 50th Reunion Committee

awarded to undergraduate students with demonstrated financial

and is a major contributor to the Albert Einstein Monument. It

need who qualify for Tech Promise, with first preference for

also marks the 50th consecutive year in which he has given to

residents of Glynn, Brantley, Greene, or Morgan counties. “We

Alumni Roll Call.

value giving back to the school that has meant so much to

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

Meet ‘n Geek

at the Georgia Tech Global Learning Center

<< Located in the heart of Tech Square >>

<< Equipped with the latest in built-in technology >>

No wonder it’s the official meeting facility of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association!

From small meeting rooms to large-scale conference facilities, the Georgia Tech Global Learning Center offers purpose-built space to suit your company’s needs.

Featuring flexible room arrangements, a continuous refreshment service, dedicated event and technical support from start to finish, and more – the GLC is ideal for your next business event. Schedule your personal tour today!

Visit us for a site tour. www.gatechcenter.com/alumni2016

CONTENTS

CO

features VOLUME 92 NO.2 SUMMER 2016

WHY BIG DATA NOW

P 44

Humanity generates data at a dizzying pace, but only recently have researchers been able to fully tap into this treasure trove to tackle our toughest problems.

KEEPING OUR SECRETS SAFE

P 52

Tech alumni Phyllis Schneck and Andy Ozment help lead the U.S. Department of Homeland Securityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts to thwart cybercrooks and hackers.

ANALYZE THIS

P 60

Top analytical minds from Nike, Hershey, Boeing and The Home Depot share how their companies are leveraging Big Data to big effect.

004

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departments p 10

AROUND CAMPUS

p 12

010

012 Talk of Tech 018 Data Degrees in High Demand Tech’s analytics program ranks among the best.

020 Student News 024 10 Questions How Peter Webster is using worldwide weather data to save lives.

ON THE FIELD

028

028 Moneypuck Alexandra Mandrycky, IE 13, is putting analytics to work on the ice.

030 Pastner Hired as Men’s Hoops Coach

IN THE WORLD

032

032 Let’s Get Visual Blacki Migliozzi, Math 09, MS CS 12, uses data to develop award-winning infographics.

038 Jacket Copy 040 Balancing Act Tech student Rosalee Ramer goes heavy on the throttle as a pro monster truck driver.

p 24

p 40

ALUMNI HOUSE

068

070 Opportunities to Excel 2016 Gift to Tech grants $40,000 to life-changing program.

074 Tech Travel 078 Alumni Events

RAMBLIN’ ROLL

080

082 Weddings 084 Births 086 In Memoriam

TECH HISTORY

100

100 Our Olympic Legacy 20 years later, a look at how the Centennial Olympic Games changed Georgia Tech.

105 Time Machine

BACK PAGE

106

Ready for the retail data revolution?

Cover Photo: Rack-mounted optical computer network switches with fiber connections by Christian B.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLU M E 92 NO.2 2016

005

P U B L I S H E R ’S LETTER

PL

What’s the Big Deal with Big Data?

Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine Vol. 92, No. 2 PUBLISHER Joseph P. Irwin, IM 80 VP MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Dawn Churi EDITOR Roger Slavens ASSISTANT EDITOR Melissa Fralick

My house has a Nest thermostat that I

can control remotely from virtually anywhere in the world that I can find Internet access. This is a prime example of what is known as the “Internet of Things”— connected devices with the electronics, software and ability to control and capture data. It’s just one small—but immensely cool—example of how so-called Big Data is making an observable impact in our daily lives right this minute.

But there are thousands of other examples now—such as Amazon suggesting books I might like to read or Apple doing the same for music—and millions more that are coming down the line. One extraordinarily complex example would be the self-driving car, which cannot know where to go and how to get to a destination safely without access to a diverse range of Big Data such as GPS road navigation, real-time traffic and driving conditions, weather and so on.

Still, I often wonder what exactly is “Big Data”? And is it any different than regular old data? The answer lies in the confluence of rapidly changing technologies and our increasing ability to capture and analyze massive sets of sophisticated data so that we can make better decisions and improve processes. Whether it’s climate change, healthcare and medicine, economics, manufacturing or a thousand other fields, Big Data and the way we analyze all of it is changing the way we live.

Georgia Tech and our alumni, of course, are leading the way in research, investment and education on a multitude of Big Data opportunities and challenges including everything from cybersecurity (page 52) to precision medicine that goes all the way into your one-of-a-kind genomics. The Institute’s upcoming, trailblazing, high-performance computing center, recently named Coda at Technology Square (page 14), demonstrates the kinds of investments being made to secure this future.

You’ll see the entire issue of our Summer 2016 edition of the Alumni Magazine 006

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLUME 92 NO.2 20 16

DESIGNER Joshua Baker | joshbkr.com COPY EDITOR Rebecca Bowen STUDENT ASSISTANT Lauren Dognazzi, BME 16 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 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

is devoted to the topic of Big Data and those analyzing it—from top computer science and engineering researchers on campus (page 44) to Tech alumni who serve as chief data officers for major companies like Nike, Boeing and Hershey (page 60). As we peer into Tech’s impact in the field, expect to be surprised by how big Big Data really is and how much of our lives it touches.

We also know that with such an explosion of collectible information, there’s a driving need to educate future workers to be able to interpret all this data and act upon it. You can see that through Tech’s revolutionary, cross-disciplinary Master of Science in Analytics degree (page 18)—now in just its third cohort—as well as through the dozens of courses offered each semester that explore analytics processes. The bottom line is that nearly anyone who earns a Georgia Tech degree today will graduate with some experience in data science and analytics as well as a decided advantage in starting their professional careers.

Go Jackets!

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. © 2016 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

FB

“But really we had the entire city and most of Europe as a classroom—visiting, studying and sketching all the buildings and cities that we had only heard about in our lectures.”

Linda MacArthur, Arch 79, M Arch 81 Atlanta

sharing your story and historical perspective. – Ed.]

The Joys of Studying Abroad

I was excited to read the article about Tech’s Study Abroad program in the latest Alumni Magazine (Spring 2016, Vol. 92.

No. 1) for a couple of reasons. One is that my son is a current engineering student at Tech and is planning on going on his second study program in China this summer. And secondly, as a former Tech student myself, I had benefitted greatly from my own experiences on both the Paris Program and then a summer in Cambridge England via the College of Architecture.

The Paris Program was a carrot dangled in front of the undergraduates, where we were offered an entire fourth year in Paris. We were partially immersed—living with French families but had Tech professors, who rotated in every quarter. The College of Architecture partnered with the L’ecole des Beaux-Arts to provide a venue and interchange with French Architecture students and in my year our class took studio and other courses in the Grand Palais right off of the Champs-Elysees. But really we had the entire city and most of Europe as a classroom—visiting, studying and sketching all the buildings and cities that we had only heard about in our lectures.

It was an amazing, formative year that proved to be a watershed event in our thinking as young architects. It also cemented my bond with Georgia Tech forever. The Paris program was originated sometime in the 1970s; I attended 1978-79 and the program continued for a total of 40 years or so. I am not sure why it was discontinued but I am sure the recession had a lot to do with it.

So you can imagine my disappointment as an alumna when reading the 008

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Appreciating Tech’s Top Military Minds

article and there was barely a mention of this seminal precursor to today’s extensive study abroad offerings at Tech. I feel that your article was incomplete to say the least and missed sharing that nugget of history with its readers. Remember the architecture students are every bit as much a part of Tech as the engineers and our past is Tech’s past, too!

Linda MacArthur, Arch 79, M Arch 81 Atlanta

Thanks for a great joint interview with Gen. Philip Breedlove and Adm. Sandy Winnefeld (“A World of Conflict,” Spring 2016, Vol. 92 No. 1). What a tribute to Georgia Tech to have two such alumni willing to participate.

You may be interested in another illustrious Tech alumnus: Lt. Gen. Robert S. Williams, AE 84, was recently promoted and appointed as Commander of the 1st Air Force at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. Perhaps he would make a good interview subject.

While a colonel, he was wing commander of the 169th Fighter Wing in the South Carolina Air National Guard. I served in this wing for five years until retiring in 2011 and considered Col. Williams an outstanding wing commander. One of my favorite memories is of the ceremony where he assumed command. As we all stood in formation in the hanger, recordings of Up with the White and Gold and Ramblin’ Wreck were played—right there in the heart of Gamecock and Tiger country!

Bill Brockman, Mgt 73 Atlanta

[In our effort to focus on Tech’s global impact today—including the growth of the Institute’s international programs— we couldn’t do full justice to the study abroad opportunities that were available in decades past. Thank you for

With rapt attention, I read (and reread) editor Roger Slavens’ interview of Gen. Breedlove and Adm. James A. “Sandy” Winnefeld in the article “A World of Conflict.” These two leaders

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. Share your personal news, birth and wedding announcements (with photos!), out and about snapshots, and in memoriam notices at gtalumni.org/magazine.

CONTRIBUTORS expressed opinions which broadened my understanding of U.S. military strategy. The Council on Foreign Relations Chart, “Top Global Threats to U.S. Interests,” was straightforward and easy to understand, even for those of us with no formal education in international relations.

However, I worry that overreaching global governance was conspicuous in its absence from this CFR chart of threats to the U.S. I believe that globalism, by a long train of abuses and usurpations is reversing the American Revolution incrementally, overturning U.S. sovereignty

one regulation at a time. Globgov is a clear and present danger to the U.S. Constitution and America’s “government of the people, by the people, for the people.”

D. Brian Eargle, MS ICS 74 Sumter, S.C.

Osayi Endolyn has written for Correction

Gary S. May, EE 85, Dean and Southern Company Chair in the College of Engineering, was misidentified in the “Campaign in Review” publication that accompanied the Spring 2016 (Vol. 92 No.2) issue of the Alumni Magazine.

New York magazine’s The Cut, Eater, Bitter Southerner and Atlanta magazine. She’s a fan of two-factor authentication and is quite protective of her wellseasoned cast iron skillet.

Get Your Gold Out

Football is the game won and lost by inches. Every factor, no matter how small it may seem, helps to determine the outcomes of entire seasons. One of the most commonly accepted success factors for creating a winning football team is also the easiest to recognize by looking—a home crowd unified in their support wearing a single identifying color. The single color by which their players know the fans are on their side—their “battle color.”

Over the years, Georgia Tech fans have taken to casually wearing many different colors to sporting events— navy, black, gray, white, gold and more—anything but red. If you’ve attended games you’ve seen how the disparate clothing colors blend together to render the crowd fragmented and noncommittal in appearance. Despite this, there has emerged a gleaming hope demonstrating the power Georgia Tech fans possess when we work together!

In recent seasons Tech fans have staged an annual White Out game to impressive results. Consider the moment in last season’s game against Florida State as time expired. Was it an accident the Tech players displayed extra energy and alertness while their opponents were flagging? All the Yellow Jackets players, dressed in white uniforms, had to do to energize themselves was to look around. They saw their home crowd draped likewise in gleaming white and roaring with support! What beautiful unity! What great home field advantage at Bobby Dodd Stadium! “What a time to be alive!”

Jackets, it’s time to harness what we have learned from the White Out for every home game! The time has come to rally behind Georgia Tech’s original and most unifying battle color—gold.

This upcoming season, let’s all wear gold shirts (and jackets) to the game to give our players the unified crowd they deserve. White Outs are one game a season. Every other game should be a Gold Out! I want every Georgia Tech fan to show his and her support at the games to make a sea of gold inside Bobby Dodd a reality. Let’s start the Gold Out on social media channels by using #GTGoldOut. Jason Kuykendall, ID 11

Brooks Kraft has won numerous awards for his portraits, including International Photographer of the Year in 2013 for a portfolio of President Obama. He has covered the White House for 10 years with TIME magazine, traveling the globe to over 50 countries on Air Force One.

Tony Rehagen’s work has appeared in GQ, USA Today and Atlanta magazine. He lives in Atlanta, in blissful ignorance of the complex algorithms that control his life.

Ellis Booker has held senior editorial posts at a number of A-list IT publications, including InternetWeek and Computerworld.

He likes to refurbish old, “useless” computers with Linux and donate them to neighbors.

Smyrna, Ga. GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLU M E 92 NO.2 2016

009

Around

CAMPUS

Rob Felt

010

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u

Getting Out

More than 3,000 degrees were conferred during Georgia Techâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Spring 2016 commencement ceremonies.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLU M E 92 NO.2 2016

01 1

TALK of TECH

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

My TA is an AI

Jason Maderer

Tech students didn’t know their online teaching assistant Jill Watson wasn’t human.

∏ Artificially intelligent Jill Watson answered student questions in an online forum.

College of Computing Professor Ashok Goel teaches Knowledge Based Artifi-

cial Intelligence (KBAI) every semester.

It’s a core requirement of Georgia Tech’s online Master of Science in Computer Science (CS OMS) program. And every time he offers the course, Goel estimates, his 300 or so students post roughly 10,000 messages in the online forum— far too many inquiries for him and his eight teaching assistants to handle.

That’s why Goel added a ninth TA this spring semester. Her name is Jill Watson, and she’s unlike any other TA in the !

012

world. In fact, she’s not even a “she.” Jill is a computer—a virtual TA—implemented on IBM’s Watson platform.

“The world is full of online classes, and they’re plagued with low retention rates,” Goel says. “One of the main reasons many students drop out is because they don’t receive enough teaching support. We created Jill as a way to provide faster answers and feedback.”

Goel and his team of Georgia Tech graduate students started to build her last year. They contacted Piazza, the course’s online discussion forum, to

track down all the questions that had ever been asked in KBAI since the class was launched in fall 2014 (about 40,000 postings in all). Then they started to feed Jill the questions and answers.

“One of the secrets of online classes is that the number of questions increases if you have more students, but the number of different questions doesn’t really go up,” Goel says. “Students tend to ask the same questions over and over again.”

That’s an ideal situation for the Watson platform, which specializes in answering questions with distinct, clear solutions.

The team wrote code that allows Jill to field routine questions that are asked every semester. For example, students consistently ask where they can find particular assignments and readings.

Jill wasn’t very good for the first few weeks after she started in January, often giving odd and irrelevant answers. Her responses were posted in a forum that wasn’t visible to students.

“Initially her answers weren’t good enough because she would get stuck on keywords,” says Lalith Polepeddi, one of the graduate students who co-developed the virtual TA. “For example, a student asked about organizing a meetup to go over video lessons with others, and Jill gave an answer referencing a textbook that could supplement the video lesson— same keywords, but different context. So we learned from mistakes like this one, and gradually made Jill smarter.”

After some tinkering by the research team, Jill found her groove and soon was answering questions with 97 percent certainty. When she did, the human TAs would upload her responses to the

the BASELINE

received for the freshman class of 30,520 Applications 2017, a record number GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLUME 92 NO.2 20 16

of the College of Engineering in U.S. News & No. 7 Ranking World Report’s 2017 list of top graduate programs

“One of the main reasons many students drop out is because they don’t receive enough teaching support. We created Jill as a way to provide faster answers and feedback,” Goel says. students. By the end of March, Jill didn’t need any assistance: She wrote the class directly if she was 97 percent positive her answer was correct.

The students, who were studying artificial intelligence, were unknowingly interacting with a novel example of it.

Goel didn’t inform them about Jill’s true identity until April 26. The student response was uniformly positive. One admitted her mind was blown. Another

∏ Ashok Goel (left) meets with a student.

asked if Jill could “come out and play.”

Since then some students have organized a KBAI alumni forum to learn about new developments with Jill after the class ends, and another group of students has launched an open source project to replicate her.

Back in February, student Tyson Bailey began to wonder if Jill was a computer and posted his suspicions on Piazza.

“We were taking an AI course, so I had to imagine that it was possible there might be an AI lurking around,” says Bailey, who lives in Albuquerque, N.M. “Then again, I asked Dr. Goel if he was a computer in one of my first email interactions with him. I think it’s a great idea and hope that they continue to improve it.”

Jill ended the semester able to answer many routine questions asked. She’ll return—with a different name—next semester. The goal is to have the virtual teaching assistant answer 40 percent of all questions by the end of year.

OF COURSE: DECIDING FACTORS MGT 8803: Big Data Analytics in Business

Instructor: Dr. Beverly Wright

operational and tactical decision-making?

Objective: “To provide real-world experience centered on solving business problems using data science and analytics. Students learn quantitative technical skills to apply analytics methods to business problems, with a strong emphasis on client interaction and a focus toward understanding strategic implications of resulting analyses.”

Course Topics: Students gain practical experience through collaboration with course sponsors to work with real datasets to solve business problems and assist with opportunities. Project results provide insights into sponsors’ challenges and opportunities, enabling sponsors to understand consumers, prospects, markets, processes and more through underlying data signals. Such improved understanding and perspective can help direct resource allocation, product and development decisions, as well as other strategic, operational, marketing and tactical decisions.

Prerequisites: None Problem Question: How can we use data to better understand and predict business indicators to support data-inspired strategic,

to Tech by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to $1 million Awarded develop the Digital Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts Center

in Tech’s Society of Women Engineers, 530 Members the second largest in the nation GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLU M E 92 NO.2 2016

013

TALK of TECH

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

Coda to Soar Over Tech Square

Laura Diamond

In late April, Georgia Tech and Portman Holdings officially unveiled Coda,

a landmark building that will house Tech’s much-talked-about high-performance computing center at the heart of Tech Square. The approximately 750,000-square-foot mixed-use project represents a $375 million investment into Atlanta’s hottest innovation district.

Within the development, 620,000 square feet will be office space designed to foster collaboration between Institute research and industry. Georgia Tech will occupy about half the office space. In addition, nearly 40,000 square feet of retail space—including the adaptive reuse of the historic Crum & Forster building— will be accessible by a plaza designed to serve as a local gathering place and outdoor living room for Midtown Atlanta.

The development also includes an approximately 80,000-square-foot data center, which Next Tier HD has been selected to operate.

“With Georgia Tech as the anchor tenant, the high-performance computing center’s interdisciplinary, collaborative environment will enhance Tech Square’s positive impact in Midtown Atlanta, bringing together people in a mixed-use community of innovation, education and intelligent exchange,” says Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson.

“In 12 short years, Tech Square has become the Southeast’s premier innovation neighborhood.”

John Portman & Associates’ design includes the creation of an outdoor urban plaza bordered by retail and a giant interactive media wall, as well as two office towers connected by a central !

014

∏ Street-view architectural rendering of the new Coda building. collaborative core. “We believe innovation is generated by looking at things in a different way,” says Pierluca Maffey, vice president of design for Portman. “So we are creating spaces that allow brilliant thinkers, creative minds and smart business people to come together, share their points of view and start a process that leads to the next big idea.”

Tech Square connects the intellectual capital of Georgia Tech with the thriving business community in Midtown Atlanta. It is a magnet for tech startups and university spinoffs. The area has attracted industry innovation centers that include AT&T Mobility, Panasonic Automotive,

Southern Company, Delta Air Lines, The Home Depot, Coca-Cola Enterprises, NCR and ThyssenKrupp Elevator Americas. Along with the new NCR world headquarters under development and Tech Square Labs, the eight-block Tech Square campus will soon total 3 million square feet of commercial space and more than $1 billion invested.

Coda is anticipated to have an economic impact of $813.8 million, as well as significant economic benefits—not only through the creation of 2,100 construction jobs and 2,400 jobs onsite after completion, but also through its impact on innovation in the region.

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of different Alternative Service Break locations 4 Number where students spent their spring breaks volunteering GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLUME 92 NO.2 20 16

of the new joint Library Service Center, which 55,000 sq. ft. Size is shared between Georgia Tech and Emory

DEEP [ECONOMIC] IMPACT

A NEW NAME FOR AN OLD COLLEGE

A study commissioned by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG) shows the Georgia Institute of Technology has a staggering $2.87 billion impact on the state’s economy.

Georgia Tech’s total impact ranked No. 1 among the 31 institutions that constituted the USG in 2015.

The system’s total impact for fiscal year 2015 was $15.5 billion. The following universities had the largest economic impact, according to the study: 1. Georgia Institute of Technology, $2.87 billion 2. University of Georgia, $2.34 billion 3. Georgia State University, $1.79 billion 4. Augusta University, $1.23 billion 5. Kennesaw State University, $1.04 billion Conducted by the Selig Center for Economic Growth in the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, the study looked at data from fiscal year 2015: July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015. The impact of the total output of the universities was calculated by adding the initial spending to the re-spending, or multiplier effect, for each institution in its host community.

The study also determined that more than 150,190 full- and part-time jobs in the state (3.5 percent) came from USG institutions. Georgia Tech’s employment impact was 23,328 jobs, which includes 7,860 on-campus jobs and another 15,468 off-campus jobs that exist because of Institute-related spending.

USG measures economic impact approximately every five years. In 2010, Tech’s economic impact was calculated at $2.15 billion with 18,127 full- and part-time jobs. Impacts not covered in the study include intellectual capital, and the report doesn’t take into account the fact that Tech has developed the third-largest number of patents in the state behind AT&T and Kimberly-Clark.

Georgia Tech’s College of Architecture

LANCE WALLACE

is now called the College of Design. The new name showcases the College’s strengths and innovation in the multifaceted aspects of design, says Steven P. French, dean and John Portman Chair of the College of Design. And it is a more accurate reflection of the wide range of academic programs and work that occurs in the research centers and Schools of Architecture, Building Construction, City and Regional Planning, Industrial Design and Music.

“This name change marks an exciting new chapter for our College and the work of our students, faculty, staff and alumni,” French says. “We intend to broaden the definition of design at

Georgia Tech through our academics and research. We will draw the connection between design and today’s uniquely human experiences, from buildings and cities, to products and soundscapes.”

The College has been discussing a name change for about 20 years to better capture its range of academic and research activities. The number of academic programs offered by the College has doubled over the last decade, and three quarters of the degrees are not rooted in architecture.

LAURA DIAMOND

PRESIDENT’S SCHOLARS PROGRAM GETS BIG BOOST

The latest gift from the family foundation

led by Penny Stamps, Hon 16, and E. Roe Stamps IV, IE 67, MS IE 72, Hon PhD 2014, is transforming the President’s Scholarship Program at Georgia Tech once again.

In 2006, the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation launched the Stamps Leadership Scholars program inside the President’s Scholarship Program at Tech to support merit scholarships for the most promising undergraduate scholars from across the nation. Annual gifts

provided by the Stamps Foundation are matched by the Institute, and the total funds provide the full cost of attendance and enrichment opportunities over four years for the 10 top freshmen admitted to Georgia Tech annually.

Now, the Stamps Foundation is more than doubling its annual grant to ensure that every President’s Scholar will have the same opportunities provided under the current Stamps Leadership Scholars program. This means that every student in the President’s Scholars Program—approximately 40 freshmen each year—will receive funding equal to the full cost of attendance for four years, plus a laptop and enrichment experiences including at least one international experience.

The President’s Scholarship Program will be renamed the Stamps President’s Scholars Program in recognition of the Stamps’ philanthropy.

“Penny and I are thrilled to make this commitment to the future of a truly outstanding program,” Roe Stamps says.

STACY BRAUKMAN GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLU M E 92 NO.2 2016

015

TALK of TECH

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

Never Too Late: Alumnus Gets Master’s Degree After 59-Year Wait

Laura Diamond

In many ways, Leo Benatar, IE 51, MS IE 16, was very similar to many of his

fellow graduates at the Spring 2016 Commencement ceremonies. He followed up his bachelor’s degree from Georgia Tech with a master’s degree from the Institute.

He lined up early and walked across the stage on the evening of Friday, May 6. It’s a night he’s envisioned for years.

But in one way, he is very different from his peers: Benatar is 86 years old. And he’s finally claimed his master’s of science degree in industrial engineering 59 years after he was set to earn it. “My kids joke that I’ll have to update my resume for my next job interview,” says Benatar.

Benatar graduated from Tech with his bachelor’s degree—also in industrial engineering—in 1951 during a ceremony on Grant Field. After a stint with the Navy, he returned to campus in 1954 and began working on his master’s during night classes. Six months shy of graduation in 1957, while preparing for his thesis defense, his adviser left the Institute and Tech couldn’t find anyone knowledgeable enough about the topic to hear the defense. Com∏ Benatar in 1951 mencement came and went and Benatar continued taking classes. A replacement wasn’t found the next year either. Eventually, the Atlanta native decided to begin his career and leave campus without the degree.

A few years later, Georgia Tech dropped the thesis requirement, allowing students to graduate if they had taken enough courses. Benatar had done exactly that, so he followed up with John White, the director 016

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of the School of Industrial Engineering at the time, to ask about finally getting his degree. But White left shortly afterwards and the request fell through the cracks.

Benatar made some inquiries every so often during the last few decades, but wheels started to move in the right direction when he mentioned it last summer to Edwin Romeijn, the current chair of the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering. In December, he got the word that he was officially a member of the Class of 2016.

“Psychologically it’s a tremendous feeling for me,” Benatar says. “I’d done the work and gone to the classes, but didn’t get the fulfillment of the degree. I’m the type of person who wants to complete everything that I start. That’s what I’ve done in business—it’s what Tech taught me.”

Benatar served as the director, president, CEO and chairman of the board of Engraph Inc., which was a $500 million

manufacturing company at the time of his retirement in 1996. He’s a former chairman of The Federal Reserve. He’s also the principal of Benatar & Associates and serves on the board of Aaron’s Inc. “Georgia Tech was a great learning experience,” says Benatar, who also is a former trustee for both the Georgia Tech Foundation and the Alumni Association.

“It prepared me for business by forcing me to think through possibilities and work really hard to determine solutions. To be frank with you, I couldn’t get into Georgia Tech today. The quality of the students that we’re attracting is mind-boggling.”

Benatar and his wife, Louise, are members of The Hill Society (Georgia Tech’s most prestigious giving society) and established the Leo and Louise Benatar Endowment for the Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering. The east entrance of McCamish Pavilion is named after the couple. JASON MADERER Rob Felt

OBAMA SELECTS ANTÓN FOR NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY COMMISSION

ROBIN THOMAS EARNS TOP FACULTY HONOR Robin Thomas has a remarkable record of teaching, service and research. He is a

President Barack Obama has selected

Georgia Tech School of Interactive Computing Chair and Professor Ana (Annie) Antón, ICS 90, MS ICS 92, PhD ICS 97, to serve as one of 12 members of the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity. The bipartisan commission, created by presidential executive order on Feb. 9, 2016, is part of the Cybersecurity National Action Plan.

Antón, who is an expert on software

compliance with federal privacy and security regulations, is a professor and chair of the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech. She holds additional appointments in both the School of Computer Science and the Scheller College of Business. Antón has been a leader in privacy and cybersecurity since the late 1990s. She is an ACM Distinguished Scientist and Senior Member of IEEE. LAURA DIAMOND

KAPPA ALPHA THETA SORORITY TO COME TO TECH Georgia Tech’s female population hit an all-time high in 2015 with an incoming

class of 42 percent women. One area of campus that has noticed that increase is the Greek community.

This fall, to accommodate more women on campus and a growing interest in Greek life, an eighth National Panhellenic Conference sorority will colonize a chapter at Georgia Tech.

Kappa Alpha Theta will be the first NPC group to bring a chapter to Tech s i n c e A l p h a P h i c a m e to c a m p u s

in 2008. The process of bringing a new chapter to campus—called “extension”—is largely driven by current students. The extension for Tech was approved in November 2015.

With chapter sizes of around 180 people and new member classes as large as 60 women, the need for adding a new sorority to campus has grown. Roughly 30 percent of Tech women are involved in Greek life. KRISTEN BAILEY

Regents Professor, recipient of the Neuron Award for Lifetime Achievement in Mathematics, and a member of the 2012 inaugural class of American Mathematical Society Fellows.

He has more than 100 papers appearing in top journals, and he has been awarded the Fulkerson Prize for outstanding papers in the area of discrete mathematics. Twice.

Now Thomas is the latest recipient of Georgia Tech’s highest award given to a faculty member: the Class of 1934 Distinguished Professor Award, which is given to an active professor who has made significant, long-term contributions that have brought widespread recognition to the professor, to his or her school and to the Institute. The award includes a stipend of $20,000. “I’ve been at Georgia Tech for over 25 years, so receiving this award means a lot to me,” Thomas says.

In 2008, Thomas was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. “It’s a progressive disease, where I’m gradually losing the use of my legs and other functions,” says Thomas, who uses a motorized wheelchair to get around.

“I had to completely change the way I deliver lectures,” Thomas says. He’s currently on faculty development leave, but usually teaches Applied Combinatorics and Graph Theory. “I can no longer stand in front of a whiteboard,” he says. “At first, I was writing my lectures on paper and using a document camera to project it onto a screen. But that’s no longer possible.”

Although Thomas’ body is failing him, his mind remains sharp and focused. “There are lots of ongoing research projects that I would like to finish,” he says. VICTOR ROGERS GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLU M E 92 NO.2 2016

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TALK of TECH

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

Data Degrees in High Demand

Melissa Fralick

Georgia Tech’s burgeoning Master of Science in Analytics program trains students to find patterns—and profits—in massive data sets.

∏ Associate Professor Joel Sokol leads the Master’s of Science in Analytics program.

More data has been generated and col-

lected in the past few years than in all of human history combined. But all this information is only useful if you know how to analyze it.

Here’s just one example: Every time you plug an address into a GPS app on your phone, you are creating data about where you plan to travel and when. These are two small pieces of a huge data set about commuting patterns that businesses can use to better understand driver behavior and potentially offer up desirable products and services along your route or improve your drive itself.

It takes trained data scientists to make sense of such complex information. It’s no wonder that the global demand for 018

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analytics gurus—usually part statistician, part computer programmer—has skyrocketed. The median salary for a data scientist is $116,870, and there are thousands of job openings in the U.S. alone, according to a 2016 report by Glassdoor.

Georgia Tech saw this educational demand coming: Two years ago, the Institute launched a one-year interdisciplinary Master of Science in Analytics program.

What sets Tech’s program apart from other analytics degrees offered across the country, says its director Joel Sokol, is that it approaches analytics from three different perspectives: business, engineering and computing. In addition, the intense, one-year focus attracts those already working in industry who want to earn a

formal, advanced degree in analytics— some of them even able to do so without interrupting their careers.

Sokol says the reason trained data scientists are so valuable is that businesses may not know how certain data could benefit them. For a typical Fortune 1,000 company, just a 10 percent increase in data accessibility could result in more than $65 million in additional net income, according to Baseline.

“When we talk to our students, we tell them, depending on where you work, you might just be told, ‘here’s a huge data set we’re compiling minute by minute,’” Sokol says. “‘Figure out how to monetize this for us.’”

Though relatively young, Georgia Tech’s program is considered one of the nation’s best, with each cohort becoming more selective.

The program began with 30 students n the fall semester of 2015. In the second cohort, 45 students were selected from about 400 applicants. The third cohort, which begins this August, will likely include between 60 and 70 students chosen from nearly 800 applications.

“Part of it is that it’s just a hot field,” Sokol says. “A lot of analytics programs are seeing big application numbers. But Georgia Tech is also being recognized as one of the top programs out there. The true interdisciplinary nature of our program gives our students an extra leg up.”

There’s also a level of flexibility that allows students to concentrate more heavily on business, engineering or computing. “We give our students a lot of choice in electives,” Sokol says, pointing out that there are 50 options total.

Development

Just What is Analytics?

To understand the term analytics—a very broad pursuit with no globally accepted definition—let’s, well, analyze it. “Analytics spans the fields of statistics, operations research, computing and business,” says Joel Sokol, director of Tech’s MS in Analytics program. “This Tech degree is one of the few truly interdisciplinary analytics degrees that includes all of those areas. As a result, our graduates are uniquely able to think across the disciplines as they generate deeper insights into analytics problems.” For more info, go to analytics.gatech.edu.

“They can take anywhere from five to eight electives depending on their background and really tailor their program to whatever their career goals and interests are.”

Gautam Krishna, MSA 15, was working at a job in the supply chain field when he became interested in analytics. He studied industrial engineering as an undergrad and planned to use his degree in analytics to further his career in supply chain logistics.

But he says the interdisciplinary nature of Tech’s analytics program introduced him to new areas he hadn’t considered before.

“Before the program, my interest was in supply chain firms,” Krishna says. “But in the first semester, I realized there were other potential areas I needed to focus on. I found the best domain for me was marketing.”

Krishna regularly attended the program’s seminar series, which features industry experts. “One of those speakers was from a marketing company, and I realized the potential of this domain,” Krishna says. “It was about using Big Data in marketing. It motivated me to learn more.”

After completing the program, Krishna was hired as a data scientist with 360i, a digital marketing agency.

Sokol says graduates of the program have no problem finding work. In fact, there was a 100 percent placement rate for summer 2015 graduates.

Alumni of the program are employed at major corporations like Amazon, Apple and UPS . “We’ve had students decline six-figure offers from top employers,” Sokol says.

The need for analytics graduates is only projected to go up as more data becomes available. Within five years, there will be more than 50 billion smart-connected devices in the world, which are designed to collect, analyze and share data.

“There’s a huge potential of data available, and they need people to come up with stories for the data,” Krishna says.

“There’s a huge demand for data analysts.”

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STUDENT NEWS

Accomplishments, both stunning and silly, by the alumni of tomorrow.

Sparks of Innovation FireHUD beat five impressive student teams to take home the 2016 InVenture Prize.

Every year, the InVenture Prize competition showcases Georgia Tech’s brightest undergraduate innovators and their incredible inventions. This year marked the biggest year yet for the eigth annual contest. More than 530 students vied for a spot in the finals, with just 26 on six cross-disciplinary teams ultimately making the cut.

On March 16, after months of grueling work, these six teams presented their ambitious ideas to a panel of celebrity judges in front of a live audience at Tech’s Ferst Center for the Arts—and broadcast on public television. A lot was on the line for these innovators, including $35,000 in prizes and a free U.S. patent filing.

The winning team, FireHUD, went on to represent Georgia Tech at the first-ever ACC InVenture Prize Competition, which featured student inventors from all 15 universities in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Read more about the 2016 InVenture Prize winners and finalists below.

1ST PLACE: FIREHUD

The idea for FireHUD was sparked by a simple question. Standing around a bonfire, Zack Braun asked family friend C.J. Richardson, a firefighter, what it was like to be inside of a burning building.

Richardson described the sensation as much hotter and far more chaotic than the bonfire. This got Braun, a third-year computer engineering student, thinking, “If you had a display, it might be easier.”

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∏ The FireHUD team won $20,000, a free U.S. patent filing and a spot in the Flashpoint startup accelerator.

And so the idea for FireHUD ignited.

Braun employed the help of classmate Tyler Sisk, an electrical engineering major, to create a real-time monitoring system and heads-up display (the HUD in FireHUD) to provide firefighters with biometric and environmental data to help them make safer decisions in the line of duty.

“I thought it was a really cool idea,” Sisk says. “It was really futuristic sounding and I thought it would be fun to build.”

In addition to forming a formidable

tandem of innovators, Braun and Sisk are also old friends. The two met playing soccer in the sixth grade and attended Northgate High School in Newnan, Ga., together before studying at Tech.

Through research, Braun and Sisk discovered there was nothing like FireHUD on the market. “We were pretty surprised,” Braun says. “We realized a solution was missing.”

They learned that the No. 1 killer of firefighters is cardiac arrest, and over-exertion

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of students who voted to approve a mandatory 66% Percentage fee for the renovation and expansion of the Student Center GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLUME 92 NO.2 20 16

of Tech’s Herb McAuley Aquatic Center among top #1 Ranking competition swimming pools by College Ranker

∏ The HUD in FireHUD is a real-time monitoring system and heads-up display that provides firefighters with biometric and environmental data.

Insulated inside a fire helmet, FireHUD uses optics to project data, including external temperature and heart rate, in front of a firefighter’s eyes. is the leading cause of injury. Firefighters often push their own bodies too far in extreme conditions while trying to save others.

Insulated inside a fire helmet, FireHUD uses optics to project data, including external temperature and heart rate, in front of a firefighter’s eyes. Using high-power radio, FireHUD also transmits data to a

commander outside the fire, who can call firefighters out of dangerous situations.

During the fall 2015 semester, the pair worked on FireHUD in the “Idea 2 Prototype” class, part of the new CREATE-X initiative at Tech that encourages student entrepreneurs.

At the end of the semester, they

of awards won by the Technique from the 2016 15 Number Georgia College Press Association Better Newspaper Contest.

continued to develop their concept after class and devoted solid blocks of time to FireHUD over their vacations.

“With school, it was hard to juggle,” Sisk says.

They collected input from firefighters, visiting three stations as well as the Georgia Public Safety Training Center, where they tested their prototype with firefighters during training exercises.

The firefighters they met are enthusiastic about the concept, as are fire safety manufacturers. Braun and Sisk are now in talks to license FireHUD with Scott Safety, one of the top sellers of fire safety masks.

As the first-place winners of the 2016 InVenture Prize Competition, FireHUD took home the top prize of $20,000, a free U.S. patent filing and a coveted spot in Flashpoint, Tech’s business accelerator and startup engineering curriculum.

goal of commuters to bike to campus, according 20% Percentage to the Institute’s Bicycle Master Plan GTALUMNIMAG.COM VOLU M E 92 NO.2 2016

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STUDENT NEWS

Accomplishments, both stunning and silly, by the alumni of tomorrow.

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD: TRUEPANI

2ND PLACE: WOBBLE The current method for assessing athletes following a concussion is to observe as they stand on one leg. After all, balance is one of the main functions affected by concussions, and the students behind Team Wobble set out to invent a more accurate way to measure this important biomarker.

The Wobble was created by Hailey Brown in mechanical engineering, Matthew Devlin in biomedical engineering, Ana Gomez del Campo in biomedical engineering, and Garrett Wallace in biomedical engineering. Their automated device—which resembles a large,

high-tech bathroom scale—moves slowly back and forth while sensors measure a person’s center of balance as they stand on it. By diagnosing one of concussion’s biggest side effects, Wobble could help to reduce the risk of brain damage and keep athletes safer.

Concussions can have serious consequences, especially when they go undiagnosed. The students behind Wobble reported that high school athletes are three times more likely than professional athletes to suffer from catastrophic brain injury as a result.

Wobble won second place in the InVenture Prize competition, scoring $10,000, a free U.S. patent filing and a spot in Flashpoint.

FINALIST: FRET WIZARD Teaching yourself to play the guitar can be difficult. There are tutorial videos on YouTube, but they don’t show the frets of the guitar up close. Guitar tabs, which are like sheet music, have all the information, but look like a confusing mess of lines and numbers to a novice.

But Fret Wizard deciphers guitar tabs and shows you where to put your fingers.

Fret Wizard is an artificial intelligence

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learning program that studies guitar tabs and then displays the finger positions in an intuitive interface. Fret Wizard was the brainchild of Ali Abid, a computer science student, and Molly Ricks, who studies international affairs.

In India, a child dies every 60 seconds from water-borne illnesses. While traveling through rural India, Tech students Samantha Becker and Shannon Evanchec found that the root of this problem was not the water itself, but rather contaminated drinking vessels. Much of rural India does not have running water, so residents must collect water and store it in their homes.

Becker and Evanchec discovered that household cups are often contaminated with dangerous levels of microbes such as E. coli. They formed the TruePani team with Sarah Lynn Bowen and Naomi Ergun to come up with a two-part solution to stop disease: a drinking cup coated with a thin layer of antimicrobial copper, as well as a copper-coated, metal lotus flower, which can be submerged in the water storage container to fight the microbes.

TruePani won the popular vote from InVenture Prize audience members, giving the all-female, multidisciplinary team the People’s Choice Award and $5,000.

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of different tree species that 130 Number can be found on Tech’s campus

FINALIST: ROBO GOALIE The students behind Robo Goalie created a robot that automatically collects and returns a soccer ball to improve solo practice. That means soccer players don’t have to waste time or break concentration retrieving the ball. It also gives goalies the ability to practice on their own for the first time.

After demonstrating Robo Goalie at various colleges, the team got three letters of commitment from NCAA Division 1 university soccer teams. Its creators— mechanical engineering students Timothy Woo, Ming Him Ko, Zhifeng Su and Siu Lun Chan—plan to continue developing Robo Goalie to add more features, including a remote control.

INNOVATION SPREADS THROUGH THE ACC

FINALIST: TEQ CHARGING For drivers of electric vehicles, finding a parking space with a charging station can be difficult. Often, there are only one or two charging stations available in a parking lot due to limited power infrastructure and the high cost of adding more.

TEQ Charging is a power strip for electric vehicles that uses offthe-shelf hardware to expand the number of charging spaces a parking lot can provide without upgrading infrastructure.

The team behind TEQ designed an app that uses an algorithm to track time and allocate power to charge more vehicles. TEQ Charging was created by a cross-disciplinary team made up of James Dorrier Coleman Jr. in computer engineering; Mitchell

Kelman in computer science; and Isaac Wittenstein and Joshua Lieberman in mechanical engineering.

After winning first place at Georgia Tech’s InVenture Prize Competition, FireHUD went on to win the People’s Choice Award at the first-ever ACC InVenture Prize competition.

On April 5-6, student inventor teams from all 15 Atlantic Coast Conference universities traveled to Tech for the intercollegiate expansion of the Institute’s long-running contest.

BioMetrix from Duke won top prize and $15,000. The team, led by two women, invented a wearable sensor that adheres to the skin and collects data to quantify rehabilitation progress and provide real-time feedback to reduce athletic injuries.

Each of the 15 ACC universities sent a team of students to the competition. The group was narrowed to five finalists that competed in a live finale broadcast on public TV on April 6.

received by Tech’s Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology to serve as the $3.5 million Amount coordinating office of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure program

Ranking on Forbes’ #8 Tech’s 2016 Best Value Colleges list GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLU M E 92 NO.2 2016

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10 QUESTIONS

A chat with someone who makes Tech tick.

The Meteorologist Who Saves Lives

Tony Rehagen

Leveraging worldwide weather data, Tech professor Peter Webster helps to predict potentially deadly events across the globe.

Peter Webster is not your typical meteo-

rologist. While your local TV weatherman is doing the green-screen dance and hedging bets against this afternoon’s cloudburst, Webster, a professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, is using Big Data and advanced algorithms he personally developed to predict monsoons in Bangladesh and heat waves in India—almost two weeks ahead of time.

Webster’s foresight is more than a matter of mere convenience to those affected by his forecasts. With advance notice, farmers and residents in these severe-weather-prone areas can get themselves and their possessions to safety. Indeed, Webster and his team are using Big Data to save lives—and livelihoods—on a large scale.

How did you begin to apply Big Data to predicting monsoons in Asia?

I was speaking at a United Nations conference in 1998, showing some new results in the oscillation of the Indian Ocean Dipole, and there had just been enormous flooding in Bangladesh—tremendous loss of life and property. As I was leaving the podium, I rather cockily said, “With our new knowledge, we could have forecast this.” Then I started getting phone calls from the U.S. Agency for International Development: “Can you really do that?” I thought I could.

A southeast Asian monsoon affects 30 to 40 percent of the world’s population. And most of those nations are not very wealthy.

So the variations that occur when you have a mini-drought or a big flood affect millions. We just wondered if we could do something about that in a predictive sense.

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“The variations that occur when you have a mini-drought or a big flood affects millions.

We just wondered if we could do something about that in a predictive sense,” Webster says.

And by “predictive,” you mean more than tomorrow’s forecast?

Our mantra is that the minimum length of a forecast has to be the timescale for the slowest person in the village to be able to get himself and his cow to higher ground, which means at least seven days.

The reason I include the cow is because if you lose your cow, that’s five years you have to labor to get a new cow.

So you’re not just saving lives, you’re saving livelihoods?

If you can enable someone to save their personal effects, save their cattle, do some early cropping, you’ve increased the resiliency of these societies.

How does Big Data enable you to do that?

To do a one- to two-day forecast for a country like India, you just need to develop a forecasting model that covers India

and its immediate neighbors. But as the forecast horizon increases, the influence of weather events thousands of miles away also become important. So for a 10to 15-day forecast, we have to use a global model. We use the rainfall forecasts from the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecast model in the United Kingdom. The model has grid points every 25 km over the globe and 130 levels in the vertical. Each day, the model is run twice and integrated out to 15 and 30 days. At these two points, the model is run 51 times with slightly different initial data to simulate the uncertainty in what we know about the state of the atmosphere and the physics of how the atmosphere works. Terabytes of data are generated each day and streamed to Georgia Tech where we stream it to obtain a regional forecast over Bangladesh, where we eventually stream the data via cellphone.

Josh Meister

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023

10 QUESTIONS

A chat with someone who makes Tech tick.

Forecasting weather in Bangladesh from Atlanta using data from Europe— is that problematic?

Ideally, every nation should be able to do its own hazard forecasting. People in Indonesia better understand Indonesian risks. But it’s difficult for these places to ingest these terabytes of data every day.

They’re not ready for Big Data. They don’t have the infrastructure, the bandwidth.

It’s like trying to drink from a firehose— especially when you only want one small stream coming out of that firehose.

You can’t talk about Big Data without talking about privacy, can you?

∏ The monsoon season in Bangladesh produces rainstorms of deadly beauty.

“Ideally, every nation should be able to do its own hazard forecasting. People in Indonesia better understand Indonesian risks. But it’s difficult for these places to ingest these terabytes of data every day,” he says.

Do you have trouble convincing people who might not understand these complex models?

These people are living on the edge.

They realize how vulnerable they are, so they’re accepting these forecasts.

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It also helps that you’ve been correct?

In our first year there, 2007-08, we forecast all three major floods. There were no false positives. More importantly, there were no false negatives—a flood never came when we didn’t predict one.

There are issues with privacy when it comes to meteorological data. Some nations sell their data. Some nations believe that data belongs to them. We wanted to give India a flood forecasting scheme for the entire Ganges, and all we needed was their river data at a few points, and they wouldn’t give it to us. They wouldn’t give us sea-level data. That makes it very difficult.

Yet you’ve been able to help India, right?

Ahmedebad, a city of 4 million people, is impacted adversely by extreme heat waves that occur in the months before the monsoon rains. They wanted to be able to forecast these waves in advance so that they could allocate their scant resources optimally and develop a heat action plan.

Do you find Americans to be more open to Big Data?

I think people here are oblivious to Big Data. It’s in every aspect of their lives now.

I saw a TED Talk that said we’re in the age of the algorithm—for everything we do, there is an algorithm somewhere. In sales, it’s anticipating what you’ll buy. Maybe that’s the way it should be. Our society is so complex that if you had to think through every decision that is made by you or for you, you’d have a nation of insanity.

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On the

FIELD

The latest buzz from Tech’s teams and alumni.

Moneypuck

Brian Hudgins

Alexandra Mandrycky, IE 13, is helping the NHL’s Minnesota Wild put analytics to work on the ice.

Most professional sports leagues and

teams have embraced data analytics as a way to evaluate player performance and influence playcalling, a movement most famously depicted in the book and movie Moneyball. But the National Hockey League has been relatively slow to embrace the approach.

Baseball, after all, has been a stats-driven sport for decades, and its fans are well versed in the value of BA, ERA, WHIP and even OPS and BABIP. And football not only employs an endless array of complex, drawn-up plays and schemes on both sides of the ball, but also collects and critically analyzes data on its players’ physical attributes and skills—such as height, speed, bench press repetitions and even hand size—like few other sports do.

Not long after NHL executives started looking beyond their scouts to bring in non-traditional voices into the decision-making processes that shape their multimillion dollar franchises, Alexandra Mandrycky, IE 13, was ready to be heard.

However, as a teenager growing up in Norcross, Ga., Mandrycky did not spend her evenings watching forwards and defensemen skate furiously on the rink.

Hockey is not big in the South like college football is. But she eventually discovered the beauty of hockey when she was a senior in high school (the local Atlanta Thrashers hadn’t yet relocated to Winnipeg, Canada) and the sport broadened her horizons.

“I fell in love with the pace of the game and the unpredictable nature of it,” !

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“It’s still surreal that I’m working for a pro hockey team,” Mandrycky says.

“It says a lot about the Minnesota Wild that they are open to outside voices.”

Mandrycky says. “When you are watching football or baseball, the action is more structured. Only one team is attempting to score for long stretches of actions, except when there are turnovers.

Hockey is so fluid. You don’t know what is going to happen.”

That unpredictability has carried over to Mandrycky’s own experience as a hockey operations analyst for the Minnesota Wild. She started to learn about the specifics of hockey player development during her early stages as a fan. As she read more about the sport, she stumbled upon a growing movement that was using advanced statistical metrics –far beyond goals scored, assists, penalty minutes and the like—to measure player performance.

For example, there’s the Corsi rating, named for the pro goaltending coach who used shots-for vs. shots-against when given players are on the ice to measure his goalies’ workloads. This is about

to get confusing, so see if you can follow: It’s a percentage calculated by adding shots on goal-for + blocked shotsfor + missed shots-for divid∏ Alexandra Mandrycky ed by shots on goal-against + blocked shots-against + missed shots-against. This shot differential is a better indicator of team performance than goal differential.

Although watching and studying hockey was merely a growing hobby while she worked on her industrial engineering degree at Tech, Mandrycky realized that the data analytics she picked up from the sport also applied to her undergraduate classes. After she got out of Tech, Mandrycky decided to pursue data analytics

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Georgia Tech golfers who competed in the 2016 2 Former Masters Tournament

in the hopes it could make following hockey something much more than a pastime.

Mandrycky reached out to the hockey world to see if anybody could use someone with her engineering background, passion for analytics and a growing love for the sport. She connected with statisticians Andrew Thomas and Sam Ventura, who started studying hockey analytics when they worked together at Carnegie Mellon University. Together the trio created War-On-Ice.com, one of several new websites that introduced and promoted a deeper analytical look into the sport. “The site started as more of an academic pursuit and I think their motivation was making this data available for anyone to analyze,” Mandrycky says. “You could download the stats and they encouraged people to do their own work.”

Ma n d r y c ky s a y s s h e w a s brought onboard to help compile ∏ The Minnesota Wild celebrates a goal during 2016 NHL playoffs player compensation data for WarOn-Ice.com. “But that soon led to work on analyzes advanced data from a wide range a rapid-fire pace. Only so many players the back-end infrastructure and database of sources and then shares them with can be signed during a season or calendar and data visualizations,” she says. hockey operations staffers, the general year. “Not much actually happens immeIn the summer of 2014, a handful of manager and the coaches. With the NHL diately,” she says. “The satisfaction has to NHL teams started hiring analytics gurus, player draft held in June and the free be in the process and the end results. It’s stealing them away from the independent agency period taking place immediately hard to know whether you did a good or hockey stats websites. “A lot of people had afterward, this offseason is a busy time for bad job at the time. You just have to grade to be taken offline because of their emMandrycky and her peers. yourself on how you made the decision ployment agreements,” Mandrycky says.

The communication among her friends and how you followed the process.”

Mandrycky’s own shot at securing in the industry is no longer an open flow Mandrycky steeled herself for such an a job with an NHL squad first came as it was at War-On-Ice.com. After all, her environment while studying at Georgia through a consultant gig with the Minanalytic insights are now proprietary seTech. The industrial engineering curricnesota Wild last September. In January, crets. “I know people with other teams, ulum made her comfortable working in that turned into a full-time position as a but you are not supposed to talk about many programming languages and enhockey operations analyst. “It’s still surrework with them,” she says. “I was at the anvironments. And working on long-range al that I’m working for a pro hockey team,” nual Sloan Sports Analytics Conference projects gave her the confidence to work Mandrycky says. “It says a lot about the and you see everyone and you talk, but you on War-On-Ice.com.

Minnesota Wild that they are open to outare not giving anything away.”

However, she still enjoys watching the side voices.”

As Mandrycky absorbs informaaction on hockey rink that starts and ends Her specific charge for the Wild is to tion about a sport she was drawn to as a in a few seconds. “Nothing can beat a good arm team personnel with information teen, she has learned that decisions with breakaway,” Mandrycky says. “Goals are to make smart decisions. She finds and long-term implications are not made at still the most exciting part of the game.”

Georgia Tech’s volleyball team traveled 4,754 Miles for a tour in Brazil in May Bruce Kluckhohn

Jacket Volleyball players invited to try out for the U.S. 3 Yellow Women’s National Team GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLU M E 92 NO.2 2016

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On the

FIELD

The latest buzz from Tech’s teams and alumni.

Tech Welcomes Pastner as New Hoops Coach In April, Georgia Tech hired former Memphis head coach Josh Pastner to lead its men’s basketball program. Pastner, 38, compiled a 167-73 record over seven seasons as the head coach at the University of Memphis, where the Tigers earned bids to the NCAA Tournament four times.

He is tied for the 10th most wins for a head coach in his first seven seasons in Division I basketball history, and is the second winningest active coach under the age of 40 in NCAA Division I. He becomes the 14th head coach in Tech’s program history.

“Once we worked through everything, it became apparent that Josh best embodied all the characteristics we were looking for, that he best fit our current circumstances to take on the challenge of moving Georgia Tech basketball to higher levels of success,” says Tech Athletic Director Mike Bobinski. “Basketball is in his DNA in a big way. He’s also a really driven and intense competitor, but one that cares deeply about his players.”

Despite his young age, Pastner has been involved in basketball at the Division I level for 20 years, as a player and an assistant coach at the University of Arizona, and as an assistant coach and the head coach at Memphis. He has been a part of teams that have won 490 games, played in 17 NCAA Tournaments and 18 total post-season events.

“I fully understand what it means to be sitting in this chair, what it means to the community and the entire city, and to all the alumni locally and nationally,” Pastner says. “When you’re in coaching, you

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want to play for a national championship and compete at the highest level. You want to have a championship program year in and year out. I believe that Georgia Tech and the job here is a true gold mine.”

Pastner’s Memphis teams averaged 23.9 wins per season and compiled a conference regularseason record of 82-36, including a conference winning streak of 28 games. The Tigers went 11-4 in Conference USA and American Athletic Conference tournaments, including three championships.

Known as a tireless recruiter, Pastner was named the country’s No. 7 high-major recruiter by FoxSports.com following the 2007-08 season, and has signed five straight nationally-ranked recruiting classes, including the nation’s No. 1 class in 2010 and No. 2 class in 2013.

A native of Kingwood, Texas, Pastner was born in Glen Dale, WV. He and his wife, Kerri, have three daughters and a son.

New Coach By The Numbers 167-73: Overall Head Coaching Record (7 seasons at Memphis)

as head coach

No. 2: Rank as second winningest active coach under the age of 40 in NCAA Division I

5: Number of nationally ranked recruiting classes in a row, including the nation’s No. 1 class in 2010 and No. 2 class in 2013

23.9: Average number of wins per season

20: Number of seasons in Division 1

men’s basketball as a player (Arizona), staff member (Arizona), assistant coach (Arizona/Memphis) and head coach (Memphis), including: 7 Sweet Sixteens 5 Elite Eights 2 Final Fours 2 NCAA Championship games and

1 NCAA title (as a player for the Arizona Wildcats) 2.5 years: Time it took him to earn his bachelor’s degree in family studies at Arizona (also, earned his master’s degree in teaching in just one year)

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of student-athletes who took part in Georgia 59 Number Tech’s Spring 2016 commencement ceremonies

In the

WORLD

Ramblin’ Wrecks generating buzz beyond the Atlanta campus.

Let’s Get Visual

Roger Slavens

Alumnus Blacki Migliozzi merges computer science and journalism to create data-driven stories for Bloomberg News.

You know you’re making an impact when President Barack Obama retweets your work to none other than Bill Gates. In this case, the work was an interactive infographic co-developed and designed by Blacki Li Rudi Migliozzi, Math 09, MS CS 12, which peeled back the layers of data compiled by NASA on the causes of global warming—from volcanoes and the earth’s orbit to greenhouse gases and deforestation.

Tens of thousands of other people retweeted it, Facebooked and otherwise shared this compelling piece of data journalism published by Bloomberg News.

The infographic also won a special prize at the 2016 Malofiej awards, given out annually by the Society for News Design to the top chart, table, map or other data visualization published in print and online. In other words, the Malofiejs are the Pulitzers of infographics, Migliozzi says.

So why did this particular work of journalism resonate so strongly and stand out from the glut of stories and charts and graphs disseminated about global warming? Because it took a complex topic and some compelling data from a trusted source like NASA and told an old story in a new, easy-to-understand way.

“It’s very rewarding to see we’re making an impact in driving the discussion on climate change through data and not rhetoric,” says Migliozzi, who works as a data journalist for Bloomberg. “I really value the integrity of the journalism and the work that reporters do here. But I’m largely adhering to those journalistic values through math and computer code.”

Migliozzi was originally hired as a developer, building code and performing data modeling to support reporters’ efforts. “I helped them make the data in their stories more manageable, and sometimes used applied machine learning and forecasting models to extrapolate conclusions,” he says.

These skills remain his forte—skills he originally developed while at Georgia Tech—though he’s graduated into becoming a full-fledged data journalist. He first got interested in data visualization when he was a teaching assistant for Jim Foley, professor of interactive computing and former dean of the College of Computing. “He inspired me, the class inspired me, and then I started seeking out other data viz projects and figuring out how to 032

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incorporate them into my master’s thesis,” Migliozzi says.

The transition from computer scientist to journalist was a natural one for Migliozzi. “I’m a naturally curious person,” he says. “I get a new project every couple of weeks and I’m eager to dive into them, to learn something new. It could be stock market data or oil rig maps. You have to become an expert on a topic very quickly.”

As the amount of data grows exponentially, visual storytelling has become more and more vital, Migliozzi says. “As we’re collecting and analyzing more of it, we’re able to tell stories that couldn’t have been told before.”

Migliozzi’s Infographics Portfolio 1

1. London Phenology Clock Phenology refers to the timing and seasonality of events in the life cycles of plants and animals, ranging from budding and seeding to migration. This London Phenological Clock refers to data recorded in the city of London, England, from 2000-14, and represents time as seasonally interdependent

processes. The data was collected and managed by the Woodland Trust as part of its Nature’s Calendar project, run in partnership with the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, and the clock was developed by Migliozzi for the Environmental Health Clinic at New York University. Ultimately, the London Phenological Clock was made to be displayed at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.

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@ INISSUE THE WORLD

Ramblin’ Wrecks generating buzz Tech think?”

Answering the question, “What does Georgia beyond the Atlanta campus.

2

2. What’s Really Warming the World This infographic snapshot shows how different factors, both natural and industrial, contribute to global warming based on findings from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Courtesy of Bloomberg; see the full infographic at www.bloomberg. com/graphics/2015-whatswarming-the-world.

Bloomberg Carbon Clock This infographic snapshot estimates real-time atmospheric CO 2 levels by analyzing the three most recent years of data from CO2 monitored by the NOAA Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii and feeding them into an algorithim. Each new weekly data release starts a new analysis that yields updated daily clock values and a trend line. Courtesy

3

of Bloomberg; see the infographic at www.bloomberg. com/graphics/carbon-clock.

3. The Collapse of Oil Drilling The crash in oil prices has taken its toll. The number of rigs drilling for oil and gas in the U.S. fell this spring to the lowest level in more than 75 years of records. This snapshot is just one part of an animation that shows the deployment of rigs over five years, culminating in the collapse of 75 percent of the rig count. Courtesy of Bloomberg; see the full infographic at www.bloomberg. com/graphics/2016-oil-rigs.

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Hottest Year on Record This snapshot of an infographic animation shows the Earth’s warming climate, recorded in monthly measurements from

land and sea over 136 years.

The bright red line on top shows how 2015 just beat out the previous record—2014— by the biggest margin since modern record keeping began.

Fifteen of the 16 hottest years have been in the 21st century. Courtesy of Bloomberg; see the infographic at www. bloomberg.com/graphics/ hottest-year-on-record.

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WE LIFT TEAMS TO SUCCESS. BUILDING HIGH-TRUST RELATIONSHIPS & OPTIMAL TEAM PERFORMANCE

Organizations with a team culture perform at a much higher level than organizations with a silo mentality. We’ve developed a two-day workshop to help organizations harness the extraordinary power of teams. This event combines traditional classroom learning with outdoor experiential, non-traditional team-building exercises. Designed for a minimum of 16 people, the workshop is held at the Georgia Tech Campus Recreation Center’s top-rated Challenge Course.

For more information contact jim.consuegra@pe.gatech.edu.

Or visit: pe.gatech.edu/team-alumni

JACKET COPY

Recent works penned by members of the Georgia Tech community.

The Art of Risk: The New Science of Courage, Caution & Chance Kayt Sukel, MS Psych 99

In the tradition of authors Malcolm Gladwell and Daniel Pink, acclaimed science journalist Kayt Sukel attempts to answer the question: Are risk takers born or made? Though cutting-edge research and compelling case studies, she explores the particular blend of biology and experience that successful risk takers seem to have and looks at how strategic risk-taking can lead to professional and personal success.

PSYCHOLOGY

MILITARY

FICTION

Before Topgun Days

Devil’s Choice

Author Dave Baranek—callsign “Bio”—takes readers for a ride-along during the most exciting time of his young life: training to become a naval flight officer. Taking place before the events told in his previous memoir, Topgun Days, he picks up the action following his graduation from Georgia Tech, bringing to life the anxieties and excitement of entering the fast-paced world of fighter jocks.

At the time of the American Civil War, Confederate veteran Josiah’s wife has been attacked while he was away fighting, and his young daughter hardly remembers him. Can he establish a relationship with his daughter and protect her from a growing threat? Can he keep his promise to his wife to forgive her assailant?

Struggling with questions of faith and honor, he must make a Devil’s Choice, with the stakes high for the future of his family.

Dave Baranek, AP 79

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M.A. Wright, AE 64, MS AE 66, PhD AE 70

HISTORY

Builders of the Hoosac Tunnel

Cliff Schexnayder , CE 67, MS CE 72 Schexnayder takes us on a historical journey of the art and science of tunneling—from black powder to nitro—as he recounts the struggle to bore a five-mile railroad tunnel through the Hoosac Mountain in Massachusetts in the 1800s. The book traces the history of the men and women who endured repeated trials and disasters while providing a unique perspective on 19th century society, politics and civil engineering.

TEXTBOOK

Radar RF Circuit Design

Nickolas Kingsley, EE 02, MS ECE 04, PhD EE 07, and Joseph R. Guerci This textbook presents practical techniques for optimizing radio frequency (RF) and microwave circuits for applications in radar systems design with an emphasis on current and emerging technologies.

It teaches how to design RF components for radar systems and how to choose appropriate materials and packaging methods. Theory and practical information are provided while addressing topics ranging from heat removal to digital circuit integration.

Free of Malice

(Amy) Liz Lazarus, IE 90

In this tense page-turner, Laura Holland awakes in the middle of the night to defend herself from a stranger, who threatens to return after he’s thwarted.

She seeks therapy and buys a gun for protection.

When she learns she could have gone to prison for shooting her assailant, she starts writing a hypothetical legal case using the details of that night.

Fact and fiction soon merge as her real-life drama begins to mirror the fiction she’s trying to create.

THRILLER

DIVERSITY

Leveraging Intersectionality: Seeing and Not Seeing

SCIENCE

Silicon Earth: Introduction to Microelectronics & Nanotechnology

Fay Cobb Payton, IE 89

John D. Cressler, Phys 84

An associate professor of information systems at North Carolina State University, Payton is a passionate advocate for intersectionality—the many ways individuals describe themselves by race, gender, age, religion and other diverse traits and experiences. This book explores her research and insight into how inclusion of such diversity can benefit the academic and corporate arenas, especially in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

When he’s not writing historical fiction, Gessler writes about what he knows best—technology. As Tech’s Schlumberger Chair in Electronics, he’s keenly interested in the life-changing innovations that have revolutionized our world over the past 65 years. Silicon Earth introduces readers with little or no technical background to the many marvels of microelectronics and nanotechnology, using easy, non-intimidating language, an intuitive approach with minimal math and plenty of pictures.

FICTION

Conscious Choices Randy Eidson, IM 68

BUSINESS

Postmortem of a Failed Startup Daryl Lu, IE 07

It’s a rare novel that takes place right on the Georgia Tech campus. Michael Halliday has less than a year to live. As director of the artificial intelligence lab at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, he agrees to an attempt to infuse a supercomputer with his consciousness.

But the project leads the team to question what human consciousness really is and whether it is linked to a man’s soul.

Rarely is there a single root cause for a failed startup. Instead, there’s a multitude of events and actions that intertwine and cascade to ultimately bring a startup to its knees, and more often, to its imminent demise. Daryl Lu shares the key lessons he learned from cradle to grave of his doomed endeavor, exposing intimate details of the human side of co-founding a business.

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.

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@ ISSUE BALANCING ACT

our cap to Yellow AnsweringTipping the question, “What does Jackets Georgiawho Tech think?” know how to multitask.

Monster Drive There’s a good reason Tech classes don’t intimidate professional monster truck driver Rosalee Ramer.

Roger Slavens

Rosalee Ramer just finished up her freshman year at Georgia Tech—and

her rookie season driving in Monster Jam, the world’s premier professional monster truck racing circuit. Just about to turn 19, she’s by far the youngest female driver on the tour, but she’s proven she belongs in the same arena with competitors twice her age and experience behind the wheel. And that even includes the sport’s top dog, Dennis Anderson, driver of the legendary Grave Digger, whom she almost beat in one of her first events this January.

Indeed, she’s already got the skill and mental toughness to go head-to-head with the best drivers in the monster truck world. Catching big air on jumps, turning donuts and crushing cars is second nature to Ramer.

So you couldn’t expect this young woman, who exudes an easy confidence and warm smile, to be intimidated by Tech’s academic rigor. She handles her college classes just like she handles Wildflower, her 5-ton truck: heavy on the throttle and with more than a little grit. A mechanical engineering major, she set up her spring class schedule strategically so she could jet off every weekend to race in shows across the country. She goes from trying to impress her professors and acing tests to competing in front of crowds often exceeding 50,000 fans.

Ramer joined Monster Jam right after she turned 18 and first started competing on the circuit this past winter. However, she’s been driving professionally since age 14. Her father, Kelvin, inspired her to follow in 040

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his path as a monster truck driver by enlisting her to serve in his crew. “My family has photos of me working on his trucks as early as the age of 3,” Ramer says. “He told me I couldn’t drive unless I learned to work on them, so that’s exactly what I did.”

She picked up mechanic skills quickly, and when she was old enough, her dad allowed her to start racing on junior circuits. “I raced mini off-road trucks in Trophy Kart from the ages of 10 to 13 and I did pretty well,” Ramer says, understating her domination at that level with a humility that belies her youth.

At 14, she started competing in regional monster truck events against other up-and-comers, as well as seasoned veterans. No one was surprised when Ramer won Rookie of the Year on the WGAS Motorsport circuit. “My dad was very supportive of me and even crewed for me on my races, though I think he mostly wanted to make sure I was safe,” she says.

Ramer’s driving prowess drew her some viral fame. When she was 16, she got a call from daytime TV icon Ellen DeGeneres to appear on her show to talk about her pro monster truck exploits.

(You can still watch the clip on YouTube.)

But the older drivers in the sport knew that Ramer wasn’t just an Internet sensation. They understood just how talented she was and that she soon was coming to compete against them.

“They saw me work my way up to their level, they saw me work on my dad’s crew and on my own truck, and they knew that my spot among them was going to be well-earned,” Ramer says.

Adam Hester

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@ ISSUE BALANCING ACT

our cap to Yellow AnsweringTipping the question, “What does Jackets Georgiawho Tech think?” know how to multitask.

∏ Tech student Rosalee Ramer has been driving professionally since age 14.

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At the time, however, Ramer was The Rosalee Ramer File still very much a teenager and also a very serious student. She took nuAge: 18 (soon to be 19) merous AP classes and participated School: Georgia Tech on the dance team at Pacific ColleMajor: Mechanical giate in Santa Cruz, Calif., a small engineering charter high school that is perennially Sport: Monster truck ranked as one of the best in the counracing try. She admits that when she started Tours: Monster Jam thinking about college, Georgia Tech and others Specialty: Big air wasn’t even on her radar. “All I knew Driving style: Heavy on is I wanted to study mechanical enthe throttle gineering and move toward a career Monster truck name: working in the automotive industry, Wildflower preferably in design,” she says.

License plate: Princess After an almost-random meeting Truck height: 12 feet tall with a Tech representative visiting her Truck weight: 5 tons (10,000 pounds) school, Ramer applied and made a Truck body: Customtrip to Atlanta in the fall of 2014. She ized 1932 Ford pickup also considered MIT and Tulane, but Truck details: 2-inch she says, Tech was the closest she came 188-wall tubing chassis, to feeling at home. “I wanted to live in 565-cubic-inch blown the South and experience something alcohol motor, 2-speed transmission, 66-inch different and new,” she says. terra tires (made for ferRamer also wanted to maximize tilizer spreaders), 4-link her opportunities to turn her passion setup suspension with for motorsports into an automo30-inch rear and 26tive engineering career. “My parents inch front nitrogen didn’t go to a four-year college, they’re triple-bypass shocks, small-business owners of a towing front and rear hydraulic suspension company and they’ve never been big Truck safety features: fans of the corporate world,” she says.

Custom-molded seat “But I wanted to see what it’s like to with 7-point harness work at an engineering firm for one with ratchet tightening; of the car companies. I’m hoping my R3 neck support, 3-layer Tech education will help me land an fire suit with headsock, internship at Porsche or GM.” glove and shoes When she first arrived on campus, Ramer didn’t tell anyone about her background—at first that is. “I wanted to keep my school and private lives separate,” she says. “But after about a month in the dorm, I traded my Instagram handle with my new friends and then they saw how many fans I had and stumbled across that Ellen video.”

After her dorm mates were star struck, they quickly became her support system for balancing her two distinctly different lives, and even routinely sent Ramer off to the airport at the end of each week. “When I brought home my first trophy for winning the donut competition at a Monster Jam event in San Diego, they freaked out,” she says. “They were so excited for me.”

This spring semester, Ramer’s show schedule required her to leave campus nearly every Thursday and return that Sunday.

Adam Hester

“I do my homework and study on the plane trips out and back, as well as whenever I have down time,” she says.

Her competitions usually take place on Saturday nights, but she also spends a lot of time before the show at “pit parties,” where fans can meet and greet the drivers, take pictures and get autographs. “It’s an unusual sport where fans have total access to the drivers,” Ramer says. “I love interacting with the people at the events—both my fans and my family.”

And by family she doesn’t just mean her dad. “The world of monster trucks is a small, close-knit community with only about 250 pros,” Ramer says. “I grew up with them. They’re all like my uncles and aunts, cousins, brothers and sisters.”

Driving her truck, however, still gives Ramer the biggest thrill.

Each Monster Jam show—and she says “show” because the tour is run by the same company that owns Barnum & Bailey’s Circus and Disney on Ice—consists of multiple contests. “It varies by event, track layout and promoter, but it usually involves racing head-to-head with two trucks pitted against each other over a course with straight-line drags, obstacles and lots of jumps,” she says. There are also side competitions like the donut contest, where drivers spin their trucks in circles until they can’t go anymore and are scored for their performance.

Her first year on the Monster Jam tour was an unqualified success, though she admits there’s plenty of room for improvement. The same thing goes for her studies at Tech. Until classes start back up again in August, she’s back in California working on both. In addition to spending time with her family, she’s competing in regional monster truck events and working with a local engineering firm to build a new chassis for Wildflower. How are you spending your summer?

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WHY

Ellis Booker

BIG DATA NOW

It’s more than a buzzword—Big Data is a big deal. And though we’ve been creating, collecting and analyzing data forever, the current explosion in digital technology gives us access to an ever-expanding treasure trove of information that’s changing the way we’re conducting research, making business decisions and much more. Of course, Georgia Tech stands right in the middle of the action.

BY ELLIS BOOKER

H

umanity generates data at a dizzying

pace. By 2020, the amount of data created worldwide is expected to hit 44 zettabytes—the equivalent of 40 trillion gigabytes, according to IDC Research.

Ye t some computer science researchers wince at the now-popular term “Big Data.” They point out, correctly, that volumes have been getting bigger for decades, as the cost of storage has tumbled, and as the things we produce and

consume—documents, media, business applications and even social interactions—have become digital.

And if you thought 300 to 500 million tweets per day or 300 hours of video uploaded to YouTube per minute are impressive numbers, hang onto your hat. The tsunami of human-created data will soon be outpaced by a constant stream of data flowing from devices: sensors in smartphones, cars, homes, medical devices and machinery, to name but a few pieces of the rapidly growing Internet of Things (IoT).

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“One thing we’re seeing in several domains, is data spiraling up faster than our ability to analyze it,” says Srinivas Aluru, professor of computational science and engineering, and codirector of the Institute for Data Engineering and Science at Georgia Tech.

In some domains, data volumes will demand entirely new approaches to storage, let alone analysis. Take the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a large, multi-radio telescope project planned for construction in 2018 in Australia and South Africa.

By one estimate, SKA will produce 62,000 petabytes (petabyte = 1 million gigabytes) worth of data annually. For comparison, worldwide annual Google searches generate only about 100 petabytes.

But Aluru and his colleagues emphasize it’s not just the profusion of data, it’s that much of it is inherently “noisy” and difficult to analyze. What’s more, the data is horizontal, flowing from an ever-expanding set of sources, increasingly in real time. This variety—along with the two other “Vs” of Big Data, “Volume”

and “Velocity”—is key, and a big reason Big Data is impacting all disciplines, all businesses, all of us, right now.

While data accumulates within domains as diverse as healthcare, urban planning and materials science, researchers, governments and industry are increasingly interested in combining data sets, and using algorithms to search for in∏ Renata Afi Rawlings-Goss teresting patterns and correlations.

This has spurred unprecedented interdisciplinary collaborations.

This is a new phenomenon, says Renata Afi Rawlings-Goss, senior research scientist at Tech.

“The real good of Big Data is that it is crossing so many fields, that people are seeing it is untenable to solve these problems

BIG DATA’S IMPACT:

THE PROMISE OF PRECISION MEDICINE Sequencing the first human genome— mapping the DNA in a complete set of human genes—cost billions of dollars at the turn of the century and required an international consortium to complete. Today, sequencing runs under $1,000 a pop, and is on track to drop below $100 in the next three years or so.

“At that point, it would become fairly routine for every human to be sequenced and then that genomic information can be used as part of medical care,” says Srinivas Aluru, computational science professor and co-director of the Institute for Data Engineering and Science at Georgia Tech.

In 2012, Aluru and his team of researchers were among the eight inaugural winners of Big Data grants from the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health. They were awarded to bolster the development and use of high-performance computing techniques in studying large DNA sequencing datasets and their applications to plant and human genomics. While our DNA is 99.9 percent identical, within the 3 billion nucleotides there remain approximately 3 million differences. And as more and more people have their DNA sequenced, the data volume will increase, obviously. But that’s just the start.

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and their medical histories,” Aluru says. If genetic variations can be correlated to particular diseases, he adds “you can start taking preventive measures, before the onset of disease.”

This is precision medicine, also known as personalized medicine, which seeks to identify and treat the exact form of disease in patients based on their genome. It also looks at other factors, such as the interaction of genes and environment, and sometimes even the microbial organisms living in our bodies. This personalized approach also allows doctors to tailor drugs to each individual and avoid ineffective or harmful drugs.

Outside of genomics, there are many other applications of Big Data in healthcare. Thanks to the electronic health record, or EHR, it is now possible to analyze millions of patient medical histories, treatments and outcomes to create computer models that predict the onset of disease and suggest the most effective drugs.

That’s the focus of Jimeng Sun, an associate professor in computational science and engineering. “All the people in medicine, researchers or practitioners, have known that variation exists,” Sun explains. “But in the past, for hundreds of years, all the treatments were designed to treat an average patient because

DAY-ta vs.

DAT-ta Just how do you pronounce data? It’s a matter of much discussion on the Internet, but both are equally acceptable (and if you’re like us, you may find yourself switching back and forth between both pronunciations). DAY-ta, however, is the common pronunciation in both the United Kingdom and United States (and for Federation androids), though DAT-ta is pretty popular in the U.S., too.

one discipline at a time, one nation at a time,” she says. “In that sense, Big Data has been a unifying agent, an impetus.”

Rawlings-Goss would know.

She serves as co-executive director, South Big Data Regional Innovation Hub. The South BD Hub—serving 16 states and the District of Columbia—is jointly housed at Georgia Tech and the University of North Carolina and receives funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Other consortia members are Columbia University (Northeast Hub), the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Midwest Hub) and the University of California, San Diego, the University of California, Berkeley,

they were based on a standard protocol.”

“Today we can create personalized models, how a disease progresses, and predict which drugs are likely to work for an individual based on their data,” he says. “Besides advances in computing, having the data in electronic form from many, many patients over a long period of time is really the key difference now.”

For Sun and his team—a group composed of 10 students and postdocs, including two MDs pursuing their PhDs in computer science—the hope is that by applying largescale predictive modeling and so-called “similarity analytics,” medicine can be individualized for each patient.

For example, Sun has used machine learning to predict heart failure or the onset of hypertension—and these predictions are remarkably accurate. His most advanced model can predict the onset of heart failure accurately, more than 80 percent of the time, six to 12 months before a conventional diagnosis. This gives both patient and doctor “a lot more time to adjust patient behavior or start early intervention,” Sun says.

This work, which began with a NIH-funded project when Sun was at IBM before joining Georgia Tech, is still in the research phase. Aside from gaining regulatory approval for clinical trials, one key challenge is technical in nature.

Integrating sophisticated predictive models into existing EHR software is difficult, and some EHR

“The real good of Big Data is that it is crossing so many fields, that people are seeing it is untenable to solve these problems one discipline at a time, one nation at a time,” Rawlings-Goss says. “In that sense, Big Data has been a unifying agent, an impetus.” and the University of Washington (West Hub).

Each innovation hub is set up in a hub-and-spoke arrangement, where the spokes are mission-driven around things like

vendors prevent this kind of add-on, Sun says.

Happily, there is some movement on interoperability standards in EHR systems, he notes.

A second challenge is physician buyin—that is, getting doctors to change decades-old treatment practices. “In the past, it could be quite tricky,” Sun admits. But as data-driven models become more common, in medicine and elsewhere, this will be less of an obstacle, he says.

To move the medical profession along, Sun is working with clinical partners to post their results in trusted medical journals and presenting his computer models at conferences whenever possible. Such an approach can work well, Sun says, remembering an earlier project.

He helped a pharmaceutical company develop an algorithm that would help a physician determine the best epilepsy drug to use for a particular patient. “Initially, the experts were very skeptical about the idea,” he recalls. After almost a year of development, and a faceto-face meeting with pharma experts, Sun presented his team’s findings, the details of their model, and the data they used. “Many of them were very impressed with the rigor of our model, and we actually recruited several of them to work with us on clinical publications,” he says.

Finally, there’s even an intersection between

∏ Srinivas Aluru (top) and Jimeng Sun (bottom) Sun’s work and genomic research. By mining the EHR data, Sun can produce a fine-grained phenotype description of a patient, data that can then be used in the ongoing Big Data genomic research being conducted at Georgia Tech and elsewhere.

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∏ Hadi Esmaeilzadeh

∏ Taesoo Kim

Supplying the next-generation of data scientists is the final push at Georgia Tech. There’s a well-documented need for data scientists, and this career is in high demand. According to a new report from company review site Glassdoor, data scientists lead the pack for best jobs in America, with a median salary of $116,000. healthcare, coastal hazards, smart cities or manufacturing. “Coordination around Big Data is important because so many key players are in their own silos,” Rawlings-Goss explains.

The NSF regional hubs build upon the National Big Data Research and Development Initiative announced in 2012 by President Barack Obama’s administration.

That 2012 initiative, which disperses funds through six federal agencies, including the NSF and National Institutes of Health (NIH), helped fuel collaborations and attention on Big Data on a national scale, Aluru says. Indeed, his team won one of the eight inaugural Big Data awards for their work on genomics. He also led the effort for Tech to be selected as an NSF Big Data hub host.

But the collaboration is international, too. In May, for instance, Aluru flew to Tokyo, where he took part in a two-day meeting between NSF-funded Big Data principal investigators from the U.S. with their Japan Science and Technology Agency counterparts.

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happening in researchers’ respective countries, and figure out how they might collaborate.”

Closer to home, Georgia Tech is involved in bringing the promise of Big Data analytics to sectors of the economy that—unlike financial services, online retail and marketing—have been slow to adopt data analytics.

Data Science for Social Good Atlanta, begun by Tech’s Ellen Zegura, places students onto multi-disciplinary teams working under the supervision of a professor on a problem that comes from a partner in the city of Atlanta or a local nonprofit organization. Co-Directors Bistra Dilkina and Chris LeDantec jointly run this intensive, 10-week paid internship experience for students with Zegura.

Among DSSG’s recent projects:

 Working with the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department (AFRD) to predict buildings with the greatest risk of fire. The system uses fire permit data, as well as five years of actual building fire records, to create a predictive model for fire risk and a prioritized list of properties that should be inspected by AFRD.  Working with the city of Atlanta and Trees Atlanta, the project seeks to help maintain and improve Atlanta’s urban forest.

The project will use multiple types of data, such as percentage of tree canopy cover, impervious surfaces and floodplain data, developing a model that prioritizes planting sites by land parcels. This will help quantify the benefits of planting trees in a given location, assist arborists in finding potential planting sites and enable policy makers to make well-informed decisions about the future of Atlanta’s urban forest.

Supplying the next generation of data scientists is the final push at Georgia Tech.

There’s a well-documented need for data scientists, and this career is in high demand. According to a new report from company review site Glassdoor, data scientists lead the pack for best jobs in America, with a median salary of $116,000.

Ta k e G e o r g i a Te c h’s There’s no real difference beeffort to improve currictween the types of data that make u l u m a n d t ra i n i n g f o r up Big Data and regular data—it’s computer scientists—spejust the sheer volume of it. Big Data cifically around Big Data is merely the current buzzword for and c ybersec urity. Asthe enormous amount of data being generated, collected and analyzed sistant professors Hadi today, thanks to leaps in technology.

Esmaeilzadeh and Taesoo Kim introduced new courses and labs in the School of Computer Science with a data-driven approach to malware analysis. Results support

Big Data vs. Regular Data?

a separate NSF project to train students in security and Big Data analysis as technology converges. Today’s computing professionals need to have a deep understanding of both, but only a small number of students have taken courses in either area, they say.

The professors’ new course modules will be tried first at Georgia Tech, and then released to a broader community in academia and industry.

Security and privacy, always major topics surrounding Big Data, have taken on new urgency thanks to the Internet of Things. Indeed, IoT was in the spotlight last October during Georgia Tech’s 13th Annual Cyber Security Summit. Not only did the ensuing “2016 Emerging Cyber Threats Report” dedicate an entire chapter to IoT, the summit drew Department of Homeland Security cybersecurity undersecretary Phyllis Schneck, PhD CS 99 (related story, page 52), as its headline speaker.

For Bo Rotoloni, co-director of the Institute for Information Security & Privacy at Georgia Tech, the Internet of Things has obvious security implications. He leads two large information security labs which encompass about 400 researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). Rotoloni’s teams

BIG DATA’S IMPACT:

A FUTURE WHERE NEW MATERIALS CAN BE FORGED FASTER Can better use of data reduce the time

needed to discover, develop and deploy new materials? That’s the hope of researchers like Surya Kalidindi, Georgia Tech professor of mechanical engineering and computer science and engineering.

“Historically, it takes 15 to 25 years to bring a new material from the lab to the marketplace,” Kalidindi says. In highly regulated industries, such as aerospace, the lifecycle from lab to market can be even longer.

The protocols currently used to discover new materials present considerable challenges to researchers. They involve many sequential steps, Kalidindi says. As a result, researchers may be far down the path before encountering an unexpected problem that forces them to “have to go all the way back to the beginning and start again,” Kalidindi says.

One way to avoid that is to replace physical

experiments with Big Data-driven computer models, which promises a way to speed up the discovery phase—theoretically allowing materials to be developed as fast as a few years. But there’s a problem: Current materials models aren’t sufficiently accurate when it comes to performance predictions. So manufacturers—forever wary of flawed or defective products—rely on old-school, time-consuming, real-world experiments. However, better use of data, Kalidindi believes, will produce better models, which will compress the exploration phase, saving time and money.

“Currently, we’re heavily focused on a suitable data infrastructure to accelerate materials innovation,” he says. To address these infrastructure issues, Kalidindi and his team are busy on a pilot project, due to be operational by the end of the year, that will be made available to the materials innovation community at Georgia Tech.

Kalidindi and his team are also creating computational methods that will unleash machine-learning algorithms against new and legacy data to discover promising new materials. Using data mining techniques to account for variances and uncertainties, researchers can acquire much more rigorous, reliable and complete information.

Such work falls under the Materials Genome Initiative, which since its launch in 2011 has sought innovative analysis of public data for the creation of materials, as well as new models that describe the processing-structure-property relationships in either structural (load-bearing), functional (electrical, optical or magnetic) or multifunctional materials. Ultimately, Kalidindi and his colleagues envision machine learning at all steps of materials science—discovery, development and deployment—that stand to transform the field.

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are working on “trust,” both for machineto-machine and machine-to-human communications. “When everything is connected how do you assess the trust of the data you’re receiving?” he asks.

Another topic, one that will affect everything from shopping to smart cities to healthcare, is privacy. “Who decides what’s private and what isn’t?” Rotoloni asks. “Even anonymized data can yield personally identifiable information if combined with a few publicly available data sets.”

Privacy regulations unfortunately can’t keep up with such analytics. Rotoloni and others say technology always outpaces ∏ Bo Rotolini and Wenke Lee the regulations. “Policies are always going name system) queries every day, Damballa can predict and to lag the technology,” he says. “Technology gets pushed out, find malicious behavior. “While the amount of data we harsomething happens, and then you decide you need a policy.” vest is impressive, it’s what we can do with it,” says Damballa The application of advanced analytics onto Big Data Chief Technology Officer Stephen Newman, MS EE 97. “Our sources has helped create a number of commercial startups researchers build different machine-learning systems that from Georgia Tech, too. look at the raw data, and what compromised devices will do, Take Damballa, a threat-detection system for enterso they don’t remain hidden in the network,” Newman says. prise networks that harvests and trains systems on the Damballa has two core product lines: one for communicaindustry’s largest unfiltered data set, some 15 percent of tion service providers, ISPs (Internet service providers) and the world’s Internet activity, and monitors three-quartelecoms, including some of the largest companies in North ters of a billion devices every day. From its analysis of this America, and another for enterprise customers, ranging in massive data set, which includes 1.2 trillion DNS (domain size from 500 to 150,000 employees.

BIG DATA’S IMPACT:

IMPROVING SECURITY FOR THE INTERNET OF THINGS AGE Some 6.4 billion connected devices will

be in use worldwide at the end of 2016, up 30 percent from last year and reaching 20.8 billion by 2020, according to research firm Gartner Inc. In fact, 5.5 million new things get connected every day.

At Georgia Tech, researchers have been deeply invested in working on the details of this connection—the Internet of Things (IoT)— which along with great promise brings a complex set of security and privacy concerns.

“Suddenly, you’re drastically increasing the number of devices connected to the Internet,” says Manos Antonakakis, PhD CS 12, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the Institute. As objects as diverse as phones, refrigerators, cars and medical devices 0 5 0

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increasingly emit data on the public Internet, Antonakakis says, threats to networks increase, as do threats to private information security.

“We’re primarily focusing on privacy-preserving data sets, identifying IoT devices, and finding the privacy and security risks of communicating with the external network,” he says.

With billions of IoT chips appearing in all manner of products, how are researchers like Antonakakis keeping pace with the security issues? “The reality is that security on the Internet has been, historically, an afterthought,” Antonakakis explains, adding that IoT is no different. “The first thing that everybody wants to achieve is connectivity and some level of service. When this service is widely adopted and used, everybody goes back to security.”

Last December, in fact, the International Telecommunication Union and Georgia Tech jointly agreed to monitor global IoT activities and ∏ Manos Antonakakis collaborate on developing standards. The memorandum of understanding recognizes the importance of standards and the effective management of the associated applications through which value is clearly identified and captured for this fast-growing industry.

“Our researchers build different machine-learning systems that look at the raw data, and what compromised devices will do, so they don’t remain hidden in the network,” Newman says.

The Scope of Tech’s Big Data Research Core areas of Big Data research conducted through Georgia Tech’s college, school and interdisciplinary centers, labs and programs include: Data Analytics: Also known as advanced analytics, predictive analytics or machine learning, it uses automated algorithms to find and evaluate patterns in data to enable predictions.

Digital Signal Processing: The theoretical and practical aspects of representing informationbearing signals in digital form, using computers or digital hardware to extract the information or transform the signals in useful ways.

Modeling and Simulation: Techniques that allow researchers to simultaneously display

Among the multiple projects at Georgia Tech aimed at protecting critical cyber-physical system processes is one called Trustworthy Autonomic Interface Guardian Architecture (TAIGA). The architecture establishes trust at the embedded-control level, creating a small root of trust that sits between physical processes and an embedded controller and maintains known good states. The code for the device is small—so it can be formally verified— and is implemented in hardware, which has additional performance and security benefits.

For his part, Antonakakis has set up the Astrolavos Lab, where students from both Georgia Tech’s College of Computing and School of Electrical and Computer Engineering conduct research in the areas of network

and manage numerous data variables.

Optimization: Applying advanced analytical methods in a variety of application areas and for numerous industries where difficult, large-scale optimization problems exist.

High-Performance Computing: Effectively harness parallel processing at all levels.

Foundations: Mathematical and computing foundations that support advanced programming and the analysis of algorithms.

Cybersecurity: Assessing risk and trust, defining policies for how the private and public sectors should access and use information.

security, intrusion detection, and data mining.

One output of the lab’s work: an objective way of quantifying the risk on a network. Until now, there hasn’t been an objective yardstick, a generalizable solution, to security problems with high operational impact, Antonakakis says.

The metric, already widely used at Georgia Tech, will soon be used in one of the largest telecommunication companies in the United States.

This work would not be possible without what Antonakakis calls the “revolutionary developments” in computer storage and computational analytics, among other advances.

“The thing with Big Data is, effectively, your ability as a researcher or a company to identify patterns or identify structures in your data that you didn’t know a priori,” he says. In the domain

Damballa was spun out of research

by Georgia Tech professors, including Merrick Furst, distinguished professor in the College of Computing and founder-director of Tech’s Flashpoint startup accelerator; computer science professor Wenke Lee; PhD student David Dagon; and Richard Lipton, Frederick G. Storey Chair professor in the School of Computer Science.

Damballa continues to enjoy a close relationship with Georgia Tech, employing Lee’s students as interns to do primary research, which is published and presented at conferences worldwide.

Newman says the company hasn’t had trouble attracting top-notch data scientists, a pervasive complaint in business these days. “Because we have this very large, unbiased data set, it’s easy to attract the best,” Newman says.

At the end of the day, it isn’t surprising that Big Data intrigues Srinivas Aluru and other Tech researchers. Exploring massive quantities of information, or combining data sets in novel ways and then using algorithms to search for patterns, is an act of exploration, going where others haven’t set foot.

“The data is lying there, and there may be interesting things that we have yet to discover,” Aluru says.

of computer and network security, for instance, “you can analyze and effectively conduct attack attribution on, say, half a decade worth of data around threats,” he explains.

Beyond understanding threats, Antonakakis says, other kinds of Big Data analytics will help us understand the impact of these threats on government, industry or society as a whole.

Big business is also very interested in what happens in the IoT security arena. The Center for the Development and Application of Internet-of-Things Technologies (CDAIT) inside the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) bridges industry with Georgia Tech faculty and GTRI researchers. Founding members include AirWatch by VMware, AT&T, Cisco, Flex, IBM, Samsung, Stanley Black & Decker and Wipro.

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S T O R Y B Y O S AY I E N D O LY N

PHOTOS BY BROOKS KRAFT

Phyllis Schneck, PhD CS 99, and Andy Ozment, CS 00, help lead the U.S. Department of Homeland Securityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cybersecurity team tasked with defending our data and infrastructure from the crooks, hackers and worse desperately trying to get their hands on them.

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KEEPING OUR SECRETS SAFE When the power first went out in

Ukraine last December—on an otherwise ordinary weekday afternoon—the loss of heat and lighting proved to be an annoyance for those living in the 250,000 or so households affected, but not necessarily alarming. The outage then spread throughout several regions of the country, lasting as much as six hours.

Inside the country’s power plants responsible for distributing the electricity, operators were distressed and confused. In three different locations, control center workers had lost access to their computers. Their equipment

was suddenly unresponsive while cursors on their screens moved around seemingly of their own accord. Operators watched helplessly as unseen hands navigated through computer windows and cut off power to hundreds of thousands of people.

Hackers had remotely accessed the electrical system—using previously stolen usernames and passwords—and the cyber intruders were shutting down whole sections of the grid. Two of the power plants subsequently lost backup power. The operators were left literally in the dark.

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 Dr. Phyllis Schneck serves as the deputy undersecretary for cybersecurity and communications for the National Protection and Programs Directorate. She is the chief cybersecurity official for the Department of Homeland Security and supports its mission of strengthening the security and resilience of the nation’s critical infrastructure.

The extraordinary feat of leaving hundreds of thousands of people without access to heat or light—in the dead of winter—was still not a sufficient exploit for these malevolent meddlers. While workers at the control centers witnessed their systems being manipulated right in front of their eyes, the hackers also secretly triggered a tool that destroyed the power grid’s automated capabilities.

Computers could no longer be used to return power to those cold, dark homes. The electric company had to send out technicians to restore people’s power manually.

At present, more than five months later, Ukraine still has not fully restored its automated operations. But they have a greater understanding of what happened and how, and are better prepared to address such threats, in part thanks to a visit by a United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) team overseen by two Georgia Tech graduates.

WHO YOU’RE GOING TO CALL These two data defenders, Phyllis Schneck, PhD

CS 99, and Andy Ozment, CS 00, are based in

the Washington, D.C., area, but operate out of a multitude of undisclosed locations. This day, Schneck is at her Virginia office. “I was in the [White House] situation room just 48 hours ago,” she says. “Any given day, I have about eight meetings.”

Schneck speaks in the breathless cadence of someone whose mind is in many places at once. Her thoughts seem to be always in motion, yet still on target—a requisite characteristic for her role as deputy undersecretary for cybersecurity and communications for the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD).

The DHS is enormous, made up of multiple components, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

NPPD is the component that focuses on our networks and systems. Its mission is to protect the country’s critical physical and cyber infrastructure—including the communications backbone that makes our phone calls, banking transactions, electrical grid and our water system work. Since 2013, Schneck has been the top cybersecurity official for the DHS, drawing from a blended background of public and private sector work. Previously, she was chief technology officer for the global public sector at McAfee Inc., and was vice president of Research Integration for Secure Computing.

“WHEN I SIT IN A POLICY OR BUDGET MEETING, THOSE OF US WITH TECHNICAL BACKGROUNDS B E T T E R U N D E R S TA N D H O W M O N E Y I S S P E N T, H O W A N A D V E R S A R Y WORKS OR HOW OUR PROGRAMS COULD BE DEVELOPED.” 0 5 4

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- PHYLLIS SCHNECK

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 Dr. Andy Ozment has worked in cybersecurity for almost 20 years as an operator, programmer, policymaker and executive. He is currently the assistant secretary for cybersecurity and communications at the Department of Homeland Security. In this role, Ozment is charged with protecting the government against cyber attacks and helping the private sector protect itself.

“ C O M PA N I E S C A N B E R E L U C TA N T TO DISCUSS THEIR INCIDENTS, W H I C H C A N H A V E T H E R E S U LT O F S U S TA I N I N G C Y B E R C R I M I N A L S LONGER. OUR IGNORANCE IS THEIR BLISS.” Schneck’s charge may be difficult—and no doubt daunting—but her technical foundation gives her an edge. “When I sit in a policy or budget meeting, those of us with technical backgrounds better understand how money is spent, how an adversary works or how our programs could be developed,” she says.

In addition to situation room discussions with President Barack Obama and leaders from other agencies, Schneck also manages about 2,000 people. Her goals for the vast office fall into three main categories. First, on the technical side, keep the infrastructure secure. Second, communicate often and openly, in ways that make sense to the intended audience. (Her office works with a diverse customer base: federal, state and local government agencies, as well as the private sector, including academic institutions and businesses of all sizes.) And third, raise awareness with customers and policymakers—at the White House, on Capitol Hill and to U.S. citizens.

Schneck knew quickly upon joining the DHS in 2013 that she was going to need some help to fulfill these goals. And, thankfully, she knew just where to find it.

Andy Ozment was working at the White House

as President Obama’s senior director for cybersecurity in 2013. (Since getting out of Georgia Tech, he had moved to the United Kingdom on a Marshall Scholarship, where he earned a master’s degree in international relations from the London School of Economics and a PhD in computer science from

- ANDY OZMENT

the University of Cambridge.) The White House gig was going well. It was a policy-heavy position where internal education was a key mandate. Ozment was asked to increase attention to cybersecurity—it was already an important issue, but not one easily understood by senior leaders.

When Schneck phoned Ozment about joining her team, he saw an opportunity to act on network protection, rather than be in the business of describing it. Schneck wanted someone who had walked the walk, a tech type who could communicate complex ideas. “I wanted strong leaders who had done the job in the same way,” Schneck says.

She knew the path that Ozment had taken since they met at Tech more than a decade prior. “I was working at the Georgia Tech Information Security Center, which had recently opened,” she says. “Andy came in one day and said, ‘They told me to come see you.’ It’s not surprising that years later, I hired him as my assistant secretary to run ops for me at the DHS.” Ozment adds: “DHS is the place where we help companies and government protect themselves against bad guys. It’s where my heart is. And Phyllis is very persuasive.”

Since they often aren’t working in the same location, both Schneck and Ozment have each other on speed dial. Schneck focuses on leadership, building relationships with other agencies, customers and governments, and ensuring resources are available, while Ozment manages engineering teams and traditional security operations, and works directly with

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IF THE WORST HAPPENS, THE GENERAL PUBLIC D O E S N ’ T H A V E T O S TAY U P ALL NIGHT WORRYING ABOUT THE OUTCOME. SOMEONE WITH A DHS BADGE IS DOING T H AT A L R E A D Y. customers. The partnership is not a hard science. Sometimes, impromptu meetings with interagency partners jettison carefully crafted schedules. Once, they caught up over “lunch”—the first meal either of them had enjoyed in 12 hours. Often it’s all hands on deck, especially when a customer asks them for help.

That’s one thing about the cybersecurity office.

“DHS doesn’t just walk onto a site,” Schneck says. “We have to be invited. Does the customer want us there? Do they want our guidance? We have to deliver answers in a way that the recipient can hear it and act on it, and we have to do it fast.” Such was the case in Ukraine following the power grid cyber attack. The U.S. was invited to help.

WHO SHOWS UP TO HELP If the speed of a 911 emergency met in the cybersecurity world with the skills and resources of a cyber-CSI crew, you’d have a layman’s sense of the DHS’s Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team capabilities.

The ICS-CERT, according to Schneck, is made up of “hardcore techies” who respond to incidents and mitigate cyber threats, and communicate with 200-350 teams throughout the world. They, along with representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy and the FBI, went to Ukraine following the December incident.

“Ukraine trusted us to come in and help,” Schneck says of the relationship between the two countries. The U.S. team helped review what happened, then published an advisory online to help educate other nations and entities about

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the attack and what could be done to thwart a similar one.

After all, a situation of such magnitude carried importance beyond borders. An assault of this nature was undoubtedly well-planned and long strategized—ultimately executed via a combination of malicious software and logistical expertise. Without certain safeguards in place, any type of company using industrial control systems could be vulnerable to a similar breach. Even American companies.

When big companies discover they’ve had a cyber incident, they will frequently ask the DHS’s Office of Cybersecurity and Communications for help. Ozment says his office’s technical response is often the easiest part of the process. “I hire a lot of responders and I take the best technical people around,” he says. “But the people who really excel are not just great technically, they have the skillset of a therapist.” His teams go into companies and organizations on what might be the worst day of a chief security officer’s life. “That person may fear for their job,” Ozment explains, “or they’re worried about the consequences for their company.”

Naturally, corporate lawyers are next in line to express concern. They want to know what happens once they ask the government for help. Ozment explains that the DHS has lawyers to reassure companies about their protections.

DHS will not release any information about an incident without permission, most often requested strictly for the purpose of raising awareness in an industry. No one will reveal the company’s name, nothing can be accessed through Freedom of Information Act requests, no information can be disclosed in litigation, and DHS cannot even share the slightest detail of the case with a regulating body.

“The first all-nighters on an incident response are usually pulled by the lawyers, not the techies,” Ozment says.

Once the paperwork is done, which happens quickly once worries are quashed, a team goes onsite to investigate, support and provide a framework for what the company or agency can do next. “We don’t send a lot of people to a given incident, maybe five to eight,” Ozment says. “Too many and the customer gets overwhelmed.”

HOW THEY FIGHT BACK The cybersecurity office has a “war room,” a 24/7 sit-

uational awareness center where data is monitored by the millisecond. “It’s a dark war room with huge screens and lots of people,” Schneck says. “Just like you picture it in the movies, I promise.” Officially, the war room is the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center. “I call it the NCCIC,” Schneck adds, pronouncing it like en-kick.

The biggest data threat to U.S. security is the risk to our critical infrastructure, Schneck says. So the overarching idea that governs her team’s work is looking at how someone would make a computer do what it’s not meant to do.

“If you own or operate a piece of critical infrastructure, good morning—you probably have BlackEnergy malware on it,” she says.

The NCCIC monitors millions of events, allowing the DHS to see when patterns arise. One event in one place isn’t usually a big deal. But 100 events on random machines is a different story. Schneck has spearheaded the Weather Map project: The work aims to build a map which future cyber responders will look at and know if a “raincoat” is needed.

Buoyed by President Obama’s Executive Order 13636, which among several directives, created new informationsharing models and civil liberty protections that encouraged companies to share threat information, DHS can use these vast troves of data to identify indicators. Lots of indicators lead to trends. And trends in data can stimulate action.

Once events are detected, the DHS distributes advisories via their protocol, which is open to the public. The potential impact doesn’t just stop at a bunch of techies. Those decisions can hit as high as the CFO and CEO of major companies— the folks who are accountable to shareholders in various organizations.

“We’re using Big Data in ways that not only respect privacy and civil liberties,” Schneck says, “but we can use the speed of computing to detect events that were never before visible in all the noise of the Internet.”

Everyday citizens and their many devices—connected via the Internet of Things—also contribute to those data points.

All those connected phones, cars, medical devices, washing machines and home security systems also expose consumers to greater risk. It’s true, Schneck says, every new connected item potentially introduces a new vulnerability. The key is to manage it and be vigilant. To that end, DHS launched the Stop Think Connect initiative, encouraging consumers to reconsider before downloading mysterious files, clicking on ads or following links to unsolicited websites.

But data points only go so far. This is where communication can matter the most, Ozment says. Companies can be reluctant to discuss their incidents, which can have the result of sustaining cybercriminals longer. Our ignorance is their bliss. To help shift the culture around discussing unseemly

cyber incidents, the NPPD sponsored a workshop for the insurance industry in late April.

“Insurance does a lot to drive the economy to better secure itself,” Ozment says. “We wondered what data companies would be willing to share with insurers, and what data insurers would find useful in crafting their policies.”

This is the softer side of how DHS sees itself in cybersecurity—bringing parties together and hoping that they help each other. But that’s the job, Ozment says. “That’s the experience of being day-to-day defenders. We inform the conversations that shape the broader market and economy.”

Schneck and Ozment agree, those conversations began with the technical foundation they received at Tech.

Ozment cites the varied opportunities to research and explore as crucial to his development. “I realized that as a programmer, I could build complicated things in a precise way, but could shape those things in a way that suited my personality,” he says.

“My education has given me an edge every time,” Schneck adds, “from the Situation Room to a casual phone call. It’s not just knowing the software, it’s understanding how stuff works at the metal level.” She credits College of Computing founding Dean Peter Freeman as a business mentor, helping aim her in the right professional direction. Schneck says she also received priceless advice from Rosalind Meyers, former vice president of auxiliary services. “She told me to volunteer to get good experience. When the FBI approached me to run the Atlanta branch of InfraGard, it was scary, but I took it.”

There, she learned about leading large groups and was able to give back to things that were important to her.

The Tech alumni family doesn’t stop at the DHS staff.

As part of Schneck’s outreach to companies to better understand what they need, she recently invited serial entrepreneur Tom Noonan, ME 83, to her office to speak to her staff. Noonan contributed funds to help open the cybersecurity office where Schneck worked as a graduate student, and they’ve remained friends.

She intends to leverage relationships like this to bring “the best of innovation” into today’s new government, one that’s focused on customer service and speed—which looks nothing like it did a few decades ago. Back then, “a typical company’s security methodology was to buy a firewall and network gear and if there was any money left, you got a color printer,” Schneck says.

The reality is that Schneck, Ozment and the rest of the DHS cybersecurity team are working to make the Internet more self-healing, so when devices notice something awry, it gets reported instantly, creating a track record of actionable indicators.

“Our mantra is months to milliseconds,” Schneck says of the shift. If the worst happens, the general public doesn’t have to stay up all night worrying about the outcome. Someone with a DHS badge is doing that already.

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Analyze How four of the world’s biggest companies—with strong Tech ties—are leveraging Big Data to develop new products, optimize processes, solve problems and boost sales.

BY ROGER SLAVENS

∏ Boeing’s airplane factory in Everett, Wash., is one of the largest buildings in the world by volume.

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This Not all business leaders are taking advantage of the recent explosion in data available to them. In fact,

many of them have been overwhelmed by all of it and have found themselves and their companies struggling, spinning in place, as they stick to their gut instincts rather than trust empirical evidence.

Meanwhile, those that have embraced analytics and Big Data have raced to the front of the pack—or widened their already comfortable leads.

A recent study by Salesforce shows that 90 percent of high-performing business leaders view data analytics as absolutely critical or at least very important to driving their

company’s business strategy and improving operations.

Additionally, 84 percent of them believe that analytics will only continue to increase in importance. Such beliefs are translating directly and emphatically to increased investments in analytics activities at their companies.

But how exactly is Big Data making a difference in the business world today? The Alumni Magazine asked top analytics executives at Nike, Boeing, The Home Depot and Hershey—market-leading companies in disparate industries but with a common strategic thrust—if they could share how their businesses are using data to increase their chances at success.

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∏ Above: Jim Scholefield. Right: Athlete testing data drives innovations like Nike’s Flyknit technology.

Nike JIM SCHOLEFIELD, MBA 88, CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, NIKE INC. Though he’s worked at other big brands such as Coca-Cola, Ford Motor

Co. and Procter & Gamble, Jim Scholefield has been floored by the complexity of Nike and its ongoing, fast-paced growth during his first year with the company.

“The scope and scale of what it takes to 0 6 2

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run Nike is staggering,” he says.

As Nike’s chief information officer, he’s responsible for all internal technology enterprise-wide—everything from physical infrastructure such as data storage and workstation PCs to financial and human resources systems to supply chain management and product development.

He oversees more than 3,000 people who support Nike’s 62,600 direct employees located in 140 countries.

The company ships north of a billion units of footwear, apparel and sporting goods annually and sells them in more than 100,000 retail locations worldwide,

plus 931 company-owned stores. Indeed, for Nike to follow its own motto and “Just Do It” is a considerable undertaking, and leveraging Big Data is vital to its success.

“For us, having good data and being able to act upon it is critical to our supply chain management,” Scholefield says.

“If you think about just shoes, then you think of all the styles, then all the colors and the sizes for each style, that’s a lot of SKUs (stock-keeping units) and a lot of data. And then we use even more data—from logistics, retailers, market conditions, etc.—so we can deliver the exact right product at the right place and

the right time to our customers.”

Nike’s technology infrastructure allows the company to get near instantaneous data from online and even retail purchases. “That real-time feedback helps us quickly make adjustments and be responsive to customer needs,” he says.

Perhaps a more tangible benefit of Big Data’s impact at Nike happens during product development. “We’ve been live testing Nike products with top athletes for years, gathering data from sports fields, tracks and gyms that helps us unleash new high-tech products,”

Scholefield says. “Our Nike Sports Research Lab has some 60 people who work in biomechanics and physiology alone. They run a wide variety of tests then collect and analyze the data to show us how our designs are performing and progressing.”

One of Nike’s biggest success stories in terms of leveraging data has been its Flyknit shoe construction technology. “It’s a high-performance material that’s designed and fine-tuned for each sport,” Scholefield says. “It didn’t come from a hunch, but rather from data-driven decisions to enhance athlete performance, as well as improve manufacturing and reduce waste. The shoe uppers are knit to exactly what is needed—there is no

excess material—and through Flyknit we save 2 million pounds of waste annually.”

Scholefield supervises an analytics infrastructure team that works closely with five other analytics groups spread throughout Nike’s business units. “Our strategic agenda is driven by the input we get from athletes and customers as we develop and market our products,” he says. “While some companies are happy with focus groups, we want as much data as we can get. It’s been deeply ingrained since the company’s inception that we need quantitative and qualitative feedback to develop the best products possible. At Nike, we’re obsessed with our consumers, and our commitment to their satisfaction is second to none.”

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The Home Depot ROBERT THOMAS, MBA 17, DATA ANALYTICS MANAGER, THE HOME DEPOT As the world’s largest home improvement retailer —and the fifth largest

global retailer period—The Home Depot inventories and sells hundreds of thousands of SKUs in both their trademark orange warehouse-style stores and online.

When you consider the supply chain, merchandising and marketing behind these products, the data at play is enormous.

“Without a solid handle on all the data involved, you’d be painting with a broad brush in making decisions, especially in terms of supply chain management and operations,” says Robert Thomas, MBA 17, data analytics manager for the company’s Assurance and Advisory Management Program (AMP). “Big Data allows us to fine-tune our efforts and become more efficient. Having the ability to look at the most granular details allows us to pinpoint where we might be making mistakes, and more importantly, where there are opportunities to improve.”

As recently as 2012, though there was a growing IT infrastructure capturing data throughout The Home Depot businesses, the analytics efforts within the AMP group were not centralized, Thomas says. Some senior business analysts quickly realized that as the tools and abilities to collect this data grew, the AMP group needed a dedicated team to lead efforts to capitalize on all this valuable business information.

Today, that data team consists of two senior analysts and Thomas, who together find themselves always working on a major data project—usually in store operations— while also providing assistance to other teams in the company faced with data challenges. “We leverage both our knowledge of the data environment and technical skillset to support AMP teams with advanced analytical support and guidance, but we also work with other groups at The Home Depot to provide them with a solid foundation in the basics, arming them with tools necessary to tackle most analytics issues,” he says.

One major business challenge at The Home Depot that data analytics has helped shine a light on is store theft, fraud and financial loss. Store associates have always been one of the first lines of defense when trying to detect these issues, Thomas says. “For example, when they 0 6 4

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∏ Robert Thomas

“Big Data allows us to fine-tune our efforts and become more efficient. Having the ability to look at the most granular details allows us to pinpoint where we might be making mistakes, and more importantly, where there are opportunities to improve,” Thomas says. see something that appears awry in their stores, they will report it to our Store Support Center so someone can research what happened and identify the impact the theft or fraud has had on the company.”

With new tools and improved IT infrastructure, the retailer is now able to capture hundreds of details about products as they move through their lifecycle—from ordering and receiving to sales and payment—and make this data from all stores readily accessible. “This has allowed us to take a more proactive approach in identifying sources of loss,” Thomas says. “Today we can quickly analyze billions of transactions and develop methodologies to identify abnormal patterns or inappropriate behavior. We can see trends across stores that any one store manager can’t. By researching these anomalies, we can detect

problems more quickly and minimize the financial impact to the company.”

Thomas and his data team also have been able to use Big Data to help understand what a perfect online buying experience is for customers and identify pain points so The Home Depot could avoid them. “The end result was a scorecard that gave several business groups in the company enhanced insight into the end-to-end customer order experience and ideas for improving the process. We took care when designing the methodology around pulling and analyzing the data so that refreshing the scorecard would be as automated as possible. After completing the project, it took little effort to re-run the analysis so that we could track the progress in real time and identify any problems soon after they start to occur.”

Boeing TED COLBERT III, IE 96, CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER AND SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF INFORMATION & ANALYTICS, THE BOEING CO. Boeing—the world’s largest aerospace company and manufacturer of airplanes and defense, space and security systems—is betting big on an-

alytics. In fact, they recently doubled down by giving Chief Information Officer Ted Colbert III an additional title: senior vice president of information and analytics.

“My heightened role as leader of information and analytics at Boeing recognizes the value and opportunity of data—from design to engineering to product support—throughout the company,” says Colbert, who has worked at Boeing since 2009 and has served as CIO since 2013.

“The reason we added this role to my responsibilities is to bring the data and analytics resources of Boeing together so we can identify what can and should be leveraged across the business,” he says. “It’s also to signify a culture change and drive home how important good data is to us. Our data goals are to drive productivity, to become faster and better every day.”

As CIO, Colbert oversees the global technology and information infrastructure of the company, which has offices in 65 countries and employs 160,000 people. “I’m in charge of application development and systems architecture, and everything in between,” he says. That includes the management of roughly 6,000 IT employees.

When it comes to data, Boeing is constantly looking for better ways to serve its customers, to improve processes and, of

course, generate revenue. “We have lots of analytics tools at our disposal, both off the shelf and self-developed, both diagnostic and predictive,” Colbert says. “We’re not just watching data dashboards—we’re capturing massive amounts of information and working to find solutions we wouldn’t find elsewhere.”

Take Boeing’s factory in Everett, Wash., Colbert says. “It’s the world’s largest building by volume, where roughly a billion RFID [radio-frequency identification] readings are tracked a day. We have massive amounts of expensive equipment there—tools, vehicles and more that we need to keep tabs on. It’s easy to lose things in this building.”

By having sensors and RFID tags on the equipment, Boeing can pinpoint the location of all of them. “And we can learn when and why things end up being somewhere they’re not supposed to be,” Colbert says.

Such data has a direct impact on the productivity of the factory’s mechanics and engineers when they’re building aircraft.

Similar data technology can be used with Boeing’s airline customers, especially when it comes to maintenance. “Just like you do with your car, airlines want to be able to anticipate when parts on their airplanes will need to be replaced,” he says.

“We can help them with that by capturing data from sensors on those parts, allowing us to predict when they might have problems. Some of this is a longevity issue, and the sensors can help the airlines know

∏ Ted Colbert III when to order replacement parts. It saves them time and money and keeps their airplanes on schedule.”

But the impact of part sensor data doesn’t stop there. Colbert says the information can then be fed back to product design and development teams, providing them a feedback loop on how to improve a part’s lifecycle.

Another data-driven solution that Boeing put in place recently revolves around safety. “We devised a real-time tool that constantly captures data about safety concerns around our facilities worldwide and alerts us to potential issues,” Colbert says. “It also lets us track information over time, and see if, say, a torque wrench used in a certain situation may result in a repetitive stress injury for anyone who does that kind of work.

Again, we can take what we learn back to our designers to improve how planes are built and perhaps eliminate steps that might introduce safety problems.”

Of course, Colbert says, data and analytics pervade all aspects of Boeing’s business—especially when their commercial planes are in flight. “Think of our ultimate end users, the pilots,” he says.

“Think of all the instruments and sensors and data they use during any given flight. The planes are providing them with constant streams of data, as well as automatically looking for anomalies in systems to ensure the safety of flights and continuity of operation.”

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Hershey CARLOS AMÉSQUITA, MBA 85, CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, THE HERSHEY CO. The Hershey Company has been around for more than 120 years, and

it has remained a global market leader in the candy business through its ability to innovate and adapt to the times.

Today it boasts more than 80 brands of chocolate, gum, mints and snacks—with iconic names such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Kisses, Jolly Rancher and Breath Savers, among others—that generate more than $7.4 billion in revenue across the globe.

“Yes, we are known for chocolates, but we pride ourselves on being first and foremost a consumer-centric company that uses knowledge and insights to build brands,” says Carlos Amésquita, Hershey chief information officer.

Amésquita leads the IT function globally, setting IT strategy and aligning it with overall corporate goals.

Big Data is a big part of Hershey’s commitment to knowing its customers and knowing its industry. “We collect diverse sets of data—retail point-ofsale information, shipping factors and market demographics—and ingest, integrate and harmonize it,” Amésquita says.

The company’s analytics department is completely centralized. “We all sit together,” he says. “That means there’s no disconnect or deficiencies between our IT infrastructure and architecture and our business needs for data tools and methodologies.”

While Hershey generates plenty of its own data, it also relies on its retail customers to provide data such as what products are selling, where the products are placed on shelves and what local trends are. “This data is very granular, at the SKU level and by individual stores,” 0 6 6

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∏ Carlos Amésquita Amésquita says. “We have proprietary algorithms to make sure we maintain the proper inventory levels. Just like everybody else, we’re chasing an efficient supply chain, but with our analytics focus we’re better equipped than most.”

The company also seeks out other external data such as macroeconomic forces and demographics to determine consumer demand. “Analyzing all these different streams of data and making sure it’s clean data is critical so that we can identify causality and not just correlation,” he says.

Even weather forecasts and patterns provide important insight into Hershey’s business. “Many of our products are very seasonal and winter storms can come into play at times like Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter—for both distribution and selling,” Amésquita says. “It’s important for us to make sure

we can get products to our stores ahead of bad weather, and to know how to react if sales take a hit because our customers themselves can’t get to the stores to buy our products.”

Hershey also gobbles up research data when developing and testing new offerings and flavors. “Without that direct consumer feedback, we wouldn’t be successful in rolling out new products to market,” he says. “Innovation is a large, complex process that requires a lot of data.”

When asked if he could supply a specific area where Hershey’s analytics have driven success or uncovered surprising findings, Amésquita demurred, stating that he has to keep such case studies confidential for competitive reasons.

However, he did point out one example where data analytics helped solve a market mystery.

It was no conundrum to the company why gum sales have fallen off industrywide when other sweets have been on the rise. It’s mainly because of declining cigarette usage. “As people smoke less, they chew less gum,” Amésquita says.

“It’s been happening for years.”

But Hershey wasn’t sure that was the whole story. The company’s analytics gurus looked at numerous data sources for clues. Finally, they realized that as some smokers moved to e-cigarettes, gum sales did not pick up—because vaping didn’t result in bad breath they had to cover up as they did with traditional cigarettes. And by finding such cases of true cause and effect, Hershey can make better business decisions, he says.

While analytics is a fast-moving field, it’s been around for an eternity, he says.

“We’ve been making data-based business decisions forever. There’s nothing really new except for the technologies that enable us to capture more data than ever and the advanced tools and expertise for finding hidden knowledge within that data.”

STEM and Business Education for the Working Professional

pe.gatech.edu/alumni2016

DROWNPROOF YOUR CAREER. CONTINUE YOUR SUCCESS STORY

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EVENT HORIZON An event like the 44th Pi Mile Road Race takes a lot of effort to plan and execute, as well as a village of Alumni Association staffers, engaged alumni, students, and campus and city partners to make sure it's a big success.

Roger Slavens

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Providing Opportunities to ‘Excel’

Melissa Fralick

The 2016 Gift to Tech helps the Institute offer students with intellectual and developmental disabilities a chance for a real college experience.

Georgia Tech’s Excel program now has

$40,000 to improve programming for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, thanks to the Student Alumni Association’s 2016 Gift to Tech.

Each year, many students make a $10 donation to join SAA. Of that, $5 goes to Roll Call and $5 goes toward the Gift to Tech, which benefits a different campus initiative selected by members.

This year's winner, Excel, is a four-year certificate program at Georgia Tech that provides students with intellectual and developmental disabilities with the opportunity to experience college in full.

They take college courses, participate in campus activities and form friendships that will no doubt last a lifetime.

Excel’s first eight students have just completed their freshman year at Tech. They’ve taken courses modified to their individual abilities, and they’ve had access to many of Tech’s campus services and activities— including the Campus Recreation Center, sporting events and the library.

“In our first year, students have attended courses in psychology, film, servant leadership, Spanish and GT 1000,” Excel’s Director Kenneth Surdin says. “They have shown their school spirit at football and basketball games; joined various clubs and organizations, including wrestling club, Campus Christian Fellowship, Hillel and WREK radio; and volunteered serving the homeless, in after school programs and in nursing homes.”

After completing the program, Excel students receive certificates in social growth, academic enrichment and career exploration. The funding from SAA will support the growth of Excel’s career development program, in which students participate in campus jobs, internships 0 7 0

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.

∏ In their first year, Excel students have enjoyed participating in campus activities at Tech. and other employment opportunities.

"We seek to create a culture that embraces diverse learners and employees in order to maximize inclusion on our campuses and create inclusive opportunities in our communities," Surdin says.

Excel uses a peer mentoring and support system to enhance students’

classroom and social experiences. A peer mentor, typically an undergraduate Georgia Tech student, assists students who may still be developing the skills for independence.

“Our students are pursuing their passions and fully participating in the college experience,” Surdin says.

SAA’s gift not only provides much needed funding, but validates the importance of Excel and ensures students will be able to contribute their gifts to society, Surdin says.

“The recognition among people at Georgia Tech is what is really huge and impactful. I can’t tell you how grateful we are,” Surdin says.

The 2016 Gift to Tech was the largest in SAA’s six-year history, a testament to the success of the organization that was founded to develop the next generation of alumni leaders.

“Our hope is that every student gives back after they graduate,” says SAA’s vice president of philanthropy Vikrant Jain. “It’s not about the $10 you give now. It’s about building the tradition of giving back to this institution that has given us so much.”

As SAA continues to grow, so too does the organization’s philanthropic reach on campus. SAA is now the largest student organization at Tech, enabling the annual Gift to Tech to double from just over $20,000 in 2011 to $40,000 this year. Past recipients include student mental health services; Klemis Kitchen, a food pantry for Tech students in need; the Georgia Tech band; the Dean Dull Ramblin' Reck Endowment; and the Office of Solid Waste and Recycling.

“This year, SAA started out with 16 possible project ideas, which our leadership team then narrowed down to eight options,” says SAA President Daisy Smith. “These eight were voted on by the entire student body and then SAA members were eligible to vote for the final winner.”

Each year, the Gift to Tech is augmented by a matching gift from a Yellow Jacket alumnus. This year, Joe Evans, IM 71, the chairman and CEO of State Bank & Trust Co., provided $10,000 of the $40,000 gift, matching $10 from the first 1,000 students to join SAA. What’s more, the Student Government Association was so impressed by this year’s top three finalists that the organization stepped up to fund the second and third place projects, donating $20,000 to both the Housing Homeless Tech Student Initiative and the Campus Victim Survivor Program.

The Housing Homeless Tech Students Initiative will provide an emergency fund for students who find themselves lacking resources or financial support that could lead to a loss of housing. This program will also receive a $20,000 gift from Georgia Tech’s Residence Hall Association, which will fully fund the program.

The Campus Victim Survivor Program is part of Georgia Tech’s VOICE initiative for sexual violence prevention and education. The program will use the funds to provide emergency resources after a trauma, hire staff and create a stipend for student volunteers to operate an on-call response system.

In total, SAA’s Gift To Tech has inspired students and alumni to donate $100,000 for three campus initiatives in 2016.

“You have put older alumni to shame by the degree to which you have embraced philanthropy,” Joe Evans, the matching donor, told Tech students. “I am absolutely confident that 45 years from now, Georgia Tech will be in just as good of hands as it is today.”

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GTBAO Honors Outstanding Leaders The Georgia Tech Black Alumni Organization held

its annual Leaders & Legends Black Tie Gala on April 2. The Leaders & Legends Awards recognize outstanding black alumni and community leaders who have made significant contributions to the fields of science, technology, engineering and math as well as to their communities at large.

The event featured an awards ceremony followed by dancing and a casino night at the Historic Academy of Medicine near Georgia Tech.

The 2016 honorees are: Pioneer Award: Ralph Cleveland, ME 86

Entrepreneur Award: Dolan Falconer, NE 78, MS NE 79

Athlete Award: Eddie McAshan, IM 79

Staff Award: Andre Dickens, ChE 98

Trailblazer Award: Dr. Brian Blake, EE 94

Philanthropy Award: Bob Stargel, EE 83

Faculty Award: Dr. Willie Pearson Jr.

Student Award: Kendall Rankin

New Class Inducted into Greek Hall of Fame The 3rd Annual Georgia Tech Greek Hall of Fame honored distinguished alumni for their contributions to the fraternity and sorority experience. Â The award ceremony was held on April 7 at the Historic Academy of Medicine near Georgia Tech. The inductees, who are leaders in their communities and professions, are also active contributors to Georgia Tech and the Greek community.

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This year's inductees included: Dr. Annie Anton, ICS 90, MS ICS 92, PhD XX 97, Alpha Delta Pi (need to CQ degree) Dr. G. Wayne Clough, CE 64, MS CE 65, Phi Gamma Delta Ben J. Dyer, IE 70, Lambda Chi Alpha Nicolette Gordon, ME 93, Alpha Kappa Alpha

Deborah Anne Nash, IE 78, Alpha Chi Omega

Benjamin Tarbutton III, Mgt 94, Phi Delta Theta

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

Adventures in Africa Joe Irwin, IM 80

A 10-day trek into the wilds of Tanzania delivered once-in-a-lifetime memories.

Ernest Hemingway wrote in his 1935 novel Green Hills of Africa: “All I wanted to do was get back to Africa. We had not left it, yet, but when I would wake in the night I would lie, listening, homesick for it already.” And indeed, that’s how many of our Georgia Tech alumni travelers to Tanzania this past January feel today.

We began the journey with flights to Amsterdam and on to Kilimanjaro Airport near Arusha. Our four-truck convoy of Tech alumni and friends led by four excellent, highly educated guides then traveled south and west to Tarangire National Park – a beautiful land of baobob and acacia trees, vast grasslands and shrubs. The park is named for the Tarangire River which provides water for thousands of elephants, giraffes, 0 7 4

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lions, waterbucks, impalas, warthogs and a multitude of different, colorful birds living in the park. Tarangire was an amazing place that had an ambience of raw, wild and free. The animals are numerous and not fearful of human beings or their trucks.

From Tarangire, we trekked on to Ngorangoro Conservation Area which includes a massive volcanic caldera.

The trip down from the top of the volcano is a little hair-raising, the trip back up and out is worse. The floor of the caldera is some 100 square miles and includes thousands of animals from the rhinoceroses, elephants, cape buffaloes, zebras, gazelles, lions, wildebeest, all manner of bird life, hippopotamuses and more. One memory from this day— we were joined by a pride of 15 lions traipsing across the plain comingling with our trucks as they went.

Masai tribes also call Ngorangoro home, and graze their cattle both in the crater and outside of it. Included in the conservation area is a place called Olduvai Gorge. Those of us raised on National Geographic will remember Louis and Mary Leakey and their work on discovering the fossils of prehistoric man in Olduvai.

With each passing day, the journey across Tanzania became more magical. From Olduvai we moved on to Serengeti National Park. If it wasn’t a beautiful bird, a massive elephant or a kaleidoscope of stately giraffes to pique our interest, it was a coalition of cheetahs, a dazzle of zebras, a herd of wildebeest, or an acacia tree that we named Acacia de Simba as it had 11 (yes, that’s right, 11) lions perched among its branches taking an afternoon siesta.

Africa is an amazing place and once you go, all you want to do is get back.

Come travel with us!

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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Joe Irwin

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS Now Georgia Tech Alumni Can Access a World-Class Legal Education from Emory Law

Scholarships Available to All GT Alumni The Juris Master Degree is for professionals who want to supplement their professional expertise with knowledge of the law as it relates to their industry. It’s a unique opportunity to differentiate yourself, and grow your career.

“Business is becoming highly complex. The Emory JM program and the Emory Law faculty provide a solid understanding of the law that has a lot of practical application, whether negotiating deals or making important decisions for your business or organization.”

Raymond Tsao, JM Class of 2017 President and Chief Executive Officer Covendis Technologies

For more information, visit law.emory.edu/academics/jm-degree-program

The Juris Master for GT Alumni: • 30-credit-hour master program • Completed full-time in 10 months, or part-time in up to four years • Concentrations in business law, intellectual property, environmental law, real estate, M&A, and more CONTACT Lynn Labuda, MBA, EdD Emory University School of Law 404.712.1397 llabuda@emory.edu Susan P. Belmonte, M.Ed. Georgia Institute of Technology 404.385.3494 sbelmonte@gatech.edu

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For more information about upcoming Alumni Association happenings, visit gtalumni.org/events.

A Wild Spring of Events The Alumni Association finished the academic year with a flourish, hosting three signature events over the span of a few weeks. Check out these snapshots of how we helped alumni and students make some lasting memories.

Ramblin’ On 2016

The annual graduation party for Tech students— sponsored by the Student Alumni Association and Georgia Tech Athletics—featured fun, food

and festivities on the field at Bobby Dodd Stadium, capped off by fireworks. It was a helluva celebration!

Save The Date!

June 25

July 29

Sept. 3

Sept. 9

President’s Dinner Celebrating Roll Call

Alumni Admission Forum 2016

Aer Lingus College Football Classic

Student Alumni Association Kickoff

McCamish Pavilion on Tech Campus

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Georgia Tech Research Institute on Tech Campus

Georgia Tech vs. Boston College in Dublin, Ireland

Tech Green on Campus

44th Pi Mile Road Race

More than 1,500 runners registered for the April 30 race, which wove through campus, making this the biggest Pi Mile so far.

Alumni Career Fair More than a hundred employers looking specifically to hire

Kudos to those who finished, and a special shoutout to those who wheeled their kids in strollers across the 5K course.

Georgia Tech graduates conducted interviews with over 600 alumni looking for a new job or just a chance to network. This

annual event also featured keynote speaker Justin Honaman, IE 96 (see page 106), and a post-fair networking session.

Oct 27-29

Jan. 26, 2017

April 2017

Spring 2017

Homecoming & Reunion Weekend

2017 Gold & White Honors Gala

45th Pi Mile Road Race

Alumni Career Fair

Georgia Tech vs. Duke Tech Campus

Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, Atlanta

Tech Campus

Cobb Galleria Centre, Smyrna, Ga.

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1960s Edward Roe Stamps, IE 67, MS IE 72, HON PhD 14, was inducted into the Phi Delta Theta Georgia Alumni Hall of Fame.

1970s H.R. “Bart” Everett, EE 73, has recently published his third book, Unmanned Systems of World Wars I and II. A retired U.S. Navy commander and engineering duty officer, Bart is technical director for Robotics at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific in San Diego, Calif.

Mark Larkin, IM 79, has graduated

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

from the Wendelstedt Professional Baseball Umpire School. Mark and his family live in Augsburg, Germany, where he is a site solutions product manager at Nokia Networks. He is also a Bundesliga Baseball umpire for the German baseball league.

W. Allen Morris, BM 75, was recently honored with the Distinguished Citizen Award by the Boy Scouts of America’s South Florida Council.

Morris is chairman and CEO of The Allen Morris Company.

1980s Russell Brockelbank, CE 82, was named project executive of Balfour Beatty Construction in its Georgia Division’s Atlanta office. Brockelbank

also serves on the advisory boards for the School of Building Construction and School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech.

Michael Coats, MS CE 87, was inducted into the Society of American Military Engineers’ Academy of Fellows. Coats is a senior project manager with HCR Construction based in Norcross and Warner Robins, Ga. Benny Davis, AE 87, has been promoted to turbomachinery sub-system manager in the Liquid Engine Office of the Space Launch System at NASA’s Marshal Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Sue Spade, MS EE 86, was hired as a lecturer/adviser in the Engineering Department at Robert Morris University in Moon Township, Pa. Previously, she was an adjunct

Paul Judge selected as Henry Crown Fellow Paul Judge, MS CS 01, PhD CS 02, was named to the Aspen Institute’s 2016 Class of Henry Crown Fellows.

The Henry Crown Fellowship mobilizes leaders under the age of 45 to tackle the world’s most complex problems.

Those selected for the fellowship are proven entrepreneurs who can use their skill sets to build a better society.

Over the course of two years, Henry Crown Fellows spend four weeks in structured retreat exploring their leadership, values, vision for society and desired legacies. Following this reflection, the fellows launch new ventures aimed at improving their communities, their country or the world at large.

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was established in 1997 to honor the life and career of Chicago industrialist Henry Crown. The Fellowship is the flagship program within the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Judge is an entrepreneur, scholar and inventor. He recently co-founded TechSquare Labs, an incubator, co-working space and seed fund for startups located near Georgia Tech.

He served as the chief research officer and vice president at Barracuda Networks, which acquired Purewire, a cloud-based security company he founded. Judge has also served as the CTO for Secure Computing and CipherTrust, and is the chairman of Pindrop Security and Monsieur. As

a seed investor, he’s funded a few dozen startups including Bluebox, StarMobile and Emailage. Judge has spearheaded multiple research initiatives and founded the Internet Research Task Force’s Anti-Spam Research Group.

KIMM LINCOLN NAMED PRESIDENT OF NEBO Kimm Lincoln, Mgt 07, has taken the helm as president of Nebo, an independent digital marketing agency in Atlanta.

Lincoln began her career at Nebo as an intern in 2006, making a remarkable journey to president in just eight years.

Most recently, Lincoln served as vice president of digital marketing. Brian Easter, formerly the company’s CEO, and Adam Harrell, formerly president, are both taking the title co-founder and will continue in the strategic development of the agency.

“We’ve grown into an 80-person agency made up of the best and brightest minds in the industry, and we’re currently doing the best work we’ve ever done, but we can still do better,” Lincoln says. “I’m excited and ready to take this next step with Nebo, and am looking forward to working with the team to blow some minds and put us on the path for long-term success.”

As vice president, Lincoln led Nebo to a 350 percent increase in overall revenue growth since 2010 with a 500 percent increase for digital marketing. During this time under Lincoln’s leadership, Nebo was named an Inc. 5000 fastest-growing company for five consecutive years and won more than 100 awards in 2015 alone.

“Kimm is one of the most talented and hardest-working people I’ve ever met,” Harrell says. “There’s no one I trust more to take Nebo into its next phase of growth. I’ve watched her transform over the years from an ambitious young professional to a leader fiercely devoted to the development of her teams and this agency. Brian and I look forward to what’s ahead for Nebo under her leadership.”

Ai-Lien Vuong receives Enterprise Rose Architectural Fellowship Ai-Lien Vuong, Arch 11, M Arch 15, is one of six young architectural designers selected for the prestigious Enterprise Rose Architectural Fellowship. For the 2016-18 fellowship, Vuong will work with the Denver Housing Authority on the comprehensive planning for the Sun Valley EcoDistrict, one of the largest public housing authority-led redevelopment efforts in the country.

Launched in 2000, the competitive three-year fellowship is the only national program that matches emerging designers with community developers to support public interest. To date, 62 fellows have helped produce or rehabilitate 10,567 affordable, sustainable homes and designed more than 80 community

instructor for Community College of Allegheny County, Robert Morris University, Community College of Beaver County and Penn State University Beaver Campus.

Robert Williams, AE 84, has been nominated to the rank of lieutenant general in the Air National Guard.

1990s Robert Beilke, MS HP 99, retired from Nebraska's Cooper Nuclear Station after 32 years of employment. In 2009, he retired as a captain from the Navy's Reserve Component following a 30-plus year career. He has returned to Georgia to work as a staff augmentation engineer at Southern Nuclear's Plant Vogtle Units 3&4 Nuclear Licensing/ITAAC Department.

spaces that meet specific local needs, including health clinics, day care facilities, parks and gardens.

In 2015 Vuong received the COAADVANCE “Woman of Excellence” award from the Georgia Tech College of Architecture.

According to Enterprise, the U.S. is in the midst of a broad housing insecurity crisis that is affecting nearly 19 million lowincome families who are homeless or paying more than half of their monthly income on housing. By 2020, Enterprise plans to provide opportunities to 1 million low-income families through quality affordable housing and connections to jobs, good schools, transit and health care.

Susan Davis, Bio 91, attended the Executive Program in Social Entrepreneurship at Stanford in February. Susan is the executive director of Improve International.

Mareesa Frederick, ChE 97, has been promoted to partner at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP, one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the world. Frederick focuses her practice on client counseling, opinion work, and patent and other intellectual property litigation.

2000s Benjamin Colson, HTS 03, has been named a partner at Edenfield, Cox, Bruce & Classens P.C. Colson, an associate with the firm since 2006, has focused his practice on civil trial practice, business litigation, GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLUME 92 NO.2 2016

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personal injury claims on behalf of injured parties, criminal law, contract disputes and estate law.

Jeffrey Freeman, ChE 02, has been promoted to partner at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP, one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the world.

WEDDINGS 1. Andrew Bennett, ME 12, and Erica Bennett on Sept. 5. Andrew is a production engineer for Toyota Industries. The couple lives in Lawrenceville, Ga. 2. Melissa Nord Ward, EAS 13, and Ben Ward, BC 10, on Aug. 22 in Marietta, Ga. Melissa is a meteorologist at WUSA-TV and Ben is a project executive for CBG Building Company. The couple lives in Washington, D.C. 2

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Freeman practices patent litigation, prosecution and client counseling.

Jeremy Gaddy, IE 05, has been named a partner at Huie, Fernambucq & Stewart LLP, a Birmingham law firm where he focuses on the defense of product liability, construction, and retail and hospitality claims.

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Cheerag Jani, Mgt 09, was promoted to manager of UHYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Management & Technology Consulting group in Atlanta.

Michael Owens, MS MoT 05, has been selected to the Truman National Security Project as a political partner.

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1. Anthony Priest, EE 88, MS IE 90, from the Washington, D.C. Alumni Network ran in a marathon in Antarctica to raise money for the network’s scholarship endowment. If that weren’t enough, while there, Priest got engaged to his girlfriend, Elena. Several welldressed penguins served witness to the special event and voiced their approval!

2. In March, Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson (pictured in the middle of the back row) traveled to Dubai to speak to the UAE/ Dubai Alumni Group. More than 30 alumni attended, many traveling from different countries throughout the Middle East.

Hemal Shah, IE 01, alumni chapter president is in the front row, sixth from the left.

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3. Robin and Raleigh Green hosted a reception for a retrospective art show in Fort Worth, Texas, for their father Travers Green, Text 50, an award winning watercolor artist. The family had gathered paintings from around the country to showcase their dad’s artistic talent.

4. This young Yellow Jacket fan, granddaughter of Tom Hargis, AM 73, shows off her Tech pride.

5. We know which one of these dueling muscle cars would win in a drag race—the Gold & White one no doubt has better custom engineering under the hood. Jim Nystrom, Econ79, bought the preferably painted Chevrolet Chevelle SS some 41 years ago— he drove it while he was a student

at Tech—from the owner of its red-and-black Bulldog twin. Nystrom had lost contact with this friend until recently, and brought the car back to visit its original owner who was celebrating his 40th wedding anniversary. Turns out the original owner and his wife went on dates in the car before it was sold to Nystrom, thus proving once again the power and providence of the Gold & White.

6. Is it too early to start thinking up Halloween costume ideas? We say no. Here’s young Georgia Tech fans Christian and Colin showing off their Yellow Jacket spirit last Halloween with their Georgia Tech robot and football player costumes. Christian and Colin’s father, August Oo, MBA 13, is a Georgia Tech alum.

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BIRTHS

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1. Katie Graybeal Chalmers, PP 05, and husband Joel Chalmers, CE 05, welcomed daughter Elizabeth Moselle Chalmers on July 28. The family lives in Auburn, Wash.

2. Stephen Clawson, ME 07, and wife Dawn welcomed daughter Genevieve Rose Clawson on June 19.

Genevieve joins big sister Eliza, 2.

The family lives in Madison, Wis. 3. Luke Haag, IE 06, MBA 12, and wife Brita welcomed daughter Gwyneth Eve on Aug. 30. Gwyneth joins big sister Alana, 2. Luke is the business and pricing manager for Kimberly-Clark Professional.

The family lives in Sugar Hill, Ga. 4. Sunny Hotard, Mgt 12, and husband David Hotard, ID 13, ME 16, welcomed son Tate David on Oct. 29. David is a studio engineer at

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Newell Rubbermaid and Sunny is a consultant at Appirio. The family lives in Atlanta.

5. Erin Porter Izen, IE 01, and husband James welcomed son William Michael Izen on Oct. 24, 2014. William joins siblings Lauren Ann-Marie, 3, Zachary William, 18, and Jacob Michael, 21.

Erin is director of store operations at The Home Depot. The family lives in Marietta, Ga. 6. Bela Jacobson, IE 05, and husband Leandro Gryngarten, PhD AE 12, welcomed son Lev Chanan Gryngarten on Nov. 2. Lev joins big brother Shai, 2. Bela is a senior engineering manager at The Haskell Company and Leandro is co-founder and engineer at HPC Solves. The family lives in Dunwoody, Ga.

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7. Ronnie Mabra Jr., Mgt 00, and wife Dawn welcomed son Ronald Edwin Mabra III on Sept. 29.

Ronnie is an attorney and former Yellow Jacket football player. He was elected in 2012 as a state representative for District 63 in the Georgia General Assembly. The family lives in Fayetteville, Ga. 8. Nick Mazzolini, EE 03, and wife Olivia welcomed son Roman Thomas on Sept. 18, 2014. Nick is an associate partner at the consulting firm of Newcomb & Boyd.

The family lives in Marietta, Ga. 9. Andrew Milburn, MSE 07, and wife Amy welcomed daughter Kennedy Elyse on Oct. 15. Andrew is in the U.S. Navy. The family lives in Virginia.

10. Charles Murff, CS 04, and wife Kristin welcomed daughter Lyla

Lee Baker named president of AARP Georgia

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Querubin Murff on June 21. Charles is a software development and IT manager. The family lives in Atlanta.

11. Marc Paradiso, ME 04, and wife Lauren welcomed daughter Gabriella Grace Paradiso on Nov. 14. Marc is a trackside support engineer for Pratt & Miller Engineering. The family lives in Ann Arbor, Mich.

12. Bo Rankin, IE 02, and wife Becky welcomed son Braden Patrick Rankin on Nov. 27. Braden joins big brother Shea and big sister Addison. The family lives in Winter Garden, Fla., where Bo works for Disney.

Laura Richard, Mgt 06, and husband Daniel Richard, IE 06, MS Stat 08, welcomed daughter Lyla Madeline Richard on Jan. 12. The family lives in Alpharetta, Ga. Leslie Vincent, Mgt 00, PhD Mgt 05, and husband Michael Vincent, MgtSci 00, welcomed son Henry Benedict Vincent on Dec. 22. Henry joins brothers Jack, 8, Drew, 7, and Charlie, 5. The family lives in Lexington, Ky.

Lee Baker has been appointed the new state president of AARP Georgia.

Baker will partner with AARP Georgia State Director Debra Tyler-Horton and work with staff and volunteers to help achieve AARP’s vision, mission and strategic priorities. He also will act as the principal volunteer spokesperson for AARP, the state’s largest social mission organization with more than 1.1 million members.

Baker first began helping people and small businesses make financial decisions in 1986, while he was still a student at Georgia Tech. After graduating with a degree in industrial engineering, he began his financial career with Lindaman Insurance and later went on to establish Apex Financial Services in 1998.

“My vision is to help make AARPGA the leading organization in our great state that our age 50-plus population looks to when they think of caregiving advocacy and education, financial resiliency and fraud prevention,” Baker says. “I look forward to the opportunity to listen to Georgians and learn how AARPGA can help them achieve the life of their dreams. I have a vision that AARPGA will help every Georgian thrive and prosper and I am humbled to help with the work of making that dream a reality.”

Baker is the immediate past president of the Georgia Tech Black Alumni Organization. He has been actively involved in the Financial Planning Association and its predecessor organizations since 1998 and served as president of its Georgia Chapter in 2007. Baker’s service to AARP has been pivotal in engaging multicultural communities by growing relevance and impact.

Baker and his wife live in Stone Mountain, Ga. Both are active members of Antioch Baptist Church North, where Baker is chairman of the Trustee Ministry. They have two young children.

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memoriam 1930s George Clarke, MS PSE 37, PhD PSE 38, of Lufkin, Texas, on Dec. 16. Vice president of operations, Southland Paper Mill. Mead Corporation.

James Platt Jr., TE 38, of Decatur, Ga., on Dec. 12. Kappa Alpha. Navy (Lt.).

WWII. Superintendent of Federal Prison Industries. Sixty-three-year Roll Call donor.

1940s John Barnett Jr., IM 48, of Alpharetta, Ga., on Feb. 9. Pi Kappa Phi. Army (Maj.). WWII. Assistant director, Department of Electrical Engineering, Georgia Tech.

George Barron Sr., IE 46, of Alpharetta, Ga., on Feb. 3. Georgia Tech football player.

1944 SEC Championship. 1945 Orange Bowl. WWII. Navy. Manager, Prudential Atlanta. Hillsborough County Aviation Authority. Sons: George Barron Jr., Mgt 76. Charles Barron, IM 76.

Richard “Dick” Bodine Jr., EE 49, of Memphis, Tenn., on Dec. 16. Sigma Chi. Army. WWII. Co-founder and chief product developer, Bodine Company. Society of Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame. Founder, Bodine School.

Mary “Bettie” Brannen, Cls 43, of Atlanta, on Feb. 23. Women Airforce Service Pilots. Nephew: Arthur Brannen, IM 73.

Jack Bruda, IM 43, of Jacksonville, Fla., on Jan. 10. Beta Theta Pi. Navy. Gulf Oil Corporation.

Donald Chapman, ME 42, of Pasadena, Calif., on Nov. 2. Pi Kappa Alpha. Army 0 8 6

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Reserve (Lt. Col.). WWII. Purple Heart.

Bronze Star. Management, Ethyl Corporation. President, Edwards Plateau Royalty Corporation.

John “Clay” Chapman, EE 43, of Hilton Head Island, S.C., on Jan. 24. Army (Capt.). WWII. Korean War. Insurance Company of North America. Vice president, James A. Scott & Son Insurance Agency. Board of directors, Old Dominion Box Co. Board of directors, Central Fidelity Bank. President, United Way of Central Virginia.

James Coleman, IM 40, of Fort Gaines, Ga., on Feb. 16. Kappa Sigma. Naval ROTC. Auditor, state of Georgia. Navy (Lt. Cmdr.). WWII. Coleman Oil Company. Author.

Robert Crooke, IM 49, of Pensacola, Fla., on Feb. 23. Army Air Corps (1st Lt.).

Four Bronze Stars. Certificate of Valor.

Purple Heart. Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters. Air Force Reserve. Supervisor of quality control, Solutia.

Harold Dye, CerE 40, of Atlanta, on Dec. 9.

Pi Kappa Phi. Army (Brig. Gen.). WWII. Korean War. Vietnam War. Co-founder, Dye Construction Co. ROTC faculty, Iowa State College. Strategic Army Corps officer, Pentagon. Weapons system evaluator, secretary of defense.

Deputy director, Georgia Department of Industry and Trade. Adviser to President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Junius “Bob” Ellis Jr., EE 49, of Greenville, S.C., on Dec. 6. Army. WWII. Loss control coordinator, USF&G Insurance Company.

Robert January, IM 49, of Memphis, Tenn., on Jan. 8. Beta Theta Pi. Army.

WWII. American Theatre Ribbon. EAME Theatre Ribbon. Two Bronze Stars. Good Conduct Medal. WWII Victory Medal.

Manager of the agricultural chemical division, Chapman Chemical Company.

Owner, January Service Company.

Thomas “Allen” Johnston Jr., IM 47, of Winston-Salem, N.C., on Nov. 17. Delta Tau Delta. Army Air Corps. WWII. Market analyst, Alcoa. Consultant, Westinghouse Corp. Marketing Services Associates.

Clarence “Cy” Jones Jr., IM 49, of Jacksonville, Fla., on Dec. 26. Beta Theta Pi. Army. WWII. Owner, Edward’s Pipe and Tobacco Shop.

Clinton Lewis Jr., IE 48, of Augusta, Ga., on Jan. 16. Sigma Phi Epsilon. Army.

Manager of strategic business planning, Babcock and Wilcox Company.

J.S. “Mac” McCrea, GE 49, of Alexandria, Va., on Oct. 4. Crew leader and pilot, Army Air Corps. Engineering consultant. Air Force (Col.). Executive program lead, Air Force Systems Command. Director, U.S. Air Force Weapons Laboratory. Vietnam War. Legion of Merit with an oak leaf cluster. Distinguished Flying Cross.

Bronze Star. Air Force Air Medal with 10 oak leaf clusters. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Wall of Honor. MAC Associates.

Robert Ney, ChE 43, of Atlanta, on Feb. 10. Army Corps of Engineers. WWII. Roswell Road Pharmacy. Son: Tim Leiter, ICS 84.

G. Bruce Parsons, CE 46, of Greenville, S.C., on Dec. 11. Lambda Chi Alpha.

Navy. Supervisor, Georgia Department of Highways. Executive vice president, Ballenger Corporation.

National Transportation Research Boards Equipment Committee.

Harry Shartar, IM 49, of Atlanta, on March 4. Alpha Epsilon Pi. Army Air Corps. WWII. Atlanta Paper Company.

Mead Corporation.

John Shrader, Cls 45, of Pensacola, Fla., on Jan. 6. Navy. WWII. H. M. Patterson & Son Funeral Home.

Frank Stewart, CE 49, of Houston, Texas, on Jan. 29. Pi Kappa Phi. Army.

WWII. Farnsworth & Chambers. Granite Construction. Founder, Tectonic Corporation. Founder, Stewart Consulting Associates.

Charles “Chuck” Tarver Jr., Cls 40, of Augusta, Ga., on Dec. 3. Air Force (Maj.).

WWII. John Taylor, IE 48, of Decatur, Ga., on Jan. 2. Georgia Tech golfer. Army. WWII.

James “Jim” Eastham RECORD-BREAKING PILOT ME 55, OF MERIDIAN, MISS., ON JAN. 4.

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fter serving as a military pilot in WWII and the Korean War, Eastham embarked on a flying career in the private sector and went on to break aviation records.

In 1944, Eastham was called to active duty with the Army Air Corps and was one of the original pilots of the Berlin Airlift.

He studied mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech until 1950, when he was recalled to active duty with the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. Eastham continued flying in the Air Force Reserve and Georgia’s Air National Guard. In 1953, he became a member of the "Caterpillar Club”—a distinction given to those who have used a parachute to escape a disabled aircraft—after bailing out of a T-28 as it exploded.

In 1956, Eastham joined the experimental flight test department of the Hughes Aircraft Co. During the next four years, he flew approximately 800 test missions in the F-102, F-106 and B-58, firing 350 missiles, a record for the number of missiles fired by any one person. He also helped to develop various fire control and infrared systems and automatic flight control systems for the F-101 and F-106 Interceptor aircraft.

In 1962, he joined Lockheed-California, where he was involved in the Blackbird program. Eastham set a new world record when he piloted the A-12 at a speed of Mach 3.3 and an altitude of 83,000 feet, sustaining the same speed for over 10 minutes. But as far as the rest of the world knew, it had never happened.

Although many models were proposed, this was the only reconnaissance version that ever made it to production.

In 1965, Eastham was instrumental in setting the world speed record by the YF-12A, the prototype interceptor version of the Blackbird, at Edwards Air Force Base in California. He was the first to fly speed courses perfecting the required techniques before the air force pilots set the records officially.

Over his lifetime, Eastham accumulated approximately 10,000 hours of total flying time, with more than 4,000 hours spent in single- and multi-engine jets.

In 1964, Eastham received the Ivan Kincheloe Award for his work on the YF12A (A-11) Lockheed Super-Secret Project. The award recognizes outstanding professional accomplishment in the conduct of flight testing. Eastham also received the Blackbird Laurels Medallion after induction into the Blackbird Laurels Fraternity. He was inducted into the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame and the NASA Aerospace Walk of Honor, honoring aviation pioneers in Lancaster, Calif.

Bronze Star. Purple Heart. Phi Delta Theta. Yancey Brothers Company. Son: James Taylor Sr., IE 72. Grandchildren: James Taylor Jr., IE 99. Brandon Taylor, Mgt 09.

Jack Turner, Cls 45, of Atlanta, on Dec. 26. Pi Kappa Phi. Army. WWII. Turner, Turner & Turner. Founder and chairman, Atlanta and Georgia Bar Association Family Law Sections.

Founder, fellow and chairman, Georgia chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Chairman, Fulton County Democratic Party.

Frederick Walker Jr., CerE 42, of Atlanta, on Feb. 12. Kappa Sigma. Army (2nd Lt.). WWII. Atlanta Brick and Tile. Bickerstaff Brick Company.

Charles “Chuck” Wallace, Cls 42, of Rancho Bernardo, Calif., on Jan. 2. Georgia Tech football player. Martin Company. Bell Aircraft. Lockheed Aircraft.

Vice president, Lockheed Missile and Space Company. Son: Nelson Wallace, Phys 67.

William Wren Jr., EE 46, of Duluth, Ga., on Jan. 24. Kappa Sigma. President of machinery/systems division, Carrier Corp.

United Technologies Corporation.

Cornelius “C.B.” Young Jr., EE 47, of Ramsey, N.J., on Jan. 27. Kappa Alpha.

Naval Reserve (Lt.). Western Union. ITT. EMT. Tax preparer, H&R Block.

1950s Michael Austin, IE 53, of the United Kingdom, on Jan. 7. Georgia Tech football, basketball and baseball player. 1952 football national championship. 1953 Sugar Bowl. Vice president and resident manager, DMJM Architects.

Richard Balte, IM 59, of Miami, on Jan. 15. Sigma Chi. Georgia Tech track and field. Sons: Mark Balte, MS OR 87. Aaron Bivins, CE 07, MS EnvE 14.

Joshua Bivins, ChBE 10.

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memoriam Frank Bauchspies, ChE 52, of Mechanicsburg, Pa., on Feb. 7. Navy. Korean War. Caltex Oil Corp. Director of the Industrial Liaison Office, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. General manager, planning and financial management, Gulf Oil Corp. Brother: Rollin Bauchspies Jr., CE 53.

Elmer Bennett, CE 53, of Atlanta, on Dec. 30. Pi Kappa Phi. Army. WWII. Founder, E.M. Bennett Inc. Co-owner, Bennett & Pless.

Herbert Bradshaw Jr., IM 51, of Waverly, Ga., on Jan. 2. Delta Tau Delta.

Georgia Tech baseball player. Army.

Army Reserve (Maj.). Owner, Bradshaw’s Appliance Store.

Chief of staff, Winston County Hospital and Nursing Home. Battalion surgeon, Mississippi Army National Guard. Grandson: Garrett Arnold, Cls 19.

Robert Brandt, IE 53, of WinstonSalem, N.C., on Feb. 21. Phi Delta Theta. Air Force. Air Force Reserve (Capt.). Korean War. DuPont. ACC football official. Brother: Peter Brandt, IM 59.

James Caswell Jr., IM 51, of Atlanta, on Jan. 12. Army. F.W. Woolworth Co. Founding partner, Piedmont Center.

Dewitt Crawford, Cls 57, of Louisville, Miss., on Jan. 17. Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Physician. Medical director and associate administrator, Tri-County Nursing Home. Georgia Pacific. Spartus Corporation.

Angelical Uniforms. TRW. Medical director, Operation Head Start.

Joe Deadwyler, IM 53, of Cumming, Ga., on Jan. 25. Marine Corps. Citizens & Southern National Bank.

Henry Duffett, Cls 50, of Ormond Beach, Fla., on Jan. 31. Marines.

WWII. Lawyer.

Robert Dye, MS ChE 51, PhD ChE 53, of Friendswood, Texas, on Dec. 10.

Army (Capt.). WWII. Phillips Petroleum Company. Shell Development Company. Thirty-five U.S. patents.

Jesse Tarplin POLICE OFFICER AND YELLOW JACKET STANDOUT MGT 03, OF DOUGLASVILLE, GA., ON DEC. 12.

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arplin was a police officer and former Georgia Tech football star who was killed in an accident while escorting a funeral procession.

He is survived by five children and his wife, Dominique, who is expecting the couple’s sixth child.

"Jesse Tarplin loved everyone, and everyone loved him.

He was a special person, the kind you don't come across very often in life," friend and former teammate Lance Thompson told ramblinwreck.com in December.

Tarplin was a standout football player at Cross Keys High School in Atlanta, where he was one of the top prep linebackers in the nation.

At Georgia Tech, Tarplin provided the Yellow Jackets with many memorable moments on the field.

As a defensive end, Tarplin led the team in sacks as a junior. As a senior, He recorded a career-high 12 tackles against Clemson. He finished the season with nine sacks, earning AllACC honors.

Tarplin also secured the game-clinching fumble recovery against Notre Dame in the 1999 Gator Bowl.

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Though he was tough on the field, Tarplin is remembered for his kindness off the field.

"Jesse was a big guy trained to hit people hard, but he was a true gentle giant," former Yellow Jackets quarterback Joe Hamilton, a close friend of Tarplin, told ramblinwreck.com. "He cared about everyone around him, and we were all family to him."

After Georgia Tech, Tarplin joined the MARTA Police Department, where he served as an officer for 11 years.

Tarplin’s friend and teammate Donte Booker, now an Atlanta police officer, said that he and Tarplin shared an interest in criminal justice and talked often about their careers in law enforcement.

"I was there for the birth of all of his children, and I'm the godfather for his second son, Javious," Booker said. "I never had a brother, so he's closest thing for me. I can't describe how close we were."

Fritz Emmerling, IE 52, of New Kensington, Pa., on Jan. 3. Air Force.

Industrial engineer, Pittsburgh Plate Glass.

William “Bill” Fisher Jr., ChE 56, of Covington, Ga., on Jan. 17. Air Force (Capt.). Director of manufacturing, Hercules Inc. Fernando “Fred” Garcia, AE 59, of Huntsville, Ala., on Dec. 13. Douglas Aircraft. NASA. Rockwell International. Marketing manager, propulsion systems, Rocketdyne.

William Goldin, IM 54, of Atlanta, on Feb. 9. Air Force. Senior vice president of marketing, senior vice president of non-utility operations, Atlanta Gas Light Co. Chairman, American Gas Association marketing section.

Chairman, Southern Gas Association marketing committee. President, Atlanta Junior Chamber. President, Peachtree Atlanta Kiwanis Club. President, Atlanta Union Mission.

Martin Goode, IE 59, of Virginia Beach, Va., on Feb. 14. Navy. Korean War. LKH&H. Goodman & Co. Administrator, Chrysler Museum. Comptroller, Paramount Industries. Comptroller, CODE Associates. Old Dominion University.

Randolph “Page” Griffin, Text 50, of Atlanta, on Jan. 27. Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Georgia Tech swimmer. SEC swimming champion. Georgia Tech track and field. Naval ROTC. Navy. Korean War. Callaway Mills. Wyatt, Neal and Waggoner. Manager, Pain Webber Atlanta branch. Vice president of municipal bonds division, Kidder Peabody. Robinson-Humphrey. Son: George Griffin II, IM 83.

David Guffey, ChE 50, of Maineville, Ohio, on March 13, 2015. Army Air Corps. WWII. Proctor & Gamble. Son: Timothy Guffey, ChE 78.

Leroy Hodges Jr., IE 50, of McDonough, Ga., on Jan. 28. Pi Kappa Alpha. Army.

WWII.

Thomas Wainwright “Wayne” Miller Jr. BUSINESSMAN AND COMMUNITY LEADER CE 52, OF FORT MYERS, FLA., ON JAN. 3.

M

iller was a successful businessman, community leader and philanthropist.

After graduating from high school, Miller enlisted in the Army. He was sent to Germany, where he served as battalion mail clerk for 15 months. After discharge from the Army, Wayne attended Georgia Tech and graduated with a degree in civil engineering.

After a brief stint with Standard Oil of Indiana, Miller returned to his home state of Florida to take a job with the Florida State Board of Health in mosquito control—a subject he knew nothing about, but would become his life’s work.

In 1955, Miller moved to Fort Pierce to direct the Saint Lucie County mosquito control program. The following year, Miller relocated to Fort Myers to establish the Lee County Mosquito Control District. In 1961, the program was expanded to include aquatic weed control. Over the years, the district evolved into the largest single county mosquito control program in the world, operating 12 Douglas DC-3 aircraft and 15 Bell turbine helicopters.

Miller was also involved in many organizations in the Fort Myers community, including: First Baptist Church of Fort Myers, where he served as a deacon and vice president of the Church Corporation; the Masonic Lodge, where he served as high priest of the chapter and master of the council; the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, where he served as president; Boy Scouts of America, where he received the Silver Beaver award; and the Rotary Club of Fort Myers, where he recorded 60 years of perfect attendance.

Over the years, Miller also served as a trustee for many philanthropic, civic, business and educational organizations.

Miller’s success was frequently recognized by peers in his industry.

He was president of the Florida Anti-Mosquito Association and was founding president of the Aquatic Plant Management Society, which is now an international organization. He was named Engineer of the Year by the Calusa Chapter of the Florida Engineering Society, and again by the Southwest Florida Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He was named to the Hall of Success at Georgia Tech in 1993, and was inducted into the Engineering Fort Myers Hall of Fame in 1998.

After retiring from mosquito control in 1994, Wayne was named Distinguished Citizen of Southwest Florida. He was selected as Person of the Year for 2001 by the Fort Myers News Press, and was named Altruist of the year in 2002.

Miller and his wife, Mavis, were recognized for their generosity to Georgia Tech by President G. P. “Bud” Peterson, who inducted them into the Hill Society in 2015.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLUME 92 NO.2 2016

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in

memoriam Julius Hyman, Text 53, of Langhorne, Pa., on Dec. 31. Alpha Epsilon Pi. Air Force (Col.). Chief of standardization, textile, clothing and individual equipment, Defense Personnel Support Center.

Kent Morris, IE 53, CerE 53, of Charlotte, N.C., on Dec. 27. Alpha Tau Omega. Army Corps of Engineers. Korean War. Partner, Systems Services Inc. Owner, Piedmont Instruments & Controls. Owner, Kent Morris Inc.

Bernard Johnsrud, MS EE 56, of Carrollton, Texas, on Dec. 21. Army (Col.). Control Data Corporation.

Texas Instruments. Legion of Merit.

Bronze Star. Army Commendation Medal.

William Morrison Sr., IM 55, of Cary, N.C., on Dec. 15. Kappa Sigma. Air Force. Reliance Electric Company.

Clifford “Lamar” Moye, IM 57, of Loganville, Ga., on Feb. 1. Army. Civil engineer,

Georgia Department of Transportation.

Lawrence Parnell, IE 50, of Greenwood, S.C., on Dec. 20. Navy. WWII. Director of industrial engineering, Greenwood Mills.

Robert “Bob” Parrish, IE 57, of Statesboro, Ga., on Dec. 29. Air Force.

Korean War. Rockwell Manufacturing Co. Emerson Electric Co. Manager of manufacturing, Brooks Instruments.

Joseph Michael Peek PRIEST AND SPIRITUAL ADVISER TO THE SICK CLS 87, OF ATLANTA, ON MARCH 14.

K

nown as “Father Joe,” Peek was a beloved Catholic priest whose own health challenges led him to become a spiritual adviser to those with life-threatening illnesses.

From an early age, Peek was devoted to his Catholic faith.

His family prayed the rosary together nightly, and he was an altar server at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church.

After graduating from Lakeside High School in Atlanta in 1983, he attended Georgia Tech on a Naval ROTC scholarship.

He entered the Navy in the late 1980s and served for three years as a search and rescue swimmer and an anti-submarine air crewman. He also worked as a substitute teacher and a server at Outback Steakhouse. But he felt a pull toward priesthood and decided to go to seminary with the hopes of becoming a Navy chaplain.

He then spent three years with the Oblates of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Boston, attending St. John's Seminary, followed by two years at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Pennsylvania and two years at Mount Saint Mary's Seminary in Maryland.

In 2002, just months shy of his ordination, Peek was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia. Despite his diagnosis, he completed his studies and was ordained to the priesthood.

In 2003, Peek received a bone marrow transplant from his sister Kathleen in an effort to combat his cancer. While the transplant effectively cured the cancer, it also created a new

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issue known as graft versus host disease.

Graft versus host disease can develop as a complication following transplants, when the donor’s immune cells mistakenly attack the recipient’s normal cells. This illness ravaged Peek’s organs and flesh, causing open wounds over his entire body and challenging his lifelong ambition of serving as a priest.

Despite his illness, Peek asked for and received parish assignments at St. Catherine of Siena, Kennesaw; Sts. Peter & Paul Parish, Decatur; Mary Our Queen, Norcross; and All Saints Church, Dunwoody.

In addition to his church assignments, Peek spent much of his time visiting with the sickest of the sick. He believed his experience as a patient equipped him to minister to fellow patients at Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute and others within Atlanta's Catholic community. He would regularly visit with patients in the hospital, even though his condition made him vulnerable to infections. He also developed a large online ministry, which he would attend to as much as his strength and health would allow.

On March 14, Peek passed away, surrounded by his parents and 10 siblings.

William “Bill” Penhallegon, ME 54, of Clearwater, Fla., on Feb. 27. Alpha Tau Omega. Florida Power Corp.

Brother: Lee Clayton Penhallegon, Cls 59.

Charles Pitts, IE 58, of Chesapeake, Va., on Feb. 9. Director of employment and purchasing director, Norfolk Southern Company. Owner, Naked Furniture of Tidewater Inc. Grandson: Jason Gay, Cls 16.

Elwyn “Buck” Powell Jr., Arch 54, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Jan. 12. Theta Chi. Georgia Tech swimmer. Army Corps of Engineers. Architect.

Cecil Rahn, IM 56, of Richmond Hill, Ga., on Dec. 18. Army. Union Camp Corp.

James Ramsay, EE 50, of Charlottesville, Va., on Jan. 9. Navy.

Raymond Ribes, ME 54, of Akron, Ohio, on Dec. 28. Army ROTC. Son: R. Scott Ribes, CE 86, MS CE 87.

Robert Rutherford, EE 52, of Greensboro, N.C., on Feb. 6, 2014. Navy. Systems and design manager, program manager, Western Electric/Bell Labs/AT&T. Walton Smith, IE 57, of Melrose, Fla., on Dec. 9. Chemical division, FMC Corp.

Sales representative, Sir Speedy Printed Communications.

William “Billy” Studstill Sr., IE 59, of Atlanta, on Jan. 21. Georgia Tech football and baseball player. Sigma Nu. Southern DE Inc. Georgia Power. Southern Company. Southern Solar. Georgia Tech Research Institute. Monsanto. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Children: Edward Harris, CE 88, MS CE 95. Leigh Ann Studstill, Mgt 88. Anne Studstill, ME 84, MS EnvE 91. William Studstill Jr., ME 84, MS Mgt 92.

James “Jim” Thomas, IM 52, of Douglasville, Ga., on March 5. Marines.

Korean War. National carpet buyer, Sears, Roebuck & Co. Giles Toole Jr., IM 51, of Tallahassee, Fla., on Feb. 16. Alpha Tau Omega.

Navy. WWII. U.S. Rubber Company. Dillon Agency. Chartered Life Underwriter. Chartered Financial Consultant. Life and qualifying member, Million Dollar Round Table. Director, Capital City Bank.

L. Blair Trewhitt, IM 53, of Carrollton, Ga., on Feb. 15. Alpha Tau Omega. Army (Sgt.). WSB Radio.

Ziegler Tools. Great Southwest Corp. Founder, Blair Trewhitt & Associates. Grandson: Ethan Trewhitt, EE 05, MS ECE 07.

David Troglin, Text 58, of Atlanta, on Dec. 28. Accountant.

Eugene “Skip” Turner Jr., IM 57, of Marietta, Ga., on Jan. 18. Brother: Wendell Turner, AM 69.

Roy Turner, EE 55, of Rock Hill, S.C., on March 1. Army Air Corps (Master Sgt.). WWII. Tennessee Valley Authority. Son: Allen Turner, EE 95.

Robert Unkefer, Arch 51, of Jacksonville, Fla., on Jan. 6. Army. J.B. Coxwell Contracting.

Warren Wells, ME 58, of Amelia Island, Fla., on Jan. 7. Phi Kappa Sigma. Marine.

Robert Whitaker Sr., AE 52, of Kennesaw, Ga., on Dec. 22. Alpha Tau Omega. Air Force. Korean War. Aeronautical engineer and flight control specialist, Lockheed-Georgia.

Joseph Word, EE 52, of Jefferson City, Tenn., on Feb. 24. WWII. U.S. Steel.

1960s Willie “Ken” Aultman, EE 65, of Snellville, Ga., on Feb. 22.

William Burbank Jr., ChE 60, of Stone Mountain, Ga., on Feb. 8. Pi Kappa Phi. Army. Certified safety and fire protection engineer, Veterans Administration.

Daughters: Tracey Burbank, ChE 88.

Susan Salter, Bio 91, MS Bio 94.

Roger Camp, IM 68, of Marietta, Ga., on Jan. 19. Aeronautical engineer, Cape Canaveral. Chief financial officer, Atlanta’s Motor Convoy & Allied Systems. Professional accountant, Omni’s Atlanta Civic Center. Children: Thomas Sleboda, MSE 94, MS MetE 96. Kristen Sleboda, Mgt 97.

John Carpenter III, ChE 63, of Hampstead, N.C., on Jan. 19. Pi Kappa Alpha.

Army (1st Lt.). Army Chemical Corps.

DuPont technology transfer group. Invista. Son: John Carpenter IV, MS Mgt 98. Grandson: John Sparkman, Cls 18.

John Coulborn, ME 63, of Fort Worth, Texas, on Feb. 3. Kappa Sigma. McDonald Douglas Corp. Co-owner, CJN Products. Chief engineer of research and development, ACF Industries. Director of engineering, Gulf Railcar Inc. Executive director of engineering, Trinity Industries Inc. Brother: Geoffrey Coulborn, ME 70.

Stephen Fay, IE 67, of Jackson, N.J., on Jan. 17. Theta Xi. Owner, Technology Transfer Inc. Gary Hammer, PhD Chem 62, of Williamsburg, Va., on Feb. 8. Dow Chemical Company. Professor of chemistry, Christopher Newport University. Sons: Gregory Hammer, CE 78. Jeramy Hammer, EE 81.

Herbert Hayes Jr., CE 61, of Belleair Beach, Fla., on Dec. 31. Korean War. Civil engineer.

Frank Jennings Jr., CE 66, of Ilion, N.Y., on Jan. 11. Air Force (1st Lt). Vietnam War. Lane Construction Corp.

New York State Department of Transportation. Codes enforcer, Town of German Flatts. Village engineer, Illion. Engineering consultant, Ilion Water Commission. Operator, Hilltop Orchards.

David Kammer Jr., ME 61, of Chattanooga, Tenn., on Feb. 4. Pi Kappa Alpha.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLUME 92 NO.2 2016

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memoriam

John Kidd, IM 62, of Cumming, Ga., on Jan. 31. Sigma Phi Epsilon. Army.

Founder, Kidd and Associates. Regional planning director, Richmond, Va. Engineering consultant.

Paul Kreitner, IM 65, of St. Augustine, Fla., on Dec. 14. Co-owner, Allied Casework Supply.

Leroy Laney, IE 65, of Honolulu on Jan. 11. Kappa Sigma. Senior vice president and chief economist, First Hawaiian Bank. Professor of economics and finance, Hawaii Pacific University.

Navy. President Gerald Ford’s Council of Economic Advisers. International economist, Office of International Monetary Research, U.S. Treasury. Senior economist, Federal Reserve Bank.

Gary Leff, IM 61, MS IM 63, of Brookhaven, Ga., on Jan. 18. Alpha Epsilon Pi. Finance professor, Georgia Tech. Financial investment adviser. Son: Ricky Leff, Bio 92.

Grandson: Jacob Leff, Cls 18.

Robert “Frank” McGibony III, IM 64, of Statesboro, Ga., on Jan. 21. Oxford Industries. Manager, Roydon Wear Plant. King Finishing.

David Miller, ID 65, of Atlanta, on Feb. 21.

Robert “Alex” Millican Jr., EE 65, of Austin, Texas, on Dec. 22. Senior engineer and program manager, IBM. Benjamin Montoya, MS SanE 69, of Granite Bay, Calif., on Dec. 19. Navy (Rear Adm.). Vietnam War. Chief, Civil Engineer Corps. Senior vice president, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. President and CEO, Public Service Co. Clyde Poovey Jr., MS CE 61, of Alpharetta, Ga., on Feb. 13. Air Force (2nd Lt.).

Korean War. Atlanta Structural Concrete Company. Chairman and fellow, Prestressed Concrete Institute.

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Don Pullum, ME 60, of Camden, S.C., on Oct. 23. Sigma Nu. Technical group manager, DuPont.

Richard Rekau, Arch 65, of Brookhaven, Ga., on Jan. 5. Army Atomic Artillery Branch. John Portman Architects.

Charles Sannipoli, EE 67, of Raleigh, N.C., on Dec. 8. IBM. Consultant, IP Infusion.

Robert Scholtes, PhD CE 64, of Starkville, Miss., on Feb. 6.

Professor and civil engineering department chair, Mississippi State University. Distinguished Engineering Service Award, Mississippi Engineering Society.

Barry Smith, IM 66, of Atlanta, on Jan. 31. Army (Capt.). Vietnam War. Air Force (Lt. Col.). Director of administrative services, Georgia Department of Defense. Director of the Division of Administration, Georgia State Department of Audits and Accounts. Brother: Myles Smith, IM 63, M CRP 81.

Stanley Wertheimer, MS Math 61, PhD Math 70, of New London, Conn., on March 3. Chair of mathematics and director of academic computing, Connecticut College.

1970s Jerry Boyd, IM 74, of Montgomery, Ala., on March 2. Civil service, Robins Air Force Base. Gunter Air Force Base.

Glenn A. Bunker, EES 77, of Atlanta, on March 12. Founding member of GT Rugby Football Club. Board Chair, Old White Rugby. Delta Tau Delta.

Principal, Excers Software Solutions.

Arthur Campbell, M CRP 70, of Villa Rica, Ga., on Feb. 5. Southern Regional Council. Housing Assistance Council. Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta. Distinguished alumnus award, School of City and Regional Planning, Georgia Tech.

Hubert “Reece” France, EE 73, of Seabrook, Texas, on Jan. 20. Navy.

TRW Defense and Space Systems.

NASA European Space Agency.

Co-founder, Turner-Gold-France Engineering. Co-founder, RadioConnect Corporation. TRW Chairman’s Award for Innovation.

John Hansell Jr., Arch 78, of Mountain Home, Texas, on Feb. 23. Architect, JSA Architects.

Joseph Kennedy III, EE 74, of Tennille, Ga., on Feb. 1.

Charles “Connor” Litton, IM 78, of Bluefield, W.Va., on Dec. 12. Georgia Tech football player. Vice president, Davis, Litton, Harman Associated LLC. Larry Petree, AE 72, of Lawrenceville, Ga., on Feb. 3. Design engineer, MM Systems. Brothers: Mark Petree, AM 73. David Petree, EE 83.

Jimmy Rumsey, TE 70, of Inman, S.C., on Jan. 16.

James “Larry” Sapp, EE 74, of Bonaire, Ga., on Jan. 30. Air Force (Maj.).

Southwest Research Institute.

Chadwick Smith Jr., TextChem 70, MS Text 71, of Charlotte, N.C., on Jan. 25. Pi Kappa Phi. Georgia Tech baseball player. Textile dyes and chemicals industry.

Robert Wood Sr., MS IE 72, of Fort Collins, Colo., on Dec. 18. Army (Col.).

Vietnam War. Silver Star. High school math teacher.

1980s

John “Jared” Storey, Cls 16, of Acworth, Ga., on Dec. 10.

Arthur Bahl, MS ICS 84, of Hudson, Mass., on Feb. 10. IBM. High school teacher.

Friends

Laurie Hodges Foley, MS ICS 85, PhD ICS 87, of Decatur, Ga., on March 3. George Washington University.

BellCore. Georgia Tech Research Institute. Father: Donald Hodges, IE 61. Son: Arthur Foley, Cls 19.

Anita Gardner, IE 81, of Marietta, Ga., on Jan. 20. Alpha Chi Omega.

Computer programmer, Scientific-Atlanta. Hayes Microcomputer.

Southern Company. Father: Charles Reed Jr., EE 50, MS EE 56. Husband: Arthur Gardner, ME 83.

Fowler Low Jr., IM 82, of Atlanta, on Feb. 25. National sales manager, Inteplast Group. President, Barrier Products Inc. Father: Fowler Low Sr., IM 54. Uncle: Avery Low Jr., ME 42.

Robert Roggenkamp, Phys 88, of North Augusta, S.C., on Jan. 8.

Ronald Seaman, MS Mgt 87, of San Antonio, Texas, on Feb. 6. Professor, Louisiana Tech University. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Published researcher.

Jeffrey Stanford, EE 81, of St. Petersburg, Fla., on Jan. 12. Engineer, Honeywell.

Mary Maleita Twyford, ChE 81, of San Francisco, on Dec. 31.

2010s John Bibb, Cls 12, of Decatur, Ga., on Dec. 13. Father: William Bibb, Phys 71. Brother: Robert Bibb, Chem 06.

Wister Cook, of Atlanta, on Jan. 13.

English professor, Georgia Tech.

David Finkelstein, of Atlanta, on Jan. 24. Chairman of the physics department and dean of natural sciences and mathematics, Yeshiva University. Chairman of the physics department and professor of physics, Georgia Tech. Editor, International Journal of Theoretical Physics. Author.

Robert “Bob” Glenn, of Atlanta, on Feb. 8. Printpack Inc. Blyth and Co. Robinson-Humphrey Co. Executive managing director, Morgan Keegan & Company Inc. Director of the equity capital markets group, Raymond James & Associates. Brother: John Glenn Jr., Cls 59.

Jack King Jr., of Lilburn, Ga., on Feb. 5. Navy.

Thomas “Ben” Massey, of Durham, N.C., on Dec. 10. Navy. Associate dean of students, Georgia Tech.

President, University of Maryland University College.

Kyle McMahan, of Duluth, Ga., on Dec. 27. Founder and CEO, Info1 Credit Reporting Agency. Daughter: Ashley McMahan, Mgt 07.

Terrill “Brooks” Pearson Jr., of Atlanta, on Jan. 9. Lawyer. Professor, John Marshall Law School. Professor, Mercer University. Writer, “The Madisonian.” Naval Reserve.

Mary McConkey Reimer, of Decatur, Ga., on Dec. 29. Southern Bell.

Children: Jack Reimer Jr., Cls 78.

Margaret Moore, AM 77, MS Math 79. Phillip Moore, Cls 80. James Reimer, ChE 87. Ruth Campbell, ChE 86. Vincent Campbell, ME 85. Edward Reimer, Econ 92.

Dorothy Roush, of Carrollton, Ga., on Dec. 15. Art teacher, LaGrange College and West Georgia College.

Board of Advisors, Georgia Museum. Board of Trustees, University of West Georgia. Son: Alex Roush, Arch 74.

Rachel Thorn, of Atlanta, on Feb. 21.

Recruiter, US Talent Acquisition, Morneau Shepell. Stepfather: Geoffrey Gill, IM 64. Sister: Erica Neisse, Mgt 07.

Maxine Thompson Turner, of Columbus, Ga., on Feb. 11. Professor emeritus, Department of Literature, Communication & Culture, Georgia Tech. Modern technical communications program, Georgia Tech.

Fellow, National Society of Technical Communication. Author.

Mary Phillips Wesley, of Sandy Springs, Ga., on Feb. 23. Husband: Jim Wesley Jr., IM 55. Grandson: Tyler Wesley, BME 13.

Gene Willeke, of Oxford, Ohio, on Jan. 31. Army. Hydraulic research engineer, U.S. Bureau of Public Roads. Hydraulic research engineer and chief of the engineering section, U.S. Public Health Service Great Lakes-Illinois River Basin.

Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Stanford University.

Professor, Environmental Resources Center, Georgia Tech. Director, Miami University Institute of Environmental Sciences. Benjamin Harrison Medal.

Dorothy Malone Yates, of Atlanta, on Dec. 29. Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Auxiliary. Chair, Metropolitan Opera Guild.

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLUME 92 NO.2 2016

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Tech

history

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Check out livinghistory.gatech.edu to feed your nostalgia for Tech's days of yore.

Our Olympic Legacy

Melissa Fralick

A look at how the Centennial Olympic Games changed Georgia Tech 20 years ago.

We will not be the same after 1996.

G. Wayne Clough, then president of Georgia Tech, wrote those words in the Summer 1996 issue of the Alumni Magazine, shortly before thousands of athletes, journalists and spectators descended upon campus for the Centennial Olympic Games.

And 20 years later, his conjecture has certainly proven to be true.

Landing the 1996 Olympics was a triumph for the city of Atlanta. For two weeks during that summer, all eyes were on Atlanta and Georgia Tech—home of the Olympic Village. It was a pivotal moment that amplified the gravitas of both the city and the university on the world’s stage.

The Olympics indeed changed Georgia Tech forever. The campus expanded significantly to prepare for the games, with new athletic facilities, new residence halls and even new monuments built in just a few short years. And just beyond Tech’s boundaries, the Olympics brought a sea change for Atlanta’s struggling areas of Midtown and Downtown that had fallen on hard times, providing a much-needed injection of attention and resources and putting urban neighborhoods on an upward swing.

Reflecting on the Olympic legacy, Clough—who recently returned to campus to serve on special projects as president

emeritus—believes it was the changes around Tech’s periphery that had the most profound impact on the Institute’s evolution.

By the early 1990s, much of Atlanta’s urban core was overtaken by blight, Clough says.

Georgia Tech was surrounded on all sides by rundown communities struggling with poverty, crime and addiction. The Olympics served as a catalyst for improvement, launching politicians and community leaders into action to improve the city before it would be in the world’s spotlight.

One such example was the demolition of a notoriously rough housing project adjacent to campus known as Techwood Homes. A coalition including the city of Atlanta, Georgia Tech and the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games worked together to redevelop the area, replacing the aging housing project with a school, a YMCA and a mixed-income apartment complex named Centennial Place. This would be

the first of Atlanta’s efforts to decentralize poverty by gutting housing projects and providing low-income residents with housing vouchers instead.

Highlights of the 1996 Olympics JULY 19 EMOTIONAL OPENING CEREMONY

The identity of who had been selected to light the Olympic flame was kept secret. As the torch made its way toward the Olympic Cauldron, champion boxer Muhammad Ali, shaking badly from the effects of Parkinson’s Disease, emerged to light the flame in an emotional 1 0 0

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLUME 92 NO.2 2016

and touching tribute to one of the world’s greatest athletes.

JULY 23 DRAMATIC GOLD FOR U.S. WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS

Injured gymnast Kerri Strug clinched the first-ever team gold medal for the U.S. women’s gymnastics

team. Needing a high score to beat the Russian team for first place, the U.S. team, known as “The Magnificent Seven,” sent Strug to the vault. On her first attempt, she fell, hurting her ankle.

With just one attempt left, Strug went back out despite her injury. She stuck the landing on her second vault, but immediately lifted her leg in response to the pain. With a score of 9.712, Strug

Clough says this was an important benchmark for Georgia Tech. By improving the appearance of the area just south of campus, the Institute was was able to begin creating a sense of place, a necessary step toward the goal of “defining the technical research university of the 21st century.”

“There was no way we could achieve our ambitious goal if you had to get to campus by passing through a depressed area,” Clough says. “When people approached campus it had to feel as if they were coming to a campus, a place that was welcoming to people and epitomized by vitality.”

Removing Techwood Homes was also the beginning of Georgia Tech’s partnership with city officials and community organizations to improve the areas surrounding campus. “The Olympics really launched us into that idea,” he says.

Tech’s next major transformation came as a serendipitous byproduct of the strict Olympic security. For roughly a month before the Olympics, access to campus was extremely limited, with gates installed around the perimeter to secure the Olympic Village and athletic venues.

Clough says the only available entrance forced him to drive into campus on the Fifth Street bridge. This new route reminded him how much the area—which long before had been a vibrant part of student life at Georgia Tech—had deteriorated in the decades since the construction of the interstate highway separated it from campus.

“It was a terrible neighborhood— prostitutes on corners, strip joints, drugs, buildings deteriorating,” Clough says. “It was just awful. On top of it all the Fifth Street bridge itself seemed to be something out of the Kremlin’s architectural playbook.”

secured the gold medal for her team, and was famously carried to the podium by Coach Bela Karolyi to receive her medal.

JULY 26 RECORD-SETTING SWIMMER

Swimmer Amy Van Dyken wins her fourth gold medal, making her the first

∏ Top: Former Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell, left, and then Tech President G. Wayne Clough, center.

Bottom left: New residence halls under construction. Bottom Right: The Olympic Village at night.

American woman to win so many gold medals in a single Olympics.

JULY 27 A NIGHT OF TERROR

A pipe bomb explodes in Centennial Olympic Park. More than 100 people were injured and Alice S. Hawthorne, of Albany, Ga. was killed. A Turkish cameraman

also died of a heart attack rushing to the scene. Though the bomb went off at 1:25 a.m., the park was packed with people watching a free concert. The bombing cast a dark shadow over the remainder of the games, but events went on as scheduled. Eric Robert Rudolph, who was linked to three more bombings in subsequent years, was eventually charged with the crime.

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∏ In this photo from the Georgia Tech archives, the newly completed residence halls of the Olympic Village are ready to serve as a temporary home to approximately 15,000 athletes.

The many vacant buildings along West Peachtree, Spring and Fifth streets also got Clough thinking about possibilities for Tech to expand into the area. “Being forced to come in that way, I realized how many ‘for sale’ signs there were,” he says.

“I met with my colleagues and the leadership of the Georgia Tech Foundation and said, ‘we need to buy this land now, while it is cheap and available. Even if Tech itself does not choose to do anything with it, we need to control it and what goes there.’”

The purchase led to the development of Technology Square, an ambitious public-private partnership which is now home to a thriving startup business culture, the Scheller College of Business, the Georgia Tech Hotel and Global Learning Center, restaurants and much more.

Tech’s involvement in the 1996 Olympic Games was initiated by Clough’s predecessor, John P. Crecine, who served as Tech’s president from 1987-1994.

Crecine, who died in 2008, ensured that Georgia Tech would play an instrumental role in the Olympics from the beginning. He orchestrated the creation of a cutting-edge, computer animated video presentation for Atlanta’s Olympic bid that gave the city a technological edge. He also set the stage for Tech to serve as the Olympic Village, committing to build new residence halls and a stateof-the-art aquatic center for the games.

In 1994, Clough stepped in as president, inheriting a campus already under construction in preparation for the Olympics. At the time, Georgia Tech was the only single university ever to serve as the site of an Olympic Village. To house 15,000 elite athletes from 197 countries, Tech built seven large, apartment-style

Highlights of the 1996 Olympics JULY 29 LEWIS CEMENTS TRACK & FIELD LEGACY

Carl Lewis wins the gold medal in the long jump. It was Lewis’ 10th Olympic medal and ninth gold. Lewis became one of just three Olympians ever to 1 0 2

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLUME 92 NO.2 2016

win the same event in four straight Olympic Games.

JULY 30 A SPORT’S FIRST MEDAL WINNER

The U.S. wins the firstever gold medal in

softball, beating China 3-1. The sport was pulled from the Olympics after 2008.

AUG. 1 GOLDEN FEET

Wearing his famous golden shoes, Michael Johnson wins the

residence halls. This $108 million investment in new housing doubled Tech’s inventory, providing enough space to house 70 percent of the undergraduate student body on campus.

Tech also improved many of its existing facilities. Approximately $20 million was devoted to refurbishing nearly every dormitory on campus, while many sororities and fraternities took the opportunity to rebuild or renovate their houses.

In addition to hosting the Olympic Village, Tech was also the site of two Olympic athletic venues.

McCamish Pavilion, then known as Alexander Memorial Coliseum, got a $12 million overhaul to serve as the site of Olympic boxing and Paralympic volleyball. Meanwhile, $21 million dollars was invested into new aquatic facilities for swimming, diving, modern pentathlon, synchronized swimming and water polo.

After the Olympics, Tech enclosed the pool and incorporated it into the design of the Student Activity Center—now known as the Campus Recreation Center. The pool was recently named the No. 1 collegiate competition swimming pool by College Ranker.

Tech also gained a new campus gathering place in preparation for the games.

The Kessler Campanile, now one of Tech’s most iconic symbols, was originally built for the Olympics. The 80-foot, stainless steel obelisk rises from the center of a fountain surrounded by a plaza and amphitheater seating. The sculpture was donated by alumnus Richard Kessler, IE 68, MS IE 70, while the classes of 1943 and 1953 provided the funding to build the plaza.

Though the Olympics lasted just 16 days, preparations on Georgia Tech’s campus took five years.

200-meter dash and sets a world record of 19.32 seconds for the event. He becomes the first man to win both the 200 and 400 meters in the same Olympics.

AUG. 3 DREAM TEAM REDUX

The men’s “Dream Team,” featuring some

∏ Top: President Bill Clinton visited Georgia Tech, the home of the 1996 Olympic Village. Bottom: Sprinter Michael Johnson sets a new world record in the 200-meter dash.

Bill Ray, Hon 07, was hired in 1991 to oversee Tech’s $221 million construction program. As vice president for Olympic planning, Ray was also charged with the logistical challenge of making sure life at Tech continued around the games.

One of the biggest challenges was scheduling Tech’s summer quarter. Because campus was essentially off limits, a special schedule was created to condense the quarter into just eight weeks after the games. “We made a commitment that no student would have their graduation delayed because of the Olympics,” Ray says.

During her tenure as president of the Student Government Association,

of the biggest stars in basketball—such as Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley—wins the gold medal, beating Yugoslavia 95-69. Tech’s basketball coach, Bobby Cremins, served as an assistant coach.

Ashley Gigandet Joseph, IA 94, was actively involved in Tech’s Olympic efforts.

She served as an advocate for the student body, ensuring that their needs were considered as planning for games moved forward.

After graduation, Tech hired Joseph to help shepherd students, faculty and staff through the disruption the Olympics would bring. She helped to set up a satellite campus at nearby Grady High School and find solutions for campus activities that couldn’t move. “We had some really odd problems to solve,” Joseph says. “The kind of research that happened in various laboratories around Tech meant we had

AUG. 4: OLYMPICS 'MOST EXCEPTIONAL'

At the closing ceremony, IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch called the 1996 Olympic Games “most exceptional,” breaking the tradition of pronouncing them the best Olympic Games ever.

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To house 15,000 elite athletes from 197 countries, Tech built seven large, apartment-style residence halls. This $108 million investment in new housing doubled Tech’s inventory. to do things like get certain insects at a certain level of development delivered to a lab on a particular day.”

As with any disruptive event, the Olympics were met with some ambivalence from students and faculty. Due to tight security, few students or faculty members were able to experience the Olympic Village after those years of preparation.

“Everybody on campus in the four to five years leading up to the Olympics experienced a significant inconvenience,” Jospeh says. “It felt like we were living in a construction zone.”

But there were fun and meaningful moments, too, which drew students into the excitement of the Olympics. Joseph recalls that when the swimming pool was completed, SGA held a raffle to select the

first person to jump in from the 10-meter high dive.

Tech’s Olympic expansion also coincided with the beginning of the HOPE Scholarship, a lottery-funded program that provided full tuition for Georgia students with a 3.0 GPA or higher to attend in-state colleges and universities.

Partly due to this program, Tech’s student body doubled over 20 years, propelling the Institute’s reputation and providing ample population to fill the new facilities built for the Olympics. “I think if you ask anyone, they would say the Olympics were a good thing for Georgia Tech,” Ray says.

Ultimately, Clough believes the Olympics helped to move Tech toward its goal: defining the technical research university of the 21st century.

“We benefitted because we decided the Olympics would not be a moment frozen in history, but a launching pad for the future,” Clough says.

How Tech Knowhow Helped Atlanta Land the Olympics Atlanta’s bid to host the 1996 Olympic Games was viewed by many as a long shot.

And without Georgia Tech, the city’s improbable victory likely wouldn’t have happened. A coalition of Tech faculty and students created a dazzling virtual tour for Atlanta’s Olympic bid that wowed the International Olympic Committee and helped secure the city’s selection as the site of the 1996 Summer Olympics.

There were many obstacles standing in the way of Atlanta’s Olympic ambitions. No city had ever won the Olympics on the first attempt, and few believed the International Olympic Committee would award the games to another American city so soon after the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. In addition, it was the 100th anniversary of the modern Olympics, and many believed it should go to Athens, Greece.

In 1989, Billy Payne, who led Atlanta’s Olympic charge, approached then-Georgia Tech President John P. Crecine for help with the Olympic bid. Payne wanted the Institute to create a 3-D architectural model of the city of Atlanta. But Crecine had something different in mind. “Pat Crecine being a technologist said 1 0 4

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLUME 92 NO.2 2016

‘no, no, we can do something much better than that,’” recalls Ed Price, project manager for federal research partnerships at Tech’s Institute for People and Technology.

In 1989, terms like ‘virtual reality’ and ‘computer animation’ were relatively unknown.

Crecine wanted to use this kind of emerging technology to give Atlanta an edge and recruited Tech’s faculty and students to help make it a reality. Among those who raised their hands for the effort were Price and Scott Robertson, associate director of Tech’s Interactive Media Technology Center, both of whom were undergraduates in 1989. “For the next year, we worked to build the initial system to showcase how Atlanta would prepare for the games,” Price says.

The interactive presentation they created allowed a viewer to “fly” into Atlanta from above and, using a trackball, navigate the city as well as computer renderings of facilities that would be built for the Olympics. To

accomplish this feat, the team blended helicopter footage of Atlanta with topographic data, computer graphics, and even a computer-animated runner carrying the Olympic torch into the future stadium.

“This was early experimentation in photogrammetry for visual effects,” Robertson says.

“It was the first time someone had done such a detailed, and for the time, realistic, depiction of an animated human.”

Remember: This was 1989. To create the system, the Georgia Tech team had to use every supercomputer available on campus and

Time Machine 5 years ago, in 2011, the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons opens.

•

∏ Top: William J. Stanley III, Arch 72, and Ivenue Love-Stanley, Arch 77, designed the aquatic center for the Olympics. Bottom: Campus renovations underway, left, and the Olympic Village aglow.

10 years ago, in 2006, the Emory-Georgia Tech Nanotechnology Center for Personalized and Predictive Oncology is designated as one of just seven National Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence.

•

even send data tapes away to other states for processing when they ran out of capacity. “We used all of our computers, all of Georgia State’s, and other people’s, even, because there was so much computer processing to do,” Price says. “And that was before we had high-speed Internet connectivity.”

In true Georgia Tech fashion, they engineered their way past any roadblocks to make their vision a reality. “A lot of these techniques had not really been developed.

They were developing new ways of doing things. We came up with solutions to solve problems along the way,” Robertson says.

The final iteration of the system featured an animated map of campus back-projected onto a frosted Lucite model. This served as a sort of touch screen controller. Touching points on the Lucite map would drive the location viewed on the screens.

This huge feat wasn’t accomplished in a silo. Price and Robertson recall how willing businesses and organizations were to pitch

in. For example, Delta Airline’s machine shop assisted with the Lucite model. A local company gave them free use of their editing equipment. And people from Georgia State wrote the scripts and managed production of video for the final presentation that was delivered to the International Olympic Committee in Tokyo in 1990. “It really was a citywide effort,” Price says.

All of this work was important to combat lingering stereotypes of the South and give credibility to the city of Atlanta, which was relatively unknown to much of the international community. The effort paid off. The IOC was blown away, and many believe that Tech’s innovative presentation was what pushed Atlanta over the edge.

Shortly after Atlanta was announced as the host for the '96 Olympics, Andrew Young, a former U.N. Ambassador and the co-chair of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, praised Tech’s contribution to the sucessful bid. “We had high-tech Southern hospitality,” Young said.

25 years ago, in 1991, the Fuller E. Callaway Jr. Manufacturing Research Center opens.

• 50 years ago, in 1966, degrees are awarded to 15 women during Georgia Tech's Commencement.

• 100 years ago, in 1916, Dean of Men Floyd Field buys a 1914 Model T Ford, the inspiration for the Ramblin’ Wreck mascot.

• 125 years ago, in 1891, the colors White and Gold are first used for Georgia Tech in a baseball game against Auburn.

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The personal electronics that we love are two-way streets between us and retailers.

Ready for the Retail Data Revolution?

Justin Honaman, IE 96 I love retail. I am a shopper. And as a data and analytics expert, I love working with retailers. They are making use of increasing volumes of data to improve our shopping experiences—both online and in-store. Retailers are using the data from digital and mobile technologies, social media platforms and e-commerce systems to learn more about us than ever before.

Despite our security and privacy concerns, this is a good thing. It allows our favorite brands to customize their products and services to meet our exacting demands and preferences.

No wonder that analytics is such a hot career space. Many talented, skilled and passionate individuals are entering the workforce fresh out of top academic programs (like the master’s in analytics degree offered at Tech). The 1 0 6

GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLUME 92 NO.2 2016

timing is excellent as new technologies are allowing companies to leverage our data. Storage costs are largely decreasing.

New and flexible analytic tools are evolving quickly. Bigger, more secure cloud resources are rapidly proliferating.

Meanwhile, the personal electronics we love—our cellphones, our tablets, our activity trackers, our smart watches—are two-way streets between us and retailers.

We provide consumer goods companies with constant streams of data, from the routes we use to commute to and from work to how many calories we’ve burned each day. And they provide us with ultimate convenience, often serving up what

we need in real time (restaurant suggestions, coupons, traffic alerts, etc.) as if they can read our minds. (Close: They’re reading our data!)

As retailers adopt a mobile-first approach to engaging shoppers, they are designing products and services that make shopping easier than ever for us.

They are with us 24/7 as we move about our day; the data we send and receive is no longer tethered to our home and work PCs. And as our expectations of convenience escalates, the pressure is on retailers to continue to tap new technologies to serve us where we are and on our terms.

Wearables are now everywhere and evolving quickly. And it’s not just the next generation of Fitbit and Apple Watch, but new tech that will be built into our tennis shoes and woven into our clothes. Expect this connected life to resonate broadly with your friends and family.

Another technology that’s starting to take off is augmented reality (AR).

Victoria’s Secret recently launched an AR program that ties its mobile app to its famous print catalogs. With your smartphone camera you can unlock exclusive content—videos, animations and more— from the brand as you shop, making the catalogs come alive.

But wait, there's more: In-store beacons can communicate with our smartphone apps through a Bluetooth signal to offer us coupons and sales at the point of purchase.

Next we’ll see sensors on our shopping carts and heat-mapping tech that let companies track how we move through the aisles and identify store hot spots. On-shelf cameras will alert managers when shelves hit empty. And QR code track-and-trace technology could give consumers visibility into food sourcing and ingredients.

Soon, we’ll expect—and get—same-day delivery programs at brick-and-mortar stores just like we do with Amazon, as well as personalized pricing and the ubiquity of pay-and-go scanning. And we can thank Big Data and analytics for all of these conveniences.

I'm ready to go shopping, are you?

Justin Honaman is the executive vice president of sales, marketing and business development for Contender Brands. He’s been a passionate data-analytics thought leader in the consumer products and retail industries for many years.

Joe Ciardiello

We want to hear from you. Visit the Georgia Tech Alumni Association website to update your information and stay connected with your fellow graduates and Georgia Tech.

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Network with other alumni in your geographic area or your profession Tell us how you would like to be contacted by customizing your email preferences Take advantage of career services Sign up for alumni events in your area To get started, simply visit GTALUMNI.ORG or e-mail us for your personalized registration link at webregistration@gtalumni.org GTALUMNI.ORG/MAGAZINE VOLUME 92 NO.2 2016

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2 With our optional Home Computer Endorsement, we will cover up to $10,000 for your computers and smartphone 3 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 underwri 3 4 For qualifying customers only. Accident forgiveness is subject to terms and conditions of Liberty Mutual’s underwriting guidelines. Not available in savings CA and mayon vary by state.survey of new customers from 01/27/2014 to 01/16/2015 who report Average annual based countrywide 4 and home program.

Savings doswitched not apply in 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 toMA. Liberty Mutual’s group auto 5 The figure was based onunderwritten; the average premium forapplicants renters policies written between 5/14/14 - 4/30/15.

1 and home program.

Savingswhere do notstate applylaws in MA. Discounts and savings are available and regulations allow, and may vary by state. To the extent permitted by law, applicants are individually not all may qualify.

5 2 figureHome was based on theEndorsement, average premium for renters policies written between 5/14/14 - 4/30/15.

With ourThe optional Computer we will cover up to $10,000 for your computers and smartphones, subject to a $50 deductible.

3 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. ©2016 Liberty Mutual Insurance 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 Valid through May 16, 2016. ©2016 LibertySavings Mutual Insurance and home program. 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.

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Client # 5906

Visit libertymutual.com/gatech or call 844-877-1125.

Client # 5906

Valid through May 16, 2016.

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. ©2016Discounts Liberty Mutual Insurance 2 With our optional Home Computer Endorsement, we will cover up to $10,000 for your computers and smartphones, subject to a $50 deductible.

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