Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, Vol. 99 No. 1, Spring 2023

ON WATER, LAND, AND AIR—READ HOW YELLOW JACKETS USE RECREATION TO GROW AT TECH AND BEYOND.

Amanda H. Widmaier, IE 2009, M.S. HS 2010, and Kevin M. Widmaier, PUBP 2008, value community. The couple, who live and work in New York, say finding a Georgia Tech community there was important. “Then, when we began volunteering, we found DREAM in the New York area, and that became a part of our community, too,” Amanda said.

DREAM provides academic tutoring, afterschool sports and other enrichment opportunities, and runs charter schools in East Harlem and the South Bronx. The school focuses on improving students’ literacy/math skills and high school graduation rates, and seeks to prepare mostly firstgeneration students for college.

As the Widmaiers continued volunteering with DREAM, experienced success in their own careers, and started a family, they began to think about what sort of impact they could make through philanthropy. Amanda is Senior Director of Clinical Informatics, Mt. Sinai Health System, and Kevin is a partner and Head of Portfolio Management for the multifamily office, BBR Partners. They both credit Georgia Tech as a foundation of their career success and want to help ensure that other young people have similar opportunities.

The couple established a Georgia Tech scholarship a few years ago, but recently made a planned gift that will fully endow the Widmaier Family Scholarship in the Ivan Allen College. The scholarship is for first-generation college students with demonstrated financial need, and includes a preference for DREAM students.

“We believe that attracting and retaining the best students — while supporting a stronger liberal arts college — makes Georgia Tech a broader, more well-rounded institution,” Kevin said.

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: 404.385.6716

plannedgiving.gatech.edu

— Amanda H. Widmaier, IE 2009, M.S. HS 2010, and Kevin M. Widmaier, PUBP 2008

“This scholarship is a way for us to participate in the community we enjoyed at Georgia Tech even though we live many miles away.”

RECREATION THE GEORGIA TECH WAY

WWE YELLOW JACKETS might be tempted to think that our sole pastime while we were students was studying. Sure, we spent plenty of hours poring over books in the library in a way that could feel all-consuming at times. But all work and no play, as the saying goes, makes Buzz a dull Jacket. We craved a fun and recreational outlet outside the classroom as much as intellectual stimulation.

For me, that outlet was the Folk Residence Hall’s softball team. My teammates and I spent many nights under the bright lights of the fields at the SAC— Student Athletic Complex. I played

classroom to how we played on the field. Being part of a softball team was a highlight of my college experience.

Once I transitioned into my career, I began to fully realize how important it is to have a recreational outlet. Whether you enjoy the competitiveness of a team sport like softball, the camaraderie of finding others with similar interests, or the joy of taking up a solo hobby, recreation is an integral part of life.

At Tech, there are more than 500 student organizations and recreational teams that allow students to pursue their interests outside the classroom. Beyond sports, campus concerts and clubs help students grow into well-rounded adults who can apply the Tech spirit to all aspects of life.

Life requires balance, and I’m proud of the Jackets listed in this issue for pursuing their passions in such a meaningful way. Whether it’s extreme sports like competitive skydiving or a tamer hobby like creating a new card game, these Jackets know how to have fun.

GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI MAGAZINE VOL. 99 | NO. 1

PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER

Dene Sheheane, Mgt 91

VP STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS

Lindsay Vaughn

EDITOR

Jennifer Herseim

ART DIRECTOR

Steve Hedberg

COPYWRITER

Matt Sowell

COPY EDITOR

Barbara McIntosh Webb

STUDENT ASSISTANTS

Riddhi Bhattacharya and Sadie Mothershed

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Chair

Magd Riad, IE 01

Past Chair/Vice Chair of Finance

Shan Pesaru, CmpE 05

Chair Elect, Vice Chair/Roll Call

Betsy Bulat, IAML 04

Vice Chair

Tommy Herrington, IM 82

Member at Large

Annie I. Antón, ICS 90, MS ICS 92, PhD CS 97

Member at Large

Jason Byars, ME 96

Member at Large

Brian Tyson, EE 10

Member at Large

Amy Rich, MBA 12

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Jennifer Abrams, PP 17; Latanza Adjei, IE 98; Sybrina Atwaters, EE 94, MS HSTS

09, PhD HSTS 14; Archel Bernard, STC

11; Michael Bogachek, IE 00; Jasmine

Burton, ID 14; Duane Carver, CmpE

center fielder and can honestly say that my time on that artificial turf left its mark on me, both figuratively, in terms of the fond memories I have of my team, and physically—I still have a scar on my right knee from a particularly ugly sliding attempt to catch a fly ball.

Of course, at Georgia Tech, we do recreation our own way. My team and I celebrated our wins and often analyzed our losses, using the same problemsolving know-how that we applied in the

I hope that the Alumni Association is a source of recreation for you. Through worldwide events like the recent Ramble the Night and campus celebrations like The Dean George C. Griffin Pi Mile 5K Road Race, our community offers countless ways to get together and have an outlet, much like we did on campus. Go Jackets!

DENE SHEHEANE, MGT 91 PRESIDENT GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

10; Aurélien Cottet, MS AE 03; Elizabeth Donnelly, IA 08; Matthew Dubnik, Mgt 03; Adam Fuller, Mgt 93; Robyn Gatens, ChE 85; John Gattuso, ME 15; Meghan Green, Mgt 13; James Hamilton, Mgt 93; John Hanson, IE 11; Joy Jordan, ChE 92; Jeanne Kerney, CE 84; Antonio Llanos, CS 95; Matthew Mason, IE 01; Randolph McDow, IE 95, MS PP 03; Meredith Moot, Mgt 08; Antai Peng, PhD EE 96; Anna Pinder, ME 03; George Ray, Mgt 09, PP 09; James Sanders, IE 88; Stacey Sapp, IM 80; Jacquelyn Renée Schneider, BC 06, MBA 18; Rene Simon, MBA 18; Chad Sims, BA 15; Courtney Robinson Smith, Mgt 00; Mary Lynn Smith, EE 88; John R. Spriggle, ME 02; Kenji Takeuchi, ME 94; Maurice Trebuchon, IE 86; Sheetal Wrzesien, CS 94

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justin.estes@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.

© 2023 Georgia Tech Alumni Association

POSTMASTER

PICTURE-READY

Admire the Ramblin’ Wreck anytime you’d like in its new garage at the heart of campus. The Ramblin’ Reck Club unveiled the new space during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 7.

WRECKREATION FROM A TO Z

From Astronomy Club to Humans vs. Zombies, there are more than 500 student organizations to fill those non-studying hours.

FEATURES

SKY-HIGH SUCCESS

Sport Parachute Club

alumnus Ian Bobo has soared into the upper echelons of competitive skydiving.

A DREAM GARAGE COMES TRUE

The Ramblin’ Reck Club rolled into its newly opened Reck Garage this spring.

DEPARTMENTS

40 PERCENT

For the first 67 years, Georgia Tech did not admit women. That changed 70 years ago. Today, a record 40% of Tech’s undergraduate class are women and more women engineers graduate from Tech than from anywhere else.

A SUCCESSFUL FAILURE

SEVERAL OF YOU let us know you appreciated the “failed” cover from the Winter 2023, Vol. 98, No. 4 issue, which was intentionally designed to look like a printer error with visible printer marks, a misprinted spine, and cut-off text. David Reynolds, IE 01, MBA 11, had this to say: “I thought it was hilarious. …Best alumni magazine cover I’ve seen. I’m going to keep this one.”

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

‘LIFE BEGINS AT THE END OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE’

IT TOOK SOME MOXIE to devote an issue of the magazine to failure. I love it. …Risk-taking and sometime failure are a passionate subject for me. After God granted me success in business, I set about trying to give back. Part of that involved giving back to places that made me who I am. I endowed scholarships at the Pike Chapter at Louisiana Tech, at Georgia Tech Athletics, and at my high school, Neville High School in Monroe, Louisiana. For twenty years, I returned in the spring to Louisiana Tech and Neville to award these scholarships, meet the awardees and their families, and usually make a speech. …I told them they needed to push themselves well beyond what they could comfortably accomplish and take on the risk of failure. Make a difference in the world. My motto for all those talks was “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Thanks for the thought-provoking issue and Go Jackets!

—GEORGE LEVERT, MS IM 74

SAGE ADVICE

JERRY GRESHAM, CHE 63 , appreciated the quotation by Michael Tennenbaum, IE 58, on page 44 of the Winter 2023, Vol. 98, No. 4 issue: “Experience is what you get right after you needed it.” “Congrats on an outstanding special F+ edition,” Gresham wrote.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BURDELL

Georgia Tech’s infamous alum and prankster George P. Burdell celebrated a big birthday this April 1 by leaving a hidden mark on a photo in this magazine. Let us know if you find Burdell’s mark! Tag @gtalumni on Instagram. Add your own Burdell graffiti tag to photos by visiting the Georgia Tech Alumni profile on Instagram.

WHAT WAS YOUR ‘IMPOSSIBLE QUIZ’?

DOZENS OF ALUMNI TOOK OUR “IMPOSSIBLE QUIZ” AND SHARED HORROR STORIES OF DIFFICULT EXAMS. READ A SAMPLE BELOW AND SUBMIT YOUR OWN AT GTALUMNI.ORG/IMPOSSIBLE

A few days before Homecoming my senior year while welding the Delts’ Wreck entry, I raised the welding hood and realized that my Heat Transfer Professor “Dusty” Rhodes was standing on the sidewalk just behind me. He apparently recognized me and told me that I had missed an important “feedback” quiz that morning in class. I tried to tell him that I was sorry, but we were behind schedule in getting our Wreck ready for a test run. After a prolonged pause he told me to clean the slag from the weld so he could inspect it. His evaluation was ”suitable for intended purpose,” and he gave me a C+ on the weld and the missed quiz. He mumbled something as he left that sounded like getting my priorities straight. HUGH WALKER, ME 67

PRETTY MUCH EVERY MASS TRANSFER QUIZ AND TEST WERE IMPOSSIBLE. THE PROFESSOR DID NOT ALLOW CALCULATORS, AND I’M PRETTY SURE HALF OF THE STUFF ON THEM WERE THINGS THAT I HAD NOT STUDIED FOR. THAT’S WHEN I LEARNED THE PHRASE: “WHAT YOU DON’T LEARN DURING THE LECTURE, YOU LEARN DURING THE TEST.”

—SEAN TAYLOR, CHE 99

What does the term “en charrette” mean to a certain Tech student and what is its historical origin? For Georgia Tech Architecture students, “en charrette” meant the manic last days/hours before a design project due date. The last day(s) of a project would be spent in the Architecture Building “around the clock,” and if the Architecture Building closed at midnight, some students would sneak back in to continue working [author included!]. The term “en charrette” in architecture comes from the French, meaning “on the cart.” It was used by art and architecture students at the historic École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In an effort to finish the very last strokes of paint or ink in their designs, they would load their tables and easels onto donkey carts and ride to the École, working on their projects until the project was finally delivered.

—CATHERINE VON DULLEN, ARCH 73

As a freshman, I had Chemistry on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 8 a.m. The professor gave a quiz each Saturday during the last 10 minutes of class. I overslept and arrived five minutes before class was over, so I only had five minutes to take the quiz. Not surprisingly, I got a 50. Just what I deserved!

GEORGE STEWART, AE 69

An École des Beaux-Arts student transfers art by cart. Engraving by Alexis Lemaistre, 1889.

AROUND CAMPUS

A MASTER’S 40 YEARS IN THE MAKING

After receiving her bachelor’s in industrial engineering in 1974, Beth Quay began work on a master’s but didn’t finish. Forty years later, she enrolled in the online master’s in analytics program.

TRANSFORMING TOMORROW

IN DECEMBER, THE YELLOW JACKET COMMUNITY CELEBRATED THE LAUNCH OF THE CAMPAIGN FOR GEORGIA TECH.

BY JENNIFER HERSEIM

THE STORY BEHIND THE NUMBER

YELLOW JACKETS from across the Georgia Tech community came together at the Exhibition Hall on December 9 and 10 to celebrate the launch of Georgia Tech’s Transforming Tomorrow campaign.

The campaign was publicly announced in June 2022. “Grounded in the Institute’s strategic plan, this campaign will bring unprecedented advancements to the Institute that will have the power to shape the future— transforming lives, ideas, learning, our community, and our world,” says Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera, MS Psy 93, PhD Psy 95.

The December launch featured speeches from alumni, including Jenny Moore, AE 05, an F-35 Training and Operations subject matter expert and fighter pilot; Jimmy Mitchell, CE 05, senior director of business development at Skanska and one of Georgia’s first LEED managers; Tom Fanning, IM 79, MS IM 80, HON PhD 13, the chairman, president, and CEO

of Southern Company; and Jean Marie Richardson, Mgt 02, the founder and CEO of iFOLIO. The event also featured interactive experiences with startup-founders discussing their companies and their path to entrepreneurship through Tech’s CREATE-X.

The campaign’s four themes describe its key objectives. Under the theme “transforming lives,” the campaign aims to provide support to talented students from diverse backgrounds with additional need- and merit-based scholarships. Another theme of the campaign focuses on transforming ideas through actions such as recruiting and developing faculty and student leaders. The campaign also aims to transform learning by enhancing student leadership initiatives and student experiences. The final campaign theme revolves around global collaboration by focusing on solutions and partnerships that benefit communities in Georgia and across the globe.

The fundraising goal of the campaign is to reach 231–1 (or $2,147,483,647). The unique figure is significant for mathematicians and computer engineers but also Tech history buffs. When the campaign concludes in 2027, it will be 31 years since the 1996 Summer Olympics—a period that saw unprecedented growth and expansion for Georgia Tech. Go back another 31 years from the Olympics to 1965, the year that the Voting Rights Act passed and also the year that Ronald Yancey became Tech’s first Black graduate. It was also during that time that alumnus and Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. testified before Congress in favor of civil rights legislation.

The number 2,147,483,647 is significant to mathematicians and computer scientists for several reasons:

Computing: It is the largest value that a signed 32-bit integer field can hold.

Mathematics: It is the eighth Mersenne prime and from 1772 to 1867 was the largest known prime number.

In video games, it is often used as a hard limit for various statistics, such as money or points.

Unix Year 2038 problem (Y2K38):

The latest time that can be properly encoded in systems that measure Unix time is 231–1 seconds after epoch, which is January 19, 2038, at 03:14:07 UTC.

AROUND CAMPUS

SCHELLER COLLEGE DEAN ALAVI TO STEP DOWN

MARYAM ALAVI , dean of Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business, has announced that she will step down on June 30. She will continue at Georgia Tech as a member of the faculty and will be appointed to the Elizabeth D. and Thomas M. Holder Chair in the college.

“[Dean Alavi’s] service has ensured Scheller College is a true force of excellence, scholarship, and leadership and an engaged and diverse community of faculty, staff, and students. We are fortunate to have her continue as a member of the faculty,” says Provost Steven McLaughlin.

Alavi joined Tech in 2014. During her tenure as dean, the Scheller College of Business launched and expanded innovative and interdisciplinary curricular and cocurricular

achieved strong positions in national and global rankings. She has also instituted key initiatives focusing on diversity, equity, inclusion, and staff engagement. And Alavi has increased philanthropic support for student scholarships and fellowships. Additionally, she secured the named gift for the college’s newest building, Scheller Tower, in Technology Square. SUSIE IVY

SCHOOL OF EARTH AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES TO OFFER NEW UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES

BEGINNING SUMMER 2023 , Georgia Tech students will have three new Bachelor of Science degrees to choose from in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. The expanded undergraduate offerings target a wider range of job and research opportunities—from academia to analytics, NASA to NOAA, meteorology to marine science, climate and earth science to policy, law, consulting, sustainability, and beyond.

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia has approved two new specific degrees within the School: Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences and Solid Earth and Planetary Sciences. Regents also approved

Environmental Science as an interdisciplinary College of Sciences degree between the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and the School of Biological Sciences. The existing Earth and Atmospheric Sciences bachelor’s degree will sunset in two years for new students.

“We are really excited to be able to offer this new interdisciplinary undergraduate degree program in Environmental Science,” says Jean Lynch-Stieglitz, ADVANCE professor in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. “It brings together Tech’s broad expertise and course offerings related to the Earth’s environment from across the Institute.”

RENAY SAN MIGUEL

FACULTY AWARDS & NEWS

AMONG THE NEWEST class of National Academy of Engineering members is Mark Prausnitz , J. Erskine Love Jr. Chair of the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and director of Tech’s Center for Drug Design, Development, and Delivery. Two alumni were also recognized: Raman (R.I.) Sujith, MS AE 90, PhD AE 94, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras, India, and Douglas C.H. Yu, PhD Met 87, vice president of research and technology at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd.

THREE PROFESSORS have been named Fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science: Marion Usselman , principal research scientist in the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing; Loren Williams, professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry; and Samuel Graham Jr., MS ME 95, PhD ME 99, professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and dean of engineering at University of Maryland.

VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS VISITS CAMPUS

CONTINUING A LONG-STANDING TRADITION OF HOSTING ELECTED OFFICIALS, GEORGIA TECH WELCOMED VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS ON FEBRUARY 8.

BY STEVEN GAGLIANO

WITH THE FERST CENTER for the Arts filled, Georgia Tech hosted Vice President Kamala Harris on February 8 for a discussion about the climate crisis, which she called a transformational moment in America. Her visit continues a long-standing tradition of Georgia Tech hosting elected officials, going back to 1905 with President Theodore Roosevelt.

Vice President Harris spoke to students, faculty, staff, and community members with the message of creating an equitable clean-energy economy and how it will take a true team effort to achieve that goal.

“In order for us to truly achieve

that, it’s going to require all to be involved…our scientists, our researchers, our academicians,” she says. “But it’s also going to be about our students. It’s going to be about our

PRESIDENTIAL VISITS TO GEORGIA TECH

unions. It’s going to be about the private sector. It’s going to be about our teachers. It’s going to be about our youth leaders. It is going to take a whole community.”

President Theodore Roosevelt President-elect William H. Taft President Franklin D. Roosevelt

President Jimmy Carter

President Bill Clinton President George W. Bush President Barack Obama

The Institute has a history of hosting elected officials, including seven U.S. Presidents.

F.D. ROOSEVELT : LEON A. PERSKIE, OBAMA : PETE SOUZA

STUDENT INSTALLS LIFE-SAVING AVALANCHE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM

AEROSPACE ENGINEERING STUDENT MIRZA SAMNANI VOLUNTEERED MORE THAN 1,000 HOURS TO DEVELOP WARNING SYSTEMS IN TAJIKISTAN.

MIRZA SAMNANI has a passion for using his engineering skill set to help people. The Georgia Tech aerospace engineering master’s student volunteered more than 1,000 hours over 10 months to develop early warning systems for avalanches in Central Asia.

Samnani hiked over 9,200 feet—three times—to install two weather stations in the remote village of Manem in Tajikistan. This project has the potential to affect more than 1 million people in hundreds of villages in the high mountainous regions of Central and South Asia, including Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, which are prone to avalanches every winter. It can also be scaled to other parts of the world where avalanches pose a high risk.

Samnani was contacted by a member of Madad, a nonprofit organization that works to save lives within impoverished communities that are especially vulnerable to climate change. The group came across his previous work building life-saving

robots for a hospital in his hometown of Mumbai, India, during the pandemic, and invited Samnani to join Madad.

The early warning system Samnani worked on has several different sensors that monitor weather and environmental conditions, including wind speed and direction, atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, rainfall, snowfall, solar radiation from the sun, solar radiation absorbed from the ground, snow depth, and seismic activity. These conditions help calculate the snowpack parameters, and

BRIDGING THE GAP TO THE WESTSIDE

SCHOOL OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING students Isaac Wasson (far left) and Charles Kim (second from left) created a winning design for a pedestrian bridge that would provide safe passage from the center of campus, above neighboring train tracks, to North Avenue’s Science Square corridor and beyond. They were part of the Westside Community Connector Bridge Class, which resulted in a design competition this fall.

based on the trigger threshold, the algorithm determines when to disseminate an alert or warning.

“This project presented me with a unique opportunity to utilize my engineering and A.I. skills to develop a system to predict the risk of an avalanche and save lives of some of the most vulnerable people on the planet. In just 10 months our engineering team took this project from concept to installation,” Samnani says.

Currently, he and the group are collecting and monitoring the data being received from each warning system tower and studying the integrity and performance of the towers in collaboration with avalanche experts from the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center in Montana and the Colorado Avalanche Information Center in Boulder.—EVAN ATKINSON

YELLOW JACKET SPACE PROGRAM SHOOTS FOR THE STARS

BY STEVEN GAGLIANO

FROM A MISSION CONTROL BUNKER in the Mojave Desert on January 6, the Yellow Jacket Space Program (YJSP) crew prepared to witness the culmination of five years of work as the countdown began to launch their subscale liquidfueled rocket.

All of the test fires, the diagnostic checks, and preparations for launch provided little comfort to the crew, especially mission control operator Anthony Otlowski, knowing what was at stake and how quickly it could all fall apart.

“My hands leave the keyboard, and I’m thinking, ‘There are a million different ways this could go wrong.’

20% BASELINE the

Our valves couldn’t open, we could lose communication and the vehicle could half-fire, or the engine could hard-start and we blow everything up,” the aerospace engineering major says, recalling initiating the launch sequence. “Just the amount of emotions going through my head as I clicked the button and gave the countdown, it was hard to keep a straight face and give everybody a clear picture of what was happening.”

Even getting to this point was an accomplishment for a club that began in 2015 as what co-chief engineer Rithvik Nagarajan described as “a raggedy bunch of students who just wanted to test an engine.” Now 250 members strong, the club is trying to become the first collegiate team to send a rocket to space.

2

PORTION OF A ROUTE THAT THE NEW HYBRID STINGER BUS, INTRODUCED THIS JANUARY TO CAMPUS, CAN OPERATE IN ZERO-EMISSION ELECTRIC MODE.

NUMBER OF SUPER BOWL RINGS THAT ALUMNUS AND KANSAS CITY CHIEFS KICKER HARRISON BUTKER, IE 17, OWNS AFTER WINNING THIS YEAR’S SUPER BOWL.

The Yellow Jacket Space Program’s goal is to become the first collegiate team to launch a rocket into space.

T MINUS 10 SECONDS

As the 18-foot rocket’s internal processes took over, the crew watched closely for any irregularities, which had been all too prevalent throughout their preparation at the test site.

Weather delays in the desert put the crew on a condensed schedule, and issues with the rocket’s main valves freezing jeopardized the launch. Putting their engineering hats on, the propulsion team used a hair dryer and aluminum foil to properly heat the valve during testing and on launch day.

“As things started to go wrong, we had to keep that camaraderie, figure out what was going on, and maintain that passion and optimism for the mission,” avionics lead Rene Garg says.

That optimism was rooted in the numerous successful tests performed at the North Avenue Research Area on the Georgia Tech campus, where the rocket was constructed inside a 20foot shipping container.

LIFTOFF

In the blink of an eye, the largest rocket ever created by Georgia Tech students launched off the rail, and a long-awaited sigh of relief quickly gave way to a raucous celebration inside mission control.

“Nothing prepares you for the experience of seeing a rocket launch in real life,” YJSP President Adele Payman says. “Even though I had seen

this rocket being tested dozens of times, it was still a huge surprise and really thrilling to see the launch. It [is] something I will remember for the rest of my life.”

For the next two minutes, the team watched the liquid oxygen–propelled rocket soar into the desert sky before it landed nearly a mile and a half away. The rocket soared past the team’s expectations, reaching an apogee of 1.5 km (0.93 miles) and 900 pounds of thrust, allowing the team to sit back and toast to a job well done.

The launch was a milestone achievement for YJSP and the realization of a concept. Now, the group is truly shooting for the stars.

HOURS PARTICIPANTS HAD IN THE GEORGIA TECH RESEARCH INSTITUTE’S SECOND ANNUAL MARNE INNOVATION WORKSHOP TO DEVELOP A REAL-WORLD DECOY SOLUTION FOR THE 3RD INFANTRY DIVISION BASED AT FORT STEWART, GEORGIA.

PHOTOGRAPHS

YELLOW JACKET SPACE PROGRAM

At 18 feet tall, the liquid rocket was the largest rocket ever launched by Georgia Tech students.

Despite weather delays and an issue with the rocket’s valves freezing, the launch exceeded the team’s expectations.

WHERE ART AND TECHNOLOGY COLLIDE

BY JENNIFER HERSEIM

AS FIRST DATES GO , seeing the Spanish Symphony perform at the Ferst Center for the Arts is not too shabby for college students. It was 1992, the center had just opened its doors at Georgia Tech, and Ángel Cabrera was a master’s student. “That’s where Beth and I had our first date. Go figure,” Cabrera said. The rest of their story is familiar to Yellow

Q: HOW DO THE ARTS AND MUSIC ENHANCE STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES?

There are several ways. The first is that it can inspire innovation. You want graduates who are analytical problemsolvers. But they also need to be able to dream up new technologies, products, policies, and businesses, and the arts help students exercise their creative muscles. Georgia Tech Arts is an excellent example of how Tech creates avenues for that creativity by

PRESIDENT’S PICKS

Favorite opera: La Bohème

Instrument: I play guitar, piano, and the harmonica, but I’m not good at any of them!

Recommendations for

alumni: Aside from seeing Guthman, check out a DramaTech performance and see what’s at the Ferst Center for the Arts. Also see one of the School of Music’s regular performances.

Jackets—the two Georgia Tech graduates married, started a life together, and eventually returned to Atlanta, Ángel as the Institute’s 12th president and Beth as a researcher, writer, and speaker. The Alumni Magazine recently sat down with President Cabrera to discuss how Tech infuses the arts into campus life in a way that no other college does.

providing opportunities to engage in the arts and enjoy performances, exhibits, and installations across our campus spaces. Strengthening the arts at Tech was one of the ideas that came out of our strategic plan in 2020. We want an arts-infused campus that cultivates creativity, inspires innovation, and is also therapeutic for students.

The other aspect of this is what innovators, engineers, and technologists can do for the arts. You can see how important technology is in the film industry in Georgia and beyond. You

have computer scientists, electrical engineers, and roboticists becoming involved in these productions. We’re there, but we want to explore more opportunities for Tech to shape the arts and be on the front end of innovation.

Q: WHAT ARE SOME SURPRISING WAYS THAT ART AND TECHNOLOGY COLLIDE AT GEORGIA TECH?

It’s unbelievable the way that our faculty, students, and alumni are combining technology and the arts. Take for instance the

Shimon not only plays the marimba but improvises with human musicians.

famous Shimon, a marimbaplaying robot that’s a project from Professor Gil Weinberg of the Center for Music Technology. Not only does this robot use A.I. to play the instrument, but it can improvise and riff with human musicians. Professor Weinberg is also experimenting with dancing robots that choreograph themselves and can dance with humans. This is different. This is now computers participating in the creation of art. Then you have alumni like Hanoi Hantrakul, MS MT 18, who is a research scientist at TikTok, developing tools that allow musicians to create music in collaboration with A.I. It’s incredible.

Q: IT’S THE 25 TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GUTHMAN MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COMPETITION. WHAT IMPACT HAS THE COMPETITION HAD ON THE INSTITUTE?

You think that every instrument that could exist has already been created, but at this competition, you see incredible human ingenuity for creating sounds in different ways. It’s a perfect example of how technology can create something new. Some of the instruments are already commercially available, like the 2020 winning instrument, Electrospit, a talkbox that you can pair with your phone.

To have not just this incredibly creative School of Music Technology for students, but also this top international competition attached to it amplifies the impact we can have in this space. This would be an odd place for a traditional school of music. But at that intersection of technology and music—there’s no better place for it than Georgia Tech, and we’re making plans to grow in this space, which is central to our mission to improve the human condition.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR TO RECEIVE 2023

IVAN ALLEN JR. PRIZE FOR SOCIAL COURAGE THE INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT IS THE 16TH RECIPIENT OF THE AWARD.

GEORGIA TECH WILL AWARD its 2023 Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage to trailblazing journalist Christiane Amanpour. As CNN’s chief international anchor, Amanpour is known worldwide for her unflinching interviewing style and for putting her life on the line to give a voice to the voiceless victims of war. A campus event to recognize the recipient is planned for April 24.

T he Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage honors individuals who bravely act to improve the human condition, often in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. The award celebrates former Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen Jr., the alumnus and civic leader who was instrumental in integrating Atlanta and who was a key figure in establishing civil rights legislation across the United States.

“This is an extraordinary honor for me—especially receiving an award named for the mayor of the city where I began my career,” Amanpour says. ”The words of Robert F. Kennedy first defined the concept of social courage for me, speaking to anti-apartheid activists in South Africa on June 6, 1966: ’Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change the world—which yields most painfully to change.’”

Amanpour ’s fearless and uncompromising approach made her popular with audiences and a

force to be reckoned with by global influencers. From the 1991 Gulf War to the 2003 American-led invasion of Iraq, Amanpour has documented the violence that has marked Iraq’s recent history. In 2004, she also reported exclusively from the courtroom at the trial of Saddam Hussein, where the former dictator was eventually sentenced to death for crimes against humanity. She has reported from the aftermath of many humanitarian crises, including the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the 1992 famine in Somalia, the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia, the 2011 Japanese tsunami, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the current war in Ukraine.

Amanpour has earned every major television journalism award, including 14 News and Documentary Emmy Awards, four Peabody Awards, two George Polk Awards, three duPont-Columbia Awards, and the Courage in Journalism Award.

—MICHELLE AZRIEL

ON THE FIELD

JUMP FOR JOY

Jadyn Jackson celebrates with Jake DeLeo (#15) after DeLeo hit two home runs during the Yellow Jackets’ 16-8 win against the Miami RedHawks. The Jackets swept their series and started the season 9-0.

UNLOCKED POTENTIAL

HEAD FOOTBALL COACH BRENT KEY, MGT 01, BRINGS HARD WORK AND HOPE TO THE FLATS.

BY SHELLEY WUNDER-SMITH

AASK SOMEONE who knows Brent Key what he’s like, and you’re liable to hear the same description: He’s deeply meticulous, and you won’t meet someone who loves Georgia Tech more. And four games into the season last fall, these were qualities the Institute’s football program needed desperately.

Tech faithful are familiar with the story: Since 2019, the Yellow Jackets had only won three games each season, none consecutively; this past season, they had lost three of their

first four games, including an ignominious 42-0 shutout by Ole Miss. The program was in need of a midseason change. Last September, Tech President Ángel Cabrera announced leadership changes, removing both head football Coach Geoff Collins and Athletic Director Todd Stansbury, and tapped Assistant Head Coach Brent Key as interim head football coach.

Key later described this as the start of “a 10-week interview” for the permanent head coach position—a role for which Key had been quietly, consistently preparing for since the moment he set foot on Tech’s campus 26 years earlier to play right guard for

the 1996 Yellow Jackets under Head Coach George O’Leary.

“THE GLUE” OF THE OFFENSIVE LINE Joe Hamilton, HTS 07, former quarterback, 1999 Heisman Trophy runner-up, and current Yellow Jackets radio color analyst, played with Key for three years. He recalls noticing Key early: “Every year when football camp starts, you obviously want to know who among the freshman class will step up. Brent Key’s name kept coming up as someone who worked hard and had a true offensive-line personality. He set a tone for the team.

“He took pride in being an offensive

lineman,” Hamilton continues, “with a mentality of ‘I’m not going to be cocky, but my job is to finish you off.’ From a leadership standpoint, he made it clear he wasn’t going to cut any corners—not in the weight room, not on the football field—and he wanted the guys to follow him.”

Key’s understated, diligent work ethic meshed perfectly with Coach O’Leary’s style.

“Coach O’Leary emphasized toughness, accountability, and responsibility—for his players and his coaching staff,” recalled Key.

Key’s fellow players acknowledged his hard work and leadership when

they elected him team captain his senior year; midseason, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) described him as “the spiritual leader of the renovated Jackets front line. The glue that has brought it along.”

The four years in which Key played under O’Leary were some of the football program’s most successful. The Yellow Jackets made four straight bowl appearances—for the first time since 1953–’56— and in 1998, Georgia Tech was football co-champion of the ACC. Perhaps just as important to Tech fans, the Jackets beat the University of Georgia three years in a row, which hadn’t happened since Bobby Dodd’s era. With Key on the offensive line, Georgia Tech led the ACC in rushing yardage three times.

CLIMBING UP FROM “THE LOWEST RUNG ON THE LADDER”

When Key graduated in 2001 with a degree in management, he recognized that he wasn’t going to have a career in the NFL, but he wasn’t sure what to do next. O’Leary gave him the opportunity to stay on with the football program as a graduate assistant.

It is perhaps the only time in his life

when Key has been confounded by hard work.

Reflecting on that experience, he said, “You go from being team captain, All-ACC, the top dog on the team to the lowest rung on the ladder. Halfway through the season, I felt like there was zero chance—none—I was going to be a football coach.”

With the help of Institute alumni, Key briefly explored a career in commercial real estate. He quickly concluded that suits, ties, and cold-calling all day was not for him. He soon began looking for a pathway back to football. In 2004, Western Carolina hired him as their tight end/ running backs coach. The following year, O’Leary, now at University of Central Florida’s football program, offered him another graduate assistant position. Key took it, put his head down, and worked doggedly for the next decade to become assistant head coach and offensive coordinator.

He also used this extended period to absorb all he could from his mentor about being a good coach.

Key explained, “Coach O’Leary is such a detailed, organized, disciplineminded person, and a lot of times you

“THERE ARE A LOT OF SIMILARITIES IN HABITS—ATTENTION TO DETAIL, A KIND OF GRINDING MENTALITY—THAT I’VE SEEN IN THE BEST, AND BRENT EMBODIES THAT. PLUS, HIS PASSION FOR GEORGIA TECH IS HUGE.” —J BATT, ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

Brent Key’s first game as head coach saw the Yellow Jackets beat No. 24 Pittsburgh.

might hate that as a young coach. He would put us on the board and make us draw a football field and then diagram it exactly. If you drew plays and the circles and lines weren’t perfect, he would stand up and erase everything. I would think, ‘I have a degree from Georgia Tech, and I’m drawing circles!’ But it’s things like that—attention to execution in the small details—that create the opportunity for you to be successful, whether you’re a football coach or a CEO.”

His boss and mentor made a similar observation about Key. In a December 2022 AJC article, O’Leary commented that he watched Key climb the coaching ranks “with an attention to detail and work habits that told [me] he might someday be a head coach.”

“GOING HOME TO TECH”

While at UCF, Key met and married his wife, Danielle, who was on the athletic department’s marketing team. They now have a 4-year-old daughter named Harper. The couple moved to Tuscaloosa, where Key served as the Crimson Tide’s offensive line coach under Nick Saban, who recruited Key and reorganized his own coaching staff to give

proved instrumental to the Tide winning two Southeastern Conference championships and the 2017 national title. His offensive lines were repeat finalists for the Joe Moore Award, presented to the year’s top offensive unit. In 2019, Key’s prospects for continued success at Alabama seemed clear.

But then Georgia Tech came calling, and Key answered.

No one close to Key was surprised.

“When we were at Alabama, the only job he even contemplated moving our family for was for something at Tech,” Danielle says. “And then a position opened up, and when it did, he told me, ‘I think it’s time to go home.’”

As assistant head coach and offensive line coach/run game coordinator, Key excelled at the Institute just as he had as a player. The Jackets’ record in recent years belies the success Key built with his players, which included overseeing the Jackets’ challenging transition from an

COACH KEY IN 10

1 Favorite game memory from when you were a player

Beating the University of Georgia three years in a row

2 Favorite class you took as a student Richard Teach’s statistics class—it was hard, he was demanding, and I enjoyed it

3 Campus eating spot you liked as a student Junior’s Grill under Tech Tower, and their greasy breakfast sandwiches

option-based offense to a pro-style spread attack.

Even so, the Georgia Tech community was wondering what could be done to fix the football program as a whole.

“As a former player, it was frustrating,” admits Yellow Jackets Defensive-Backs Coach Travares Tillman, Mgt 10. (He and Key played on the same Georgia Tech team.) “You try to find answers, try to connect things, but it’s not working. Sometimes things are out of your control, and you just try to make the best of the situation. But I can also say that for me personally— and for Coach Key, because I know him—we were determined to turn things around.”

Key has always worked to prepare for whatever opportunities might arise, both for himself and for the team.

“While you can’t always plan for the future, you can put things into place and be prepared. You always want to

4 A daily ritual

Kissing my wife and my daughter goodbye in the morning before work

5 What you usually eat for breakfast

Currently, a microwave burrito

At Bama, Key

Brent Key with his wife, Danielle, and daughter, Harper.

prepare yourself for what might come along,” he says.

“A 10-WEEK INTERVIEW”

On a sunny September day, Key walked down to the Georgia Tech athletic facilities from Wardlaw Center after a meeting with President Cabrera. He had just learned he had been named interim head coach in the wake of Collins’ termination. Despite the chaotic circumstances, Key’s mind was on the game coming up, against No. 24 Pitt.

“Once they told me what was transpiring, I wanted to get right back to work since we had a game in four days, and we had a lot of work to do,” Key says. “It wasn’t emotional; the focus was on getting the kids prepared.”

Almost unbelievably, the Jackets beat Pitt, then followed that success with a win against Duke—the first back-to-back wins for Tech since 2018. The team went on to beat No. 13 UNC, and Key finished the season at 4-4 as interim head coach. Shortly after, recently hired Athletic Director J Batt made Key’s head coach position official, and in so doing thrilled fans, alumni, and Key’s own athletes.

“Coach Key tells us every day that you win football games by doing your job,” says Yellow Jackets offensive lineman Joe Fusile, an electrical

engineering major. “And the way you do your job is by being tough, being focused, and paying attention to details. Do your job, do your job, do your job.”

When asked about his decision to put Key at the helm, Batt explains, “I’ve had the good fortune to be around some of the absolute best coaches in the business, and to watch how they go about their work. There are a lot of similarities in habits—attention to detail, a kind of grinding mentality—that I’ve seen in the best, and Brent embodies that. Plus, his passion for Georgia Tech is huge.”

Chris Weinke, the Jackets’ quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator, recently noted that he’s never been happier as a coach than he is now, working under Key: “His messaging is consistent, and his work ethic is consistent. He’s not going to waver, because that’s who he is. And when you’re consistent, people buy in: not only the players, but the coaches, too.”

Despite the burgeoning excitement around the possibilities for the 2023 football season, Key isn’t looking that far ahead. At his first official press conference as head coach, Key promised to work “365 days a year” to defeat

UGA, but his focus is on the present.

“If we don’t get our job done this afternoon, and in our football meetings, if we’re not better in today’s offseason workout than we were yesterday, we’ve got zero chance of doing anything,” he said. “The only success we’re going to have in the future is based on what we do today and how we prepare.”

“I have so much love and passion for Georgia Tech because of how much it has given me,” Key added. “It allowed me to play at the highest level of college football. It taught me how to solve problems. It’s where I established lifelong friendships. And I am grateful for the opportunity to give something back to the Institute, to our whole community of alumni, students, and fans, and to future generations of Tech men and women.”

Key embraces defensive back Clayton Powell-Lee after the Yellow Jackets defeated Pitt 26–21.

ERTAN BECOMES TWO-TIME ACC CHAMP

LEADING THE Georgia Tech swim and dive team at the ACC Championships, Deniz Ertan became Tech’s first female multi-champion after winning the Women’s 1650 free and the Women’s 500 free. Ertan broke her own school record in the 1650 free with a time of 15:55.77. She tied the University of Virginia’s Ella Nelson for first place in the 500 free.

GIBSON BREAKS SCHOOL RECORD IN WEIGHT THROW

JAMIR GIBSON led the Georgia Tech track and field teams at the ACC Indoor Championships with a new school record in the men’s weight throw. Gibson scored for the Jackets with his mark of 20.69 meters in the weight throw. His mark and eighth-place finish break his own school record in the event.

ROSCELLE GRIFFIN

IN THE WORLD

A COOKIE EMPIRE

“Having been a Girl Scout, I knew I wanted to work for an organization focused on empowering girls. I love that I am shaping the future of girls and women,” says Alantria Dixon, EE 02, senior director of Mission Revenue for the greater Atlanta area Girl Scouts.

“A lot of being an engineer is problem-solving and analytical skills, both of which translate to the cookie program,” says Alantria Dixon, EE 02.

MEET THE TECH GRAD BEHIND ATLANTA GIRL SCOUTS’ $15 MILLION COOKIE OPERATION

ALANTRIA DIXON, EE 02, OVERSEES THE MASSIVE COOKIE SALES AND DISTRIBUTION EFFORT

DRIVING FUNDRAISING FOR 1,500 TROOPS IN THE GREATER ATLANTA AREA AND FURTHERING THE GIRL SCOUTS’ MISSION.

BY GEORGE SPENCER

AALANTRIA DIXON, EE 02 , has a sweet job. As a senior director of Mission Revenue for the Girl Scouts in the greater Atlanta area, she drives strategy and growth for her local council. Translation: If you like Thin Mints, Samoas, or any of the Scouts’ other crunchable treats, thank her.

She manages logistics and marketing that drive the sales of three million boxes of cookies by 1,500 troops in 34 Georgia counties. Last year, her region grossed $15 million, a feat that provided more than 60 percent of her council’s revenue.

Nationwide, the Scouts sold an astounding 200 million cookies in 2022 to bring in $800 million in gross revenue, with 18 percent funding individual troops. Thin Mints are the most popular Girl Scout cookie in Dixon’s area and nationwide.

PHOTOGRAPHS

KAYLINN GILSTRAP

“I love what I do, and I love my team. It is truly a calling,” says Dixon, who grew up in College Park, Georgia, and sold cookies as a child. “Every morning I get up knowing I’m serving the 20,000 girls in our council and helping move forward our mission of building girls’ courage, competence, and character.”

Before joining the Scouts seven years ago, the Mableton resident held roles at UPS, Procter & Gamble, and The Weather Channel. She feels she has come full circle. “Having

been a Girl Scout, I knew I wanted to work for an organization focused on empowering girls. I love that I am shaping the future of girls and women,” she says.

She’s grateful she studied industrial engineering in her classes at Georgia Tech because of its emphasis on integrated systems management. Cookie sales planning happens year-round and goes into overdrive in January, when cookies hit the market.

Her massive cookie distribution efforts depend on nearly split-second timing. In an operation the Pentagon might envy, on February 11, seven delivery companies dropped off two million boxes of cookies for pick-up by 1,500 troops in places as far flung as Dalton and Hampton, which are

125 miles apart.

“It’s a big day,” says Dixon. “Those cookies are ones that were preordered, and they represent 60 percent of our sales.”

Dixon routinely applies the critical thinking skills she learned at Tech to her work. “A lot of being an engineer is problem-solving and analytical skills, both of which translate to the cookie program,” she says. “What I do is a long way from electrical engineering, but all the skills I’ve learned—I’m still using them.”

Besides overseeing distribution, she forecasts trends and sales up to five years ahead. She is also studying how to boost cashless purchases by those who buy cookies in person. Since 1996, cookies have been

“I LOVE WHAT I DO, AND I LOVE MY TEAM. IT IS TRULY A CALLING.”

available by phone. Online sales began in 2014. Shoppers can also use Cookie Finder at the Scouts’ website to locate sales nearest them, and delivery apps will now deliver the treats.

The tradition began in 1917 when a Muskogee, Oklahoma, troop baked cookies in a high school cafeteria to raise money. By the 1930s, 29 different bakeries handled the manufacturing. Today two bakeries handle the demand, which is why some Girl Scout cookies have different names in some areas. The only break in the 106-year-old program came during WWII, when Scouts instead sold calendars due to sugar, flour, and butter rationing.

Today Girl Scout cookies rank second in popularity behind Oreos nationwide, even though they are only sold a few months every year. Girls can earn Cookie CEO and Cookie Market Researcher badges.

Besides her distribution derringdo, Dixon manages local partnerships with GNC, Kroger, and WalMart, which allow troops to sell cookies at their businesses.

She supervises a military distribution program and has partnered with the United Service Organizations, the Georgia National Guard, and Hugs for Soldiers to distribute more than a million boxes.

Thinking up sales incentives for little girls occupies her imagination, too. “Every now and then I have to think like a five- or seven-year-old because I select rewards for them that need to be exciting and motivating,” she says. Technology prizes for those who meet sales goals and “little diddle-daddles” like furry shoes are popular, according to her.

Mostly Dixon stays focused on doing more to grow Scouts’ membership. “We’re always evolving and

committed to offering programs that serve the needs and interests of all girls,” she says. Her council hosts the largest girl-focused STEM event in Georgia. In addition to a civil rights summer camp, local scouts are active in immigrant and refugee communities, and facilitators work to include girls who are in subsidized or temporary housing.

Dixon remains connected to Tech by serving as a chair of the Branding committee in the Women Alumnae Network. It tells stories of women who attended, whether they graduated or not, over the past 70 years. “We want to uplift the things that women have done at Tech—and after Tech,” she says.

“A lot falls on my shoulders,” Dixon says. But her job has a tasty fringe benefit. “I do get free cookies. That is a good thing,” she adds. “But it also can require a lot of self-control.”

FROM THE BOOKSHELVES

RECENTLY PUBLISHED TITLES BY GEORGIA

TECH ALUMNI

FINDING THE WAY: THE ENTREPRENEUR’S TALE

BY CAP TREEGER

THIS FICTIONAL tale follows a young entrepreneur and Georgia Tech grad named Ren as he navigates the twists and turns along the rollercoaster path of starting a new business. Fired up with ambition, Ren finds his way through the guidance and support of his mentors. Writing under a pen name, this alumni-author crafts a series of lessons and insights around an entertaining story about what it takes to build a business.

TITANIUM WEB

BY L.M. WHITAKER, MS OR 88, PHD IE 92

AFTER OVER 25 years of working in data science, including cofounding a successful software company, Whitaker retired in order to focus full-time on her second passion: writing technothrillers. The first won multiple awards and the second was published January 29. The series is set in Atlanta, featuring Georgia Tech, and the heroine is a Georgia Tech grad.

HANDS-ON DATA ANALYSIS WITH PANDAS

BY STEFANIE MOLIN, MS CS 22

DATA ANALYSIS has become an essential skill in a variety of domains where knowing how to work with data and extract insights can generate significant value. Hands-On Data Analysis with Pandas will show you how to analyze your data, get star ted with machine learning, and work effectively with the Python libraries often used for data science.

TEXTBOOK

THE COMPLETE FIELD GUIDE TO MODERN DERAILMENT INVESTIGATION

BY GARY WOLF, MS IM 73

WOLF’S RECENT publication is an investigation of train derailments, one of the most significant events a railroad supervisor can encounter. Written by one of the world’s leading train derailment investigators, this textbook explores how to decipher the marks on wheels, rails, and broken components to understand what went wrong.

QUANTITATIVE CORPORATE FINANCE, THIRD EDITION

BY JOHN GUERARD, MS IM 77, ET AL.

THIS BOOK covers a wide range of topics in corporate finance, from regression analysis to multi-factor risk models. Building significantly on their first edition, the authors provide core information on cornerstone topics of corporate finance in this graduate-level textbook.

THE LEADING ECONOMIC INDICATORS AND BUSINESS CYCLES IN THE UNITED STATES

BY JOHN GUERARD, MS IM 77

GUERARD EXPLORES historical contributions to economic indicators and business cycles to provide guidance for what to expect in the future. Examining events from 1913 to 1992 and their relationship to GDP and unemployment rates, Guerard reveals them as particularly useful tools to help predict business cycles.

Exceptional service

Whether you’re in an accident or just need some advice, know we’ll always be on call for you.

From Astronomy Club to Humans vs. Zombies, explore a few of the 500+ student organizations

Yellow Jackets can join at Georgia Tech.

ASTRONOMY

With 14 astronauts from Georgia Tech and many more Jackets advancing space exploration across the industry, the Institute is the perfect place to be bitten by the space bug. The Astronomy Club wants to make that happen. Hundreds of amateur astronomers line up outside Tech’s Howey Physics Building to peer through telescopes during the club’s popular Public Observatory Nights. In addition, the Astronomy Club meets weekly on Mondays for presentations, pizza, and a spectacular view of the universe through the Georgia Tech Observatory’s 20-inch-diameter Cassegrain reflector. Once a semester, these student astronomers escape the glare of the Atlanta skyline in search of darker skies at the Deerlick Astronomy Village in Raytown, Georgia.

–Jennifer Herseim

The Band Club was formed by the same person who arranged and copyrighted “Ramblin’ Wreck” and “Up with the White and Gold”: Tech’s Band Director from 1914 to 1928, Frank Roman. So you could say the Band Club is

SCHOOL OF ROCK Can a faculty band go viral?

Georgia Tech professors can have side gigs, too. Several faculty members moonlight as musicians—among them, the band Variants of Concern (VoC). VoC includes three faculty associated with Tech’s Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection (a.k.a. the study of germs and germ behavior): Sam Brown (guitar), Matt Torres (bass/ vocals), and Center Director Steve Diggle (bass/vocals). Dr. Seema Maroo, a clinical gastroenterologist, plays the drums.

The group came together in 2018 but didn’t land on a name until the Covid-19 pandemic inspired them.

Diggle explains that playing in a

band isn’t as different from conduct ing research as some might think. “I have always loved playing in a band,” he says. “It’s a creative, collaborative process where you end up with a fin ished product. The skills you learn can be applied to your work—and to life in general.”

The Variants play rock, pop, and blues covers from the 1970s to 2000s: The Beatles, The Black Keys, Blondie, Tom Petty, and Pearl Jam, among others. They have performed in people’s driveways (to allow for social distancing), for private parties, and at the Moonshadow Tavern in Tucker, Georgia. Perhaps their biggest

have hidden talents that are rarely seen. Not forgetting there’s more to each of us than meets the eye keeps life exciting and fresh.”

Brown concurs, adding, “It’s a blast to play music with friends, and when we get people up and dancing, there’s nothing like it.”

–Shelley Wunder-Smith

CCREW

When Cassi Niemann, Arch 01, M Arch 08, arrived at Georgia Tech to study architecture in 1997, she felt like she was missing a part of herself. From elementary school through high school, she had been a gymnast and a track and field athlete. Now, for the first time she could remember, Niemann didn’t have a sport. “I was a freshman from Maryland, and I didn’t know anyone,” she says. “I needed to fill that void.”

One day, she was meandering down Skiles Walkway when she saw Georgia Tech Crew recruiting new members. Niemann told the team leaders that while she thought it seemed cool, she had barely even seen competitive rowing before, much less participated.

They told her she was perfect.

Founded in 1985 by two roommates who fell in love with rowing in college, Tech Crew has grown into a world-class team, with up to 100 members at any given time, practicing seven days a week and competing in regattas against Olympians and traditional collegiate powerhouses. In 2018, one of Tech Crew’s Men’s Varsity teams took home gold, giving added credence to the organization’s recruiting tagline: “Become a national champion—no experience required.”

“Some people may assume that our success

comes from only recruiting students who have rowing experience,” says Lane Proctor, PR officer for Tech Crew. “However, that is entirely untrue. The majority of our team had never stepped foot in a boat before coming to Tech. We have dedicated coaches that, every semester, teach our rowers how to row from the ground up.”

This included Niemann, who was surprised to find that her fellow recruits were not only inexperienced rowers, but many of them weren’t even that athletic. Together, they built their strength, and learned to move their hands and legs and even breathe in rhythmic unison. The daily practice regimen, the structured physical activity that added balance to her studies, was exactly what Niemann had been looking for when she arrived at Tech. And along the way, the lonely Maryland transplant found community.

Niemann went on to be a coach on the team. After graduation, she steered away from architecture and became a personal trainer and rowing instructor. And to this day, she still gets together with former teammates for weekend boat trips. “The team made me faster and stronger and yes, we won some medals,” she says. “But in the end, it’s all about building strong relationships and making memories.”–Tony

Rehagen

Student Org Showdown

Yellow Jackets aren’t afraid of friendly competition. The student organization featured on this issue’s cover was chosen by popular vote in a March Madness–style bracket. Jackets swarmed behind Crew, lifting the club from a write-in spot for the eighth bracket seed to the championship round, where the rowers overtook the Ramblin’ Reck Club. The victory couldn’t have happened without some luck in the semi-finals. Crew and the Band Club remarkably tied, with 1,009 votes each. The two organizations settled the matter the old-fashioned way, with a representative from each organization playing a game of rock-paper-scissors. See a recap of the showdown on our Instagram highlights @gtalumni.

DOne of Tech’s oldest student-run organizations, DramaTech dates back to “The Marionettes” of the 1920s. And when we say “studentrun” we mean that students do it all, from acting to directing to set, costume, and prop design to business operations. The purpose is to not only facilitate theater opportunities for Yellow Jackets of all academic stripes, but also provide diversion and entertainment for the rest of campus. When watching a performance in the Dean James E. Dull Theatre at the Ferst Center, keep an eye out for a toaster. For decades, it’s been a DramaTech tradition to find creative ways to incorporate the prop into all productions—no exceptions. –TR

EXECUTIVE ROUND TABLE

What happens when you pose a challenge to a dining room full of bright Yellow Jackets? Be ready for more than a dozen solutions before dessert has even been served. Since its founding in 1956, the Executive Round Table’s program has developed future leaders by bringing students, faculty, and industry executives together for engaging conversation over dinner. The ERT dinner meetings have featured prominent speakers over the years, including former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn. But at ERT, everyone meets as equals. Curiositydriven students, faculty members, and members of business and social arenas cast aside their titles for an open

exchange of ideas and opinions.

The organization also hosts an annual SFI (Student-Faculty-Industry) Conference where members gather with faculty and industry leaders to discuss topics under a central theme. The 2023 conference featured experts in national security speaking about technology’s role in the space and defense industries. During dinner meetings, each speaker concludes their presentation with a thought-provoking challenge posed to the ERT members. On any given night, that round-table discussion might revolve around incentives for electrical utility companies that align with consumer needs, a business challenge posed by an executive from a Fortune 500 company, or the search for extraterrestrial life on Venus. For industrial engineering student Hayden Perciful, the high-caliber conversations and the wide range of topics means meetings never get dull. “I like to show up and be surprised by the topic,” she says. “You never know what the topic is going to be next.” –JH

(Top L-R) Steven Forster, Mimi Kim, Hannah Vanderver, CS 22, Harper Roberts, Jayce Schwartz, Ethan Boone, Shrey Patel, Riley Price, Maximus Freightman, Will Fink, Ishani Saha, Marcus Kurth, Hop Kutsche; (Bottom L-R) Gavin Baker, Sarah Kapasi, Ren Zheng

SHOW

FYELLOW JACKET FLYING CLUB

Georgia Tech students don’t just design aircraft—they can also fly them. The Yellow Jacket Flying Club is the nation’s oldest continuously operating collegiate flying club, founded as the Georgia Tech Flying Club in 1945. Its first airplane was a Stearman PT-17 biplane donated as military surplus after World War II. Today, the club owns and operates four Cessna 172 Skyhawks that it rents to members for flight training. But it’s not all about the cockpit: YJFC also hosts events for anyone interested in aviation, featuring guest speakers like astronauts, airline pilots, and air traffic controllers. Plus, they collaborate with other clubs for “fly-in” events, where students grill out, talk shop, and spread their wings. –TR

GStudent Government Association

Convened in 1922 as the Student Council, a small group met regularly with the Dean of Students to discuss campus concerns; today the Student Government Association (SGA) comprises a diverse body of students who work to make the Georgia Tech experience better for all students. The SGA touches almost every part of the Institute: The legislative branch represents every major student group and constituency, and the executive branch’s 25-plus committees oversee most of campus life, including service, sustainability, and academics. The organization also provides funding and visibility for other student groups and ensures that major Institute administrative initiatives and projects have student input. While working on behalf of Tech’s more than 45,000 current students, the SGA focuses on projects that will benefit future generations of Yellow Jackets. These have included the Mental Health Joint Allocation Committee, the Midtown Free Fridge, the Diversity Symposium, and a personal finance course. –SWS

HHyTech Racing

This team of Yellow Jacket engineers doesn’t just race cars—it races the clock. On Day One, the multidisciplinary team of Tech’s finest meet at the Student Competition Center and start designing their next Formula SAE Electric car, which they then build from the bolts up. As the machine takes shape, the team continually tests design, performance, and efficiency, first on computer simulation, then on the pavement of the MRDC parking lot. The main event is a weeklong summer competition at Michigan International Speedway against the best in the world. Then the day after that race ends, another begins as the team goes back to the drafting board to start next year’s entry. –TR

Undergraduate and graduate SGA members on a trip to Washington, D.C.

US YOUR JERSEY! Saved your club T-shirt or team jersey from college? Share a picture and tell us your team’s “claim to fame” on Facebook.

While many people might not immediately associate Atlanta with Canada’s national sport, Georgia Tech Hockey Club has been sending skaters onto the ice since 1973. The Yellow Jackets are the longest continuously organized collegiate club hockey team in the Southeast, 100% student-run by team members elected at the end of each fall semester. That board hires the coaches and manages the team’s schedules, travel, and finances. After a lull in participation and success in the 2010s, the team has bounced back to qualify for the Collegiate Hockey Federation National Finals in each of –TR

LLACROSSE

JHold your jokes about how all Tech students skillfully “juggle” their rigorous coursework—this club isn’t just about carnival tricks. Okay, it IS a lot of fun. But juggling is also an art form, a beautiful sort of dance of balance, strength, and grace. Speaking of strength, it’s also very much a physical activity, even a sport. But no previous skills or requirements are necessary to join the Juggling Club at Georgia Tech, which practices three times a week on Tech Green. (And let’s not think about working your way up to tossing knives, flaming torches, and chainsaws.) –TR

KKENDO CLUB AT GT

One of the newest clubs at Georgia Tech, KGT was formed in the fall of 2021, though practices didn’t begin until 2022. While kendo, the martial art of sparring with bamboo sticks/ swords (shinai) and protective armor, is also relatively modern, the practice is rooted in Japanese training and tradition that goes back centuries. KGT is open to students of all experience levels, including those who have never tried it. That’s because kendo is not all about fighting and technique. It’s also about focusing the mind, body, and spirit, while appreciating Japanese culture. –TR

Making it to nationals last year for the first time in the club’s 52year history, the Georgia Tech Men’s Lacrosse team has set its sights on the national championship title this season. With two games a week against other colleges’ club teams and an upcoming competition in Utah, the squad is well on its way to another standout year. The men’s team picked up regional championship titles in 1997, 2004, 2016, and 2017. The Tech Women’s Lacrosse team practices yearround, competing in Division 1 play across the South. Last year, the women’s team made it to regional playoffs, and in 2019, they competed at the regional championship semi-finals. But aside from their success on the field, the Lacrosse club also promotes lifelong skills by developing team players who challenge each other to become better versions of themselves on and off the field. –JH

MMIRACLE AT GT

Most clubs and organizations at GT are about more than just physical activity, but Miracle is special. It’s about giving back to the community outside of Tech. The largest student-led philanthropic group on campus, Miracle is one of 300 Dance Marathon programs across the U.S. Each year, students from all backgrounds work to organize, present, and participate in a spring dancing showcase that raises money for the Heart Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. And since 1991, Yellow Jacket dancers have brought in more than $200 million for the noble cause. –TR

NORTH AVENUE REVIEW

In 1989, in the wake of the student demonstrations in China’s Tiananmen Square, a group of Yellow Jackets banded together to produce a platform for fellow students to express unedited and uncensored opinions. The North Avenue Review (NAR) was born. Today, GT’s open-forum magazine goes to print twice a semester and publishes online pieces, including essays, op-eds, poetry, art, fiction, and journalistic stories. Students are not just the writers, but they are also editors, designers, marketers, and everything in-between. And if you’re looking for an element of sport, the NAR, represented by their pink narwhal mascot, hosts ‘zine fests, write-athons, and five-minute poetry events. –TR

Will Cero carries the ball up the field against Clemson.

OUTDOOR RECREATION GEORGIA TECH

One of the greatest challenges any Tech student has is finding occasion to get outside. Think about it: No matter their major, Yellow Jackets spend a lot of time in the classroom, lab, library, or at home hitting the books. They can enjoy the lush EcoCommons and other parks and greenspaces, but getting any fresh air or adventure off campus can be tough.

This is especially true for students like T.J. Kim, who came to Tech from Singapore to study mechanical engineering. “I didn’t really know what was out there beyond the engineering school,” says Kim, ME 18. “I was a closed off and shy guy who was good at science and math and liked to play video games. That’s when I heard some friends in my freshman hall talking about ‘ORGT.’”

OORGT stands for Outdoor Recreation Georgia Tech, a Campus Recreation Program that has been organizing wilderness adventure trips for students since 1970. Today ORGT provides more than 100 open-enrollment trips—from hiking to kayaking, climbing to caving— each year. When Kim first decided to follow his friends and become an “ORGTeer,” he decided he wanted to try them all. “I thought ‘college is the time where you want to explore,’” says Kim. “Even if I was scared, I was going to go for it.”

His first trip was mountain biking, even though he barely remembered how to ride a bicycle on

even terrain. Still, Kim’s biggest fear wasn’t the mountain or the machine, but rather not wanting to hold the rest of the group up. He was relieved to find that the team leaders were accommodating and encouraging, and his fellow ORGTeers were unconditionally supportive of everyone, no matter their experience or skill level.

Through the years, Kim made sure to get his homework done during the school week so he’d have weekends clear to escape the indoors and have his next ORGT adventure. He found that the group not only pulled him out of his house, but it also pulled him out of his shell and taught him interpersonal skills and teamwork. “It shaped me,” says Kim, who graduated in 2018 and is now a data scientist with The Home Depot. “Today, my personality IS the outdoors. Now my hobby is planning trips for mountain biking, climbing, skiing…all across the U.S. ORGT was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me and something everyone should try.” –TR

PSport Parachute Club

These Yellow Jackets really do fly. Almost every weekend while school is in session, members of the Sport Parachute Club spread their wings (or parachutes) and skydive. Founded in 1969, the club is one of the oldest collegiate skydiving clubs in the country. The club, with funds from SGA, helps cover skydiving costs, particularly for first-time jumpers, to lower the barrier of entry to the sport. Every year, members compete at the National Collegiate Skydiving Championships, and several have even jumped into Bobby Dodd Stadium before games. Alumni who started with the club have gone on to compete across the globe, including Chris Gay, EE 87, MS EE 90, Shannon Pilcher, BC 94, and Ian Bobo, IE 94. (Read about Bobo on page 48.) –JH

Logan Purkiss in flight.

QUIZ BOWL

Quiz Bowl at Georgia Tech has a deep, rich history. The modern version of the competition consists of four-player teams battling to answer 20 “toss-up” questions on academic subjects ranging from chemistry to history to computer science to art. This format was developed by Robert Meredith, an assistant professor of English who coached the Tech team from 1973 to 1989, and the Academic Competition Federation (ACF) national championship trophy is named in his honor. The club practices every Monday and Thursday, reviewing questions from previous competitions, and regularly fields teams at regional and national tournaments. In 1996, Tech won its first national championship. In 2022, the club defeated Stanford to win the Overall Championship at the ACF National Tournament, and overcame Brown University to win the Undergraduate National Championship at the Intercollegiate Championship Tournament. –SWS

RRAMBLIN’ RECK CLUB

Keeper of Tech spirit and traditions, the Ramblin’ Reck Club has been spreading joy since 1930. Aside from its responsibility to maintain and care for the Ramblin’ Wreck, the club oversees several other traditions, including the T-Book, T-Night, Mini 500, Freshman Cake Race, and Wreck Parade. This year, the club moved into a new space next to the John Lewis Student Center. (Read about the Reck Garage on page 56.) –JH

S“Everything is optional, except having fun” is the Swim Club’s unofficial motto, and its members take it seriously. The goal of the club is to create a culture where its 200-plus members attend the four-plus weekly evening practices because they want to, not because they have to. This lighthearted approach has led to the club’s success, winning three successive College Club Swimming National Championships, as well as 2019 and 2022 Georgia Tech Sports Club of the Year. In 2019, the club signed a sponsorship contract with Arena, giving the team exclusive access to some of the highest-quality racing technology on the market. –SWS

PHOTOGRAPH

ARJUN NAGESWARAN, HARVARD UNIVERSITY.

Georgia Tech’s winning Undergraduate National Championship team: (L-R) Quentin Mot, Tegan Kapadia, S. A. Shenoy, Hari Parameswaran.

TTECHNIQUE

The ‘Nique, the moniker by which Tech’s student newspaper is known, was born in 1911 as a product of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate: The “To Hell With georgia” issue was entirely dedicated to the upcoming football game with the University[sic] of Georgia. “The South’s Liveliest Newspaper” has continued this rivalry tradition every year since. The ‘Nique covers student functions, sports events, and interviews with Institute administration and city leaders, among other topics. The publication serves as a champion of free press on campus, and as a truthful, reflective record of campus life. –SWS

UULTIMATE FRISBEE

Ultimate is a game played on a field with a flying disc and mixes aspects of American football, soccer, rugby, and basketball. Georgia Tech fields a women’s ultimate team, “Wreck,” and a men’s ultimate team, “A Tribe Called Tech.” Both squads compete at regional and national tournaments. Wreck’s motto is “Better Together,” with team members working to improve their physical and technical skills, while also building lifelong friendships. In its 30-plus years of existence, Tribe has qualified for nationals five times, as well as qualifying for regionals for 19 consecutive years—since 2004. –SWS

WREK RADIO

Entirely student-managed, -operated, and -engineered, WREK Radio transmits music around the clock on 91.1 FM and streaming at wrek.org. The 100,000-watt station, which covers the metropolitan Atlanta area, began in March 1968 with programming that emphasizes music outside the cultural mainstream—a focus that continues today. In addition to specialty music segments, WREK broadcasts weekly news shows, as well as Live at WREK, which features live band performances in the station’s studio. Additionally, the station hosts WREKtacular, an annual off-campus music festival. WREK offers a DJ-training program for students interested in serving as broadcast hosts, and student engineers maintain everything from the station’s antenna to its website. Staff also have access to WREK’s physical library, consisting of tens of thousands of CDs and records. –SWS

VCLUB VOLLEYBALL

The women’s club volleyball team at Georgia Tech practices and plays competitively throughout the fall and spring semesters. This includes home tournaments hosted at the Campus Recreation Center (CRC) and the National Collegiate Volleyball Federation National Championships. In 2022, after nationals’ two-year hiatus because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the club finished fifth. The team also hosts regular open-gym sessions, which any interested student can attend, as well as a “beach” volleyball fundraiser played on the CRC sand courts. –SWS

TED x GeorgiAtecH

TEDxGeorgiaTech is an independent TEDx chapter organized under the worldwide TEDx umbrella. The group’s goal is to showcase ideas from the Tech community to make an impact on campus and beyond. Run by a team of around 30 student volunteers, TEDxGeorgiaTech hosts Open Mic Nights featuring comedy, slam poetry, and musical performances; Speaker Salons where 4 to 5 presenters give curated talks; and all-day conferences with up to eight speakers and networking opportunities for attendees. Talks given at these events are uploaded to TEDx’s YouTube channel, where they are shared with a wider audience. The Tech team also organizes events such as connecTED to network with other local chapters, including TEDxAtlanta, TEDxEmory, and TEDxUGA. –SWS

YELLOW JACKET ROLLER DERBY

With skater names like “Allen Wench” and “Lightning McLynn,” the Yellow Jacket Roller Derby team likes to have fun. But don’t make the mistake of not taking this group seriously. The gender inclusive team plays a full-contact sport—all on roller skates. And while roller derby is a fast-growing sport, with leagues around the world, YJRD has the distinction of being one of only a few collegiate teams in existence. The team’s mission is to spread the sport to as many students as they can, welcoming new members of all backgrounds and abilities. “Though we are all so different in our identities and interests, we are all tied together by our devoted love for roller derby,” says league president Emily Primmer a.k.a. “Primm Reaper.” –JH

HUMANS VS. ZOMBIES

Better watch out—the zombies are coming for you! Humans vs. Zombies (HvZ) is the largest game played on Tech’s campus, with hundreds of people—students, faculty, and staff—participating each semester. Organized and refereed by a team of admins, HvZ is comparable to tag, but with short missions and strategy built in. Play begins with one person designated as the “Original Zombie” and everyone else as humans, who can stun zombies by hitting them with balled-up socks, large marshmallows, or foam darts shot from Nerf blasters. The game ends when either the humans have completed their missions, or all humans have been turned into zombies. (The lone exception to this is George P. Burdell, who has been classed as a “professional human” and is impossible to kill.) –SWS

PHOTOGRAPH

DEVYN GALINDO

Kimmy Wennerholm “Fly Fieri” of YJRD

The sky is no limit for Ian Bobo, IE 94, whose extraordinary skydiving career has taken him from Tech’s Sport Parachute Club to the International Skydiving Hall of Fame.

WWITH MORE THAN 27,000 SKYDIVES (and counting), Ian Bobo would have seemed a shoo-in for his 2021 induction into the International Skydiving Hall of Fame based on his frequent-flier status alone. But his simultaneous world champion titles in two disciplines (a rarity) and innovative contributions to the field as a mentor, inventor, and educator over the past two decades place this alumnus of Georgia Tech and its Sport Parachute Club in the highest echelons in the sport.

KRISTIN BAIRD RATTINI

“GET READY: I AM GOING TO DO THIS” Bobo’s upbringing in Georgia seemed tailor-made to send him skyward. His father, Christopher, an aerospace engineer who earned his master’s degree from Tech in 1967, built experimental aircraft in their garage and shared his passion for radio-controlled planes with his son. His mother, Linda, was

a dreamer. “She had her head in the clouds,” he says. “She was a beautiful spirit who always encouraged me to go for my dreams.”

At age 16, Bobo saw a video of skydivers at a local mall. “I didn’t even know you could do that,” he says. He brought a skydiving brochure home to his mom. “I told her, ‘Get ready: I am going to do this when I turn 18,’” he recalls. On his 18th birthday, his mom gave him a gift certificate for his first jump.

“It was remarkable,” he says. “You’re two miles up when you exit the plane, so the Earth seems so far away. It feels more like floating than falling. You can move around in three dimensions like Superman, which was super appealing to me because of my love of aviation. It really tapped into a deep, carnal place in me. It was the perfect fit. When I landed, I knew I had to do it again.”

He planned to do so at the U.S. Air Force Academy. But when a minor health condition would have restricted his training options at the academy to navigator rather than pilot, he instead enrolled at Georgia

Tech. He didn’t even realize that the school had a sport parachuting club until summer orientation, when he found the club’s booth during an outdoor activity fair. “The members at the booth said, ‘Stick around and watch; our guys are going to jump in here in a second,’” he says. “And there came the veterans in the club, dropping right in front of the student center. I thought, ‘That is awesome.’”

FAST, FURIOUS, AND PHYSICAL Bobo immediately went all-in with Tech’s Sport Parachute Club. “When I learned it was a team sport, that had a huge appeal to me because I’d been a competitive athlete in team sports throughout high school,” he says. Among his teammates he found not only a mentor in Chris Gay, EE 87, MS EE 90, who’d already logged more than 1,000 jumps, but a lifelong friend and business partner in Shannon Pilcher, BC 94. “All the things that starving college students do for food or clothing or drinking— we did to jump,” Bobo says.

He and Pilcher joined up with Kyle Collins, ME 95, MS AE 03, PhD AE

All the things that starving college students do for food or clothing or drinking— we did to jump.”

Tech’s national champion-winning team. (Top L-R) Kyle Collins, Dave Van Greuningen; (Bottom L-R) Shannon Pilcher, Eric Taylor, Ian Bobo.

From an early age, Ian Bobo was fascinated with aviation.

Main canopy (parachute): This ranges in size from 60 square feet for a high-speed sport canopy to 360 square feet for a cargo parachute. Bobo’s three canopies are 67, 71, and 90 square feet.

Harness container system: This backpack with leg straps holds the main and reserve canopies and has the handles and attachment points for connecting and maneuvering parachutes. It is fitted according to both the skydiver’s body size and the size of the chutes.

IAN BOBO’S GEAR FROM HEAD TO TOE

Automatic Activation Device (AAD): A required safety device, this microprocessor monitors speed and altitude and deploys the reserve canopy if the jumper is unable to do so.

08, and Scott Webb, ME 95, and later Dave Van Greuningen, Arch 96, to compete in four-way formation skydiving. In this event, the quartet exits the aircraft at around 10,000 feet, linked together, and then have 35 seconds to complete as many formations in freefall as possible from a pre-set sequence before opening their parachutes. “It looks like a super fancy square dance where you’re grabbing hands, spinning around, and flipping over each other in all of these three-dimensional movements,” Bobo explains. “It’s fast, furious, and physical. It’s a 10-round event, so it’s a huge mental challenge because you have to remember each

of the different sequences and perform it correctly. It’s the golden crown of formation skydiving, because it’s the most intricate, most complex, and the fastest.”

Their team took that crown, winning in the event at the Collegiate National Championships for three years in a row. What was the secret to their success? “We were four technically minded engineers, and the discipline is actually very technical,” Bobo says. “We all liked each other and had strong interpersonal communication skills. We also had the same dream, which was to beat the military academy teams that had dominated the competition for

Altimeters: Skydivers use both a visual altimeter on their wrist and an audible altimeter in their helmet that alerts them of the altitude during the jump.

years—including the Air Force Academy team that I could have been a part of.”

“THE FORMULA 1 OF PARACHUTING”

After winning the collegiate championships, “we already had our sights on the bigger prize: the pro circuit,” Pilcher says. Within a few years after graduation, the quartet applied their Tech degrees—Bobo’s is in industrial engineering—to secure jobs in DeLand, Florida, a skydiving hot spot. “It has amazing weather for skydiving year-round,” Bobo says.

“All of our mentors, all the national teams, trained there. And the manufacturing industry of parachuting is

Jumpsuit

Helmet

Visor or eyewear

based around DeLand; probably 30 to 40 percent of skydiving equipment comes from this little town.”

Bobo took a job as a systems analyst with Performance Designs, one of the biggest players in parachutes. “We were strategic,” he says. “We trained on the weekends and got our feet in the door with these companies to become integral parts of the businesses professionally. Then we had the leverage to gradually train more and work less and eventually make the shift to full-time training and competing.”

When Collins and Van Greuningen pivoted to other paths, Bobo and Pilcher recruited two new jumpers to round out their four-way team. They also started competing individually in a relatively new incarnation of skydiving, a three-event variation called

canopy piloting.

“It’s the Formula 1 of parachuting,” Bobo says. Jumpers exit the aircraft at 5,000 feet and instantly open their chutes, which are much smaller, and generate speeds of over 80 miles per hour. They pull out of the dive inches above Earth’s surface to enter a 200foot horizontal course. Over three runs, they compete in speed, distance, and accuracy. “I really gravitated toward canopy piloting because of the precision and power and airspeed,” Bobo says. “It’s a fighter jet mentality.”

In 2002, Bobo and Pilcher helped launch the Performance Design (PD) Factory Team, whose mission was to bring high-speed precision canopy flight to the masses in a way never before seen. Their team approach helped each member excel individually, as

did their rigorous training: Bobo logged 900 to 1,200 dives each year.

The practice paid off on the podiums. Bobo became one of the few people in the world to win skydiving world championships in multiple disciplines: canopy piloting in 2005 and four-way formation skydiving (along with Pilcher) in 2006. “To be on top of both of those worlds within one year was overwhelming,” he says. “I didn’t ever imagine that was possible.”

The PD Factory Team also launched a series of international expeditions—from Dubai to the Dolomites, Mont Blanc to the Norwegian fjords—soaring through breathtaking places that had never been flown before. His most memorable jump: the Grand Canyon. “We exited above the Earth and then flew

Skydiving into the Grand Canyon was a “once-in-a-lifetime jump,” Bobo says.

EXTREME BUZZ

Ian Bobo isn’t the only extreme Yellow Jacket. Visit gtalumni.org/Jump to see footage from the time Buzz jumped from an airplane to the 50-yard line!

World record skydive: 135,889 feet

HOW HIGH DO THEY FLY?

24,000 feet

For formation skydiving: 10,000 to 13,000 feet

For canopy piloting: 5,000 feet

Ian Bobo’s highest jump:

into the Earth,” he says. “It was a oncein-a-lifetime jump.”

TAKING FLIGHT IN THE EDUCATION ARENA

Beyond the competitive skydiving arena, Bobo was already making a significant impact on the sport. Using his industrial engineering skills, he invented the removable deployment system (RDS), which significantly reduces drag when a chute opens. “It has now been a standard piece of equipment for every competitor for years,” he says.

In 2006, Bobo and Pilcher opened

Flight-1, the first canopy-flight education and training company of its kind. It draws on the vast expertise of PD Factory Team members “to pioneer human flight through teamwork, technology, and training.” With their Georgia Tech education as inspiration, they designed a graduated curriculum, with students progressing from 100-level foundational courses through 600-level one-on-one training seminars.

Flight-1 now has a cadre of about 50 instructors, who combined have more than 561 years of experience

and over 400,000 jumps. The school operates in 12 countries, and its curriculum, translated into six languages, has been used by more than 25,000 students. “We use a team approach, so everyone is using the same curriculum,” Bobo says. “That gets updated every two years by the team so that it continues to advance with the market and new technologies and teaching methods.”

After Flight-1’s sport curriculum caught the eye of elite military parachute units, Flight-1 Military was created to continuously raise and redefine the capabilities of the modern-day military canopy pilot. Around 1,500 clandestine military jumpers—from Navy SEALs to NATO forces—participate in 50 to 60 courses each year.

“It has been so rewarding to work with these military jumpers,” Bobo says. “After 25 years of basically jumping out of airplanes for my own kicks, it suddenly took on this huge purpose. It is fulfilling to work with these people who are at the very top of what they do and that we’ve made a huge difference in their capability to do what they need to do and do it safely.”

In canopy piloting, jumpers maneuver at high speeds through a horizontal course.

Alumni Pilcher (far left) and Bobo (far right) founded the Performance Designs Factory Team, winning multiple world championships.

Bobo dives into a valley in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland.

PUSHING THE SPORT EVER FORWARD

Bobo’s primary focus these days is on new technology that can take skydiving in new directions. “You wouldn’t think of skydivers as conservative, but the sport kind of got stuck, with little advancement or progression,” he says. He has eagerly championed the Mutant, a new supine-position harness container system for canopy piloting that is faster and has a low-drag profile. “It’s a new way of flying that has extended my career, and I’m trying to get the rest of the competition to see that it’s possible,” he says. “It’s the wave of the future.”

While Bobo still logs around 300 jumps per year—many in the Mutant—he has shifted into more of a mentoring role within the PD Factory

HOW RISKY IS SKYDIVING?

According to the U.S. Parachute Association (USPA), just over 39,400 of its members made approximately 3.57 million jumps at the roughly 210 USPA-affiliated skydiving centers in the United States in 2021. In that year, there were 10 fatal skydiving accidents, the lowest year on record. In contrast, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated 42,915 traffic fatalities in 2021, a 16-year high.

Team. “Having his voice of wisdom is a tremendous strength for the current team,” Pilcher says. “We call him the glue. He makes sure we keep the relationships and trust strong, reminds us of our history, and keeps the team’s vision alive.”

It was Pilcher’s nomination that

secured Bobo’s induction into the Skydiving Hall of Fame in 2021, where he joined fellow Tech teammate Chris Gay. “[Ian] has led teams and businesses within the sport to the highest echelons of success,” Pilcher wrote, “and after 30 years of skydiving, he still loves to jump and spread the love.”

“You’re typically more at risk driving to the drop zone than you are once you get to the drop zone,” says Ian Bobo.

A DREAM GARAGE COMES TRU E

CAMPUS UNVEILS A PERMANENT HOME FOR THE RAMBLIN’ WRECK

STORY BY JENNIFER HERSEIM

.

PHOTOS BY SCOTT DINERMAN, STC 03

WWith the new Reck Garage—officially unveiled this spring next to the John Lewis Student Center—Georgia Tech’s iconic mascot will always have a prime parking spot in the heart of campus.

The garage includes a fully functioning repair station with a lift, workbenches, plenty of storage for tools, an outdoor car wash station, and dual entrances, making the space as functional as it is stylish. The crowning design piece, though, is a spinning turntable that allows for 360-degree views of the vintage car. When it’s not rambling through campus sounding its distinctive horn, the Ramblin’ Wreck can now be enjoyed almost 24/7 by its most loyal fans—students.

“In the Reck Club, we always say that the Wreck belongs to the student body; it’s a representation of students,” says Omar Khan, the new 2023 driver. “But there’s always been some distance because we had to keep its location secret. This is a special moment to see it find a permanent home right here in the middle of campus.”

Though the idea for a garage has surfaced several times over the years, in 2017, thendriver Chris Healy and Ramblin’ Reck Club President Zachary Freels pitched the idea to campus officials during talks over the Student Center renovation. In 2020, the Reck Club began fundraising for a stand-alone garage. The project picked up speed with a generous gift from Anne Wallis, whose late husband, W. Barry Wallis, ME 68, was an antique car enthusiast and a loyal Yellow Jacket. With the Wallis family’s gift, construction was completed in the winter of 2022, and the Ramblin’ Wreck officially rolled into its new home during a ribbon-cutting ceremony this March.

“Now that it’s in this public space that’s so easily accessible and viewable,” Khan says, “we can truly promote the idea that the Wreck is owned by the student body.”

SHIFTING TRADITIONS INTO HIGH GEAR

Floor-to-ceiling windows, a pavilion-like roof, and terraced outdoor seating showcase the Wreck and serve as an inviting gathering space. Its location and accessibility open the door to new traditions. “A lot of our traditions surrounding the Reck Club are going to change,” says Evalyn Edwards. As the 2022 driver, Edwards drove the Ramblin’ Wreck onto historic Grant Field before every home game last fall, a tradition that’s happened every year since 1961. After the game, Edwards would return the car to its secret location. “It’s honestly a little disheartening to go from this celebratory feeling to this quiet, hidden space by yourself,” she says. “Now, tailgating at the new garage or meeting the driver here before the game could even become new traditions.”

TRADITIONS ON DISPLAY

The garage allows students and campus visitors a chance to see the Wreck up close and learn about Georgia Tech’s rich traditions. “When we give prospective students admissions presentations in the Student Center theater across the way, they’ll be able to look out the window onto this garage,” says Gerome Stephens, associate dean of students and Reck Club advisor. Plaques outside the garage tell the story of the Ramblin’ Wreck and the Reck Club (which is spelled without the “W”). The garage includes display shelves where the Reck Club can showcase important club memorabilia, like this original Wreck shield (pictured above), which was retired several years ago due to a crack in the wood.

MINI WRECK: Everything’s better in miniature! Watch the Alumni Association’s mini Wreck get cleaned up on Instagram @gtalumni.

As the new driver, Omar Khan is responsible for making sure the car makes it to its many appearances across campus and at events.

FROM (NET) ZERO TO SIXTY

The building is being evaluated for LEED Platinum certification, the highest certification available for a net-zero energy building. The windows are coated with a thermally efficient low-e coating that reduces heat loss in the winter and keeps the garage cool throughout the summer months. Thirty 400-watt solar panels installed on the roof allow the garage to generate its own energy.

DUAL ENTRANCES

Two hydraulic-powered, bi-fold doors on either side of the garage allow the Wreck to easily enter and exit from either side. When open, the doors also create a large indoor-outdoor space for hosting events.

DESIGN “WRECK-QUISITES”

The floor tiles across the garage are made by the company Argelith, which makes the same tiles for Porsche’s showrooms. The Wreck itself also served as inspiration throughout the space. The color of the workbenches match the Wreck’s colors, and the garage’s ceiling panels, which have an acoustic backing to reduce noise, were designed to resemble the vehicle’s grille.

HONORING THE TECH SPIRIT

A frequent traveler with the Georgia Tech Alumni Travel program, Anne Wallis has truly adopted Tech as her own. Her gift in memory of her late husband, W. Barry Wallis, ME 68, combined with other donations, made the Reck Garage possible.

KEEPING FRESHMAN FINGERS FAR AWAY

With the new highly visible location, security was a top concern. In partnership with the Georgia Tech Police Department, the design team installed enhanced security features, including reinforced, shatter-resistant glass, cameras, alarms, and swipe-card access to the building. Altogether, the garage ensures the vehicle remains safe and out of reach of first-year students, who as legend has it, are not allowed to touch the car or else Tech will be guaranteed to lose to the Bulldogs that year.

A HOME FOR BIG BUZZ, TOO

The garage includes several closets where the Reck Club can store additional club materials, including “Big Buzz,” a giant inflatable Buzz. As his name implies, Big Buzz takes up a lot of space whether inflated to full size on Tech Green or stowed away. A “Big Buzz”–sized closet was specially designed to store the inflatable when it’s not in use.

DESIGNS DRIVEN BY SECURITY, FUNCTIONALITY & THE WRECK ITSELF

The garage was designed by Atlanta-based Square Feet Studio. The firm worked closely with the Reck Club to incorporate security, safety, and functionality into the building. The garage is equipped with emergency gas and exhaust sensors and an underground vehicle exhaust system. The streamlined design was also important so that the garage wouldn’t detract from the Wreck, says lead architect and alumnus Blake Burton, M Arch 09. “The idea was to create a building that sits lightly on the landscape because we wanted to make sure that the Wreck would be front and center,” Burton says.

Lead designers Blake Burton, M Arch 09, and Emily Mastropiero of Square Feet Studio

Georgia Tech is excited to introduce a new campaign that will build a foundation to support our students, advance our research and innovation, enhance our campus and our community, and expand our impact at home and around the world.

Learn more about our goals at transformingtomorrow.gatech.edu

ALUMNI HOUSE

PROGRESS & SERVICE

On February 16, the Georgia Tech Alumni Association celebrated the Gold & White Honors Gala in Atlanta. This premier event raised $450,000 for the Association’s student programs and recognized outstanding alumni and friends for their service to the Institute.

JACKETS ON THE GREEN

BY MATT SOWELL

GOLF IS INGRAINED in Tech tradition, with roots dating back to 1918, when Robert Tyre “Bobby” Jones, ME 1922, one of Tech’s most notable alumni, arrived on campus and became one of the greatest amateur golfers of all time.

In tribute to Jones, who was a board member of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, the Alumni Association hosts a golf tournament each year at the East Lake Golf Club, Jones’ home course. The tournament, which takes place this year on June 5, raises funds for the Alumni Association. To celebrate this beloved annual event, we are honoring some of Tech’s standout golfers to inspire lovers of the sport to get on the green.

STEWART CINK, MGT 95

REGISTER for the 3rd Annual Georgia Tech Alumni Golf Tournament at gtalumni.org/golf.

BRUCE HEPPLER

A team is only as good as its coach, and with Bruce Heppler at the head of the Georgia Tech Golf program, it’s no wonder Tech has a reputation for being the best. Heppler has been honored as ACC Coach of the Year 10 times since 1999, a record of any coach in conference history.

MATT KUCHAR, MGT 00

Celebrating nine PGA and three international wins, Matt Kuchar sealed his legacy in Tech history when he became the first Georgia Tech golfer to win the U.S. Amateur since Bobby Jones won in 1930.

Boasting eight PGA tour wins, Cink is an alum who lives the Tech spirit both on and off the green. Cink is the recipient of the PGA’s Payne Stewart Award and the NCAA’s Silver Anniversary award, accolades that recognize community work.

DAVID DUVAL, MGT 93

With 13 PGA tour wins and 68 top-10 finishes, Duval is cemented in Yellow Jacket history. In 2001, he won The Open Championship.

ANDY OGLETREE, BA 20, AND TYLER STRAFACI, BA 21

This unstoppable pair secured All-American recognition in 2020 when the Golf Coaches Association of America announced the PING All-American team. They made history as the first back-to-back U.S. Amateur champions from the same college.

CHARLIE YATES, GS 1935

It could be said that Charlie Yates, another regular at East Lake Golf Club, followed in Bobby Jones’ footsteps. Yates was a national intercollegiate champion, British Amateur champion, and the longtime secretary of Augusta National Golf Club.

CELEBRATE THE SPIRIT OF TECH

Leadership Circle donors of Roll Call, Georgia Tech’s Fund for Excellence, have established the tone for the future of Georgia Tech. It is the spirit of philanthropy that has sustained the Institute since its founding. And, through this spirit, Leadership Circle donors have provided the resources necessary to make the di erence between an experience of average quality and one that is extraordinary for every student and faculty member at the Institute. Give now to demonstrate your commitment to excellence and celebrate the spirit of philanthropy at Tech.

SHE MAKES US LOOK GOOD

ON FLYERS, T-SHIRTS, AND SIGNAGE AT EVENTS—YOU SEE GRAPHIC DESIGNER CODIE

Mc LANAHAN’S FRESH DESIGNS EVERYWHERE.

BY MATT SOWELL

IF YOU HAVE RUN the Dean George C. Griffin Pi Mile 5K Road Race in the last few years, odds are high that you own a piece of art by Codie McLanahan. As the Georgia Tech Alumni Association’s graphic designer, she’s known for putting a unique spin on everything she does.

“The Pi Mile T-shirt is probably my favorite project because I get to do something different every year. There’s a lot of freedom, and it’s stressful but exciting,” she says.

McLanahan joined the Alumni Association in 2019 with a degree in graphic design from Kennesaw State University. With roots in Georgia, she was well aware of Yellow Jackets, but she grew up surrounded by Bulldogs. “My family is all UGA grads. It’s been fun to bring a little rivalry into the picture.”

She’s now a proud member of the Tech community and a pro at incorporating Tech Gold into her design work. “It can be tricky to print—our specific gold color can sometimes turn out really green if it’s not printed correctly. But I’m happy that our colors aren’t purple and yellow, orange, or something crazy. I’ve learned to love it,” she says.

While McLanahan’s designs are front-and-center on signage, brochures, and flyers at beloved events like the Pi Mile 5K Road Race and the Gold & White Honors Gala, creating

RUNNING IN STYLE

One of designer Codie McLanahan’s favorite projects is the T-shirt for the Pi Mile 5K Road Race. To the left are some of McLanahan’s recent designs and vintage shirts from previous years.

a fresh look each year for events with a deep history of traditions can be challenging. McLanahan sees it as an opportunity for finding ways to put a new twist on old designs to refresh them every year. “I like the traditional elements of Tech, and the new branding is a little bit more humanistic. It’s been fun to adapt it,” she says.

Taking the old and making it new is something McLanahan does outside of work as well. When she’s not at a Spin class or designing children’s books for her nephew, she’s a regular at estate sales.

“Most of the time I don’t buy anything. I just like seeing what someone’s life is like,” she says.

McLanahan gets a creative spark from venturing into old houses to see what secrets they hold. Besides finding great deals, she enjoys finding odd trinkets and forgotten goods to

nurture her inner artist. “I’m not looking for nice things, I’m looking for weird little statues and figurines. I recently got this wooden monkey. He’s pointless, but every time I look at him, I get excited.”

Whether it’s drawing inspiration from a poem found in an old house at an estate sale or creating a T-shirt design for the Pi Mile that’s sure to be beloved, she knows what it takes to build on tradition.

“I have learned so much in the time I’ve worked at the Alumni Association as a person and an artist. I love being a part of the Tech community and can’t wait to see what the next three years have in store for me.”

THE 2023 PI MILE 5K ROAD RACE is Saturday, April 22. Registration and other details for the race are at gtalumni.org/pimile.

YOU RAMBLED THE NIGHT AWAY

RAMBLE THE NIGHT WAS THE FIRST GLOBAL NIGHT OUT FOR GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI.

FROM ATLANTA to Seattle and Brussels to Madrid, Yellow Jackets connected at 36 different events across the globe to celebrate the Tech spirit during Ramble the Night on January 26. The one-night event brings together Yellow Jackets to share memories with old friends and connect with new ones.

Several events were hosted at restaurants and breweries started by Georgia Tech grads. In the Atlanta Intown area, Yellow Jackets met at alumni-owned Second Self Beer Company, and in the North Metro Atlanta area, they met at alumni-owned Six Bridges Brewery. In Savannah, Ga., alumni-founded Southbound Brewing Company hosted Ramblin’ Wrecks. In Washington, D.C., Jackets gathered at alumni-founded True Respite Brewery. And the Seattle event was held at

alumni-owned Teku Tavern + Café. Events took place in every region of the U.S. and in 13 other countries. Thousands of Yellow Jackets registered for the first Ramble the Night, showing that Georgia Tech creates bonds that last a lifetime, no matter where life takes you.

London, U.K.

Paris, France

Portugal

Houston, Texas

Nashville, Tenn.

YOU CAN HEAR the Whistle in Midtown Atlanta, but you don’t have to be near campus to feel the Tech spirit reverberate through a room filled with Yellow Jackets. This February, Jackets in Silicon Valley brought that spirit to the Alumni Association’s first “Social in the City,” a new series of casual events planned in major cities across the U.S. to bring together Georgia

Tech graduates. At The Winery Collective, Jackets enjoyed a complimentary wine tasting and charcuterie boards. Attendees, whose graduating classes ranged from 1986 to 2022, participated in a blind wine-tasting activity. Six winners all tied for first place after correctly identifying four different wines. Each walked away with a free bottle of their choosing.

SAVE THESE DATES!

April 22:

Pi Mile 5K Road Race

Walk, run, stroll, or cheer from the sides—any way you do it, join us for the 2023 Dean George C. Griffin Pi Mile 5K Road Race. As one of the longest continually run races in Atlanta (started in 1973), this beloved event is a Tech tradition.

May 13:

President’s Dinner Celebrating Roll Call

The President’s Dinner celebrates the impact of the Institute and honors Roll Call’s most generous donors. This year, attendees will see some of Tech’s newest spaces, beginning with a reception at the John Lewis Student Center followed by dinner and dancing at the Exhibition Hall.

June 5: Georgia Tech Alumni Association Golf Tournament

Enjoy a round of golf at Atlanta’s historic East Lake Golf Club while supporting the Alumni Association. Gather with fellow golfing alumni and your non-Jacket golf friends to play on the same course where alumnus Bobby Jones perfected his skills.

Oct.

26–28: Homecoming Weekend

Mark your calendars for the 2023 Homecoming Weekend! Cheer on the Yellow Jackets against UNC and reconnect with friends during a weekend of events, including Buzz Bash, hosted by the Georgia Tech Alumni Association.

For more details, visit www.gtalumni.org.

CALIFORNIA DREAMING CHEERS TO THE FIRST “SOCIAL IN THE CITY” HELD IN SILICON VALLEY ON FEBRUARY 23.

D.C. Metro Come celebrate the Tech spirit with fellow alumni on April 17 at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. Join us for a team-based scavenger hunt through the museum, followed by complimentary drinks and snacks at the Tiki TNT Rum Bar. Learn more and purchase tickets at gtalumni.org/SocialintheCity

RAMBLIN’ ROLL

A YELLOW JACKET’S ROAD TO 200

YELLOW JACKETS have a unique style of grit and determination. Perhaps no one exemplifies this quite like Michael Hearn, Mgt 86, a Tech grad with a goal he is well on the way to conquering.

“I’m going to run a half marathon in every state by the time I turn 65,” he says. Anyone who knows Hearn will agree: He’ll accomplish it.

For the last three years, he’s built his life around running and lost 200 pounds in the process. As he prepared to complete his 35th race on February 4, it’s clear he’s changed his life for the better.

Before beginning his journey, Hearn weighed around 450 pounds. “You see TV shows with people who weigh 600 pounds, and you think, ‘I don’t look like that.’ And then you see pictures of yourself, and you realize I’m starting to look like that,” he says.

CLASS NOTES & ALUMNI UPDATES

Hearn began thinking about his health as he planned to return to Georgia Tech’s campus for his son’s graduation. He knew the physical demands of the day could be a potential

WANT TO SHARE YOUR NEWS?

You can submit your personal news, birth and wedding announcements (with photos!), and out-and-about snapshots online at gtalumni.org/life.

BY MATT SOWELL

issue—even walking from the parking lot to the stadium would be taxing.

Additionally, Hearn’s doctor warned him that he was on a dangerous road. Hearn says that he believes the type of person who attends Tech could also be the type who ends up in a situation like this. “We think we’ll do something about it when we decide to. Smart people make the worst medical patients because we believe we’re in complete control,” he says.

Hearn featured in Men’s Health

Perhaps the biggest turning point was when Hearn’s doctor mistook a shadow on his heart from the weight as damage from a heart attack. He says he remembers his doctor standing over him when he woke up and saying, “You have no idea how lucky you are.”

Hearn decided to overhaul his life. He began with bariatric surgery, a decision that initially intimidated him. “I felt like I’d failed,” he says. “My doctor reminded me that obesity ran in my family. He said I had to give myself the chance to lose weight, and this was the starting point.” The challenge, he explained, would be to maintain it.

Hearn prioritized running, first with a 5K with the Atlanta Track Club, with a plan to walk the course. “I finished it. And I remember when I finished it, I felt pumped up and thought, This is great. I decided I would sign up for a couple more. And then suddenly, the pandemic hits, and the races stopped.”

The obstacles made him even more determined. Hearn attributes his grit to his time at Tech. He says he learned how to push himself past what he

believed his limits were. “We pushed ourselves as students, and we have pushed ourselves to build our careers. And you learn that there are so many cases in your life where the constraints that you have are the ones that you put on yourself.”

By the end of the year, Hearn was preparing for the 5K portion of the Atlanta Track Club PNC 10 Miler, which was being held with Covid precautions in place. The race gave him the motivation to go farther, work harder, and run rather than walk.

Three miles became 10, which became half marathons. Along his journey, Hearn has been featured in Men’s Health magazine and served as an ambassador for the Atlanta Track Club. He found his passion, and there was no going back. He explains that an unintended perk of running has been the clarity it gives him.

“I discovered it wasn’t just about the exercise, it was about the fact that it created whitespace for me, and it gave me a chance to be able to plan things, to organize things. It was a chance to think,” he says.

It’s clear that Hearn’s family also drives his passion for running.

“I’ve done two half marathons with my daughter and one with my son. It’s hard to describe how it feels to be able to run with your family, particularly your kids, because they’ve spent years seeing you as the person who’s not going to go out and exercise,” Hearn says. “Then one day you’re able to go out and enjoy something like that with them. It’s an amazing feeling to be able to do that.”

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM THE RUN

Running takes a toll both physically and mentally. Find some wise words below that Hearn picked up on his road to 200:

Find Inspiration. Hearn found his passion partly through a documentary on ultra-marathoners. His goal is to run a race in Hawaii, where the documentary took place.

Find a Way to Love Yourself. Hearn says this was his mantra early on. He stresses the importance of finding something that you love, pursuing it, and not letting anyone get in the way.

Don’t Call It Work. Whatever you pursue has to be a passion or something you use to get away from the grind, he says.

Get Through the First Mile.

“I can’t tell you how excited I get when I hit mile No. 1 on a race, because I have registered for the race, traveled, got my bib, made it to the starting line, and have gone a mile,” says Hearn.

Never Make a Decision

Going Uphill. “There have been many times I would go uphill and think I’m done, I just want to stop. And then I would realize, okay, don’t make any decisions until you get on the downhill. And then you get on the downhill. You feel better. You keep going,” he says.

Hearn is on his way to running a half marathon in every state.

RAMBLIN’ ROLL

CHARANIA APPOINTED CHIEF TECHNOLOGIST AT NASA

ON JANUARY 3, A.C. CHARANIA, AE 99, MS AE 00, became NASA’s agencywide chief technologist.

In his new role, Charania leads technology innovation, serving as principal advisor on technology policy and programs to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. Working in the Office for Technology, Policy, and Strategy, Charania will work to align the agency’s technology investments

with mission needs across six mission directorates and oversee technology collaboration within the federal government, with private sectors, and with other stakeholders.

Among his previous work experience, Charania has served as vice president of product strategy for Reliable Robotics and worked at Blue Origin to mature its lunar permanence strategy and lunar lander program.

EIGHT TECH GRADS NAMED TO FORBES’ ‘30 UNDER 30’

CHANGE BEGINS AT GEORGIA TECH , and for proof, look no further than the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 list, which features eight Yellow Jackets.

Spanning the medical, energy, manufacturing, social, and e-commerce sectors, this group of Tech graduates—selected from a candidate pool

SOCIAL IMPACT :

illika Kumar, CM 19

Cofounder of Mentra

Conner Reinhardt, IE 19

Cofounder of Mentra

MANUFACTURING AND INDUSTRY:

Cambre Kelly, BME 15 Cofounder and CTO, restor3d

ENERGY:

Nicholas Selby, ME 16

Director of Engineering, Renewvia Solar Africa

of 12,000 for 600 spots across 20 categories—exemplify the innovation and drive that takes place across campus daily.—Steven Gagliano

MANUFACTURING AND INDUSTRY:

Allyson McKinney, MS ECE 19

Cofounder and CEO of SoloPulse

RETAIL AND E-COMMERCE:

Sneh Parmar, BA 16

Cofounder and CEO, Lucky

ENERGY:

Zhenyu Zhang, MS CS 21

Chief Technologist, AmmPower

FINANCE:

Lydia Hylton, CmpE 16

Partner, Bain Capital Crypto

CLASS NOTES

CHET ALLEN, BA 19, released a Georgia Tech–themed beer: a white pepper blonde ale, called “Dress Her in White and Blonde.” The beer can be found at Second Self Beer Company, owned by fellow alumni Chris Doyle, Mgt 07, MBA 11, and Jason Santamaria, Mgt 06.

Intellectual property firm Fish & Richardson PC promoted three Georgia Tech alumni attorneys to serve as principals: CHET CAMPBELL, ME 10, LAWRENCE JARVIS, CS 10, and CHRIS WRIGHT, EE 01

STEWART CARLIN, IM 74, was awarded the Meritorious Service Award from the Georgia Society of CPAs. This is the highest award presented by the society.

CORINNA DRAGHI, AE 17, was chosen as one of four participants for the keynote “Women in Manufacturing” panel at the 2021 AGMA Motion and Power Transmission Expo that was hosted in St. Louis, Mo. She was also interviewed by the industry magazine Gear Solutions for the article, “Women in Manufacturing: Diversifying the Industry,” which appeared in the December 2021 edition. Draghi was also featured in the February 2022 edition of Southeast Manufacturing News, and highlighted as the first-ever Tech graduate of her current employer, Atlanta Gear Works, in Dawsonville, Ga.

LARA HODGSON, AE 93, CEO of NowAccount, was named to Worth magazine’s “Worthy 100” list, which honors individuals who use their influence and affluence to generate a positive impact on the world.

CORBELL RECEIVES MASTER PILOT AWARD

PHILIP CORBELL, AE 68 , received the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award for 50 years of safe flying. He received the award during an event with 50 of his family and friends in attendance. Capt. Corbell served in the U.S. Air Force and flew the T-38 as a commander of the B-52s. Among his accolades are his multiple FAA pilot’s licenses and his status as a master glider instructor emeritus and a sport pilot instructor. Corbell has served as chief flight instructor for several

organizations, including the Civil Air Patrol Glider Unit. Though retired, he continues to instruct at Fly Eagle Sport, LLC. Over the years, he’s taught students from multiple generations to fly (with the oldest receiving his initial pilot license at age 69). He received the Instructor of the Year award for Arizona and the FAA Western Pacific Region, and the FAA Safety Team’s Representative of the Year for Arizona. Corbell’s first two flights were with the Georgia Tech Flying Club!

ALUMNUS RECEIVES GLOBAL SURGEON AWARD

JAMES ALLEN BROWN, BIO 74 , a general surgeon who has provided surgical education and training to physicians in Cameroon for two decades, has received an American College of Surgeons (ACS)/Pfizer Academic Global Surgeon Award.

Presented to Dr. Brown at the Board of Governors Dinner on October 18, this award recognizes ACS fellows, retired fellows, and members who are committed to giving back to the society through significant contributions to surgical care as volunteers.

After living in Cameroon for 15 years with his wife, Dr. Brown recently retired in Johns Island, S.C.

RAMBLIN’

INAUGURAL FLAG PRESENTED TO FAMILY OF 1ST LT. TYLER BROWN

THE GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION and the Veterans Resource Center presented the first flag from a new program that going forward will send an American flag to the families of Georgia Tech veterans who have

recently died. The flags are flown on campus in honor of each alum. The first flag was presented to Carey Brown, IE 69, in honor of his son, 1st Lt. Tyler Brown, Mgt 01, HTS 01, who was killed in combat in Iraq in 2004.

CLASS NOTES

RYAN KAYSEN, ME 05, was admitted to the partnership of Ernst & Young LLP.

KRISTYN LONG, MGT 12, has been appointed chief operating officer in the Office of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Long previously served as deputy COO and deputy executive counsel.

PIERRETTE H. McCALLA, MGT 94, was a 2022–2023 recipient of the Law & Justice Award saluting “The Nation’s Most Powerful & Influential Attorneys.”

JANNINE MILLER, MBA 13, became executive director for the State Road & Tollway Authority and head of the Atlanta Regional Transit Link Authority and the Georgia Regional Transit Authority. Miller will lead the three agencies in addition to her current role as planning director for the Georgia Department of Transportation.

MARCELA MORENO, HTS 13, started a new position at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments as a Transportation Planner III.

CHRIS SAFOURI, NRE 13, MS NRE 14, was selected by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to be the senior resident inspector at Duke Energy’s McGuire nuclear power plant.

JUNO SONG, ARCH 09, has been promoted to associate at Kuth Ranieri Architects in San Francisco.

DOUG MORRELL, HS 81 , and his 1973 Volvo 1800ES have closed out a successful 2022 car show season with one second place and two first place awards, adding to his two first place wins in 2021. The car, nicknamed “Tang” because of its bright orange color, is one of 8,077 units produced over two years, and one of

only 600 in orange. This unique car had been sitting in a storage locker for 18 years before Morrell and his wife, Kathy, found it in Cincinnati. After an 18-month refurbishment process, Tang was ready to hit the roads and car shows. Morrell says it’s a constant conversation starter at stoplights.

CASEY TANNER, IAML 13, joined Kennesaw State University as their new vice president of Government Relations.

BEN J. TARBUTTON III, MGT 94, has been appointed to the Georgia Ports Authority.

(L-R) David Ross, director of the Veterans Resource Center, Mike Shannon, MS HP 03, PhD NRE 09, interim executive vice president of Administration and Finance at Georgia Tech, Carey Brown, IE 69, Magd Riad, IE 01, chair of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, and Dene Sheheane, Mgt 91, president of the Georgia Tech Alumni Association.

ALUMNI COMPANIES RECOGNIZED IN ‘2023 ATLANTA STARTUPS TO WATCH’

WITH TECH SQUARE, CREATE-X , and countless alumni-founders, Atlanta’s thriving startup ecosystem is driven in no small part by Georgia Tech.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle and Atlanta Inno recognized the “2023 Atlanta Startups to Watch”

and several Yellow Jackets and their companies were featured on the list. Learn about the alumni-founded companies that were recognized:

4Earth, a water treatment technology company was founded by Jahanzeb Khan, EnvE 16, MS EnvE

21. Aaron J. Luque, IAML 08, and Stephanie Luque, IAML 08, MS PP 13, are cofounders of EnviroSpark Energy Solutions, which designs electric vehicle charging stations. Also on the list is Joulea, founded by Ramtin Motahar, Econ 04, IE 04, MS AE 17. Joulea is a software platform that works to reduce energy consumption in commercial buildings. Oxos Medical, cofounded by Evan Ruff, CmpE 03, MBA 07, and Gregory Kolovich, EE 04, was recognized for its radiology devices. Supercopy, cofounded by Richard Lee, EE 17, is an AI-powered engagement tool that made the list. Finally, Wattch, a software development company cofounded by Alex Nussey, CmpE 19, and Ryan Babaie, Phys 20, was also recognized.

YELLOW JACKETS NAMED 2023 INFLUENTIAL GEORGIANS

GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI are making a difference in their communities throughout the state, with former Yellow Jackets making up 10% of Georgia Trend’s list of the “100 Most Influential Georgians“ for 2023. These 10 alumni and two honorary degree recipients were featured:

JOHN AVERY, EE 86, Director, Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC)

BRIAN BLAKE, EE 94, President, Georgia State University

ÁNGEL CABRERA, MS PSY 93, PHD PSY 95, President, Georgia Institute of Technology

LISA CUPID, ME 00, Chair, Cobb County Board of Supervisors

ANDRE DICKENS, CHE 98, Mayor, City of Atlanta

JIMMY ETHEREDGE, IE 85, CEO, Accenture North America

TOM FANNING, IM 79, MS IM 80, HON PHD 13, Chair and CEO, Southern Company

PAUL JUDGE, MS CS 01, PHD CS 02, Managing Partner, Panoramic Ventures

WRECKS AT WORK

JERALD MITCHELL, MBA 11, President and CEO, Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce

DR. VALERIE MONTGOMERY RICE, CHEM 83, President and Dean, Morehouse School of Medicine

RAPHAEL BOSTIC, HON PHD 22, President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

JAMES QUINCEY, HON PHD 20, Chair and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company

The Alumni Association is celebrating the amazing work of our alumni. Send us your on-the-job photos featuring cool views at gtalumni.org/ wrecksatwork

1. MATT BUNN, BA 13, and QUINN BUNN, BA 14, welcomed their son, Luke Lee, on June 15, 2022. He joins big sister Blair. The family lives in Nashville, Tenn.

2. PAIGE (McQUADE) CELY, BME 16, and WILL CELY, CS 16, welcomed their first baby, Jack, in April 2022.

3. CAROLINE McKELVEY, BA 14, and JOSH McKELVEY, ME 15, welcomed their daughter, Madeleine McKelvey, to the Yellow Jacket family on Oct. 27, 2022. Madeleine is a third-generation Yellow Jacket, preceded by her grandfather, Matt Freeman, IM 83, her uncle, Geoff McKelvey, Bio 16, and multiple great-uncles. Her namesake, Madeleine Baker Freeman, was one of Georgia Tech’s biggest fans! Her parents can’t wait for little Madeleine to carry on the tradition.

4. MERCEDES L. SHANNON-KEEFE, BA 14, and Martin Keefe have welcomed the newest addition to their family, Maeve L. Keefe, on Nov. 11, 2022.

5. ZACH TRIBBLE, IE 08, and Christie Tribble welcomed their second child, Halling “Hal” Sawyer Tribble, on Oct. 1, 2022, in Atlanta. His big sister, Madeline, sings “Up With the White and Gold” followed by “Ramblin’ Wreck” to him regularly!

6. MALLORI (BURSE) UPSHAW, BCH 10, and AVANTE UPSHAW, IE 12, welcomed their daughter, Sawyer, in September 2022, joining fellow Jacket fan and older brother Ellis.

7. MICHAEL VALENTE, ME 12, and CASSIE VALENTE, STC 13, welcomed Leo Valente, on July 27, 2022. Xiaodong Xie, MS OR 91, is the proud new grandfather. The family lives over on the opposite coast in San Francisco, Calif., but dreams regularly of Waffle House breakfasts back on Tech Square.

OUT & ABOUT

GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY

PAUL MULLINS, CE 73, and Pam

Mullins celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Sept. 3, 2022. They are high school sweethearts. Pam attended Georgia State University as a music major and marched in the Tech Band.

WEDDINGS

1. MARCELA MORENO, HTS 13, and Dennis Byrne, were married on Nov. 10, 2022, in Asheville, N.C. Marcela is a Transportation Planner III at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments in Washington, D.C.

2. TONY TOMPRAS, MS AE 87, married his lifelong best friend Kimanh on June 20, 2022, in Southern California.

3. COLIN ZWEBER, CHBE 18, and LINDSEY (THOMSON) ZWEBER, MSE 17, were married in North Georgia on Oct. 15, 2022. They met in computer science recitation in 2015, and moved to Houston, Texas, for their careers in engineering. They had a beautiful fall wedding and honeymooned in Greece.

IN MEMORIAM

WE REMEMBER & HONOR THE FOLLOWING

1940 s

JACK S. KENDALL, CE 48, of North Augusta, S.C., on Dec. 20, 2022.

ERWIN M. “ERV” KOERITZ, CHE 47, PHD CHE 52, of Charlottesville, Va., on Oct. 26, 2022.

ALFRED P. “AL” SPUNGIN, EE 48, of Fort Myers, Fla., on Oct. 16, 2022.

MANSON W. STEUART, CHEM 48, of Atlanta, on Nov. 25, 2022.

JOHN H. TUCKER, IM 49, of Midlothian, Va., on Oct. 30, 2022.

JAMES W. “WILLARD” TUMLIN, CLS 44, of Lithia Springs, Ga., on Oct. 31, 2022.

ELBERT G. WARREN JR., MS EE 49, of Baytown, Texas, on Oct. 19, 2022.

1950 s

LEE T. ALLEN, AE 54, MS AE 55, of Stone Mountain, Ga., on Nov. 1, 2022.

JACK E. ANDREWS, EE 59, MS EE 78, of Stone Mountain, Ga., on Dec. 3, 2022.

EDITOR’S NOTE

BRUCE RODGERS WHEELER: BELOVED YELLOW JACKET & FOUNDER OF HIPS

of Omega.

Wheeler’s father, uncle, and brother also attended Tech, so he developed a great love for “The Flats” early in his life.

The accident caused a traumatic brain injury that left Wheeler initially paralyzed on his right side. He worked tirelessly to regain some use of his right side and to walk. Undergoing intense physical and cognitive therapy, he returned to Tech to complete his coursework and receive his bachelor’s in 1986.

BRUCE RODGERS WHEELER, IM 86, OF MARIETTA, GA., ON NOV. 7, 2022. Wheeler was known for his enthusiasm for life, love of music, and joking around with friends and family. He was born in southwest Atlanta on Mother’s Day, May 13, 1962, to Elzie Reynolds Jr. and June Anne Wheeler. He grew up in the Stone Mountain (Ga.) area, where he graduated from Tucker High School in 1980.

His life changed tragically after surviving a single-car accident on an icy road on Dec. 23, 1983. After many weeks in a coma and the following months in rehabilitation, Wheeler came home to begin a new life.

At the time of the accident, he was a senior at Georgia Tech with a 3.2 GPA, president of the Ramblin’ Reck Club, treasurer of Sigma Nu fraternity, and an active member of ANAK, and in the Greek honor society Order

At 33, with support of family and friends, Wheeler founded the nonprofit Head Injured Pals (HIPS). HIPS’s charter was to provide information, support, and fun to individuals with head injuries and their families. During its peak, there were 600 members on the mailing list.

Wheeler was a lifelong Baptist and member of Smoke Rise Baptist Church for over 50 years. He received his Eagle Scout award from the church’s hosted troop.

He is survived by his mother, June Anne Wheeler; brother, Elzie Reynolds Wheeler III, and wife Debi; sister, Jane Darlene Long, and husband Gary; and nephews and nieces: Christopher Wheeler and wife Kara, Parker Long and wife Josephine; Greer Martin and husband Chip; and Joseph Wheeler. He was “Uncle Bruce” to their six children.

For the In Memoriam section of the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, we will include an abbreviated version of each obituary in print. Full obituaries can be found online under Alumni Updates at gtalumni.org/magazine. To report a death, please email bioupdate@gtalumni.org.

CAROLYN ELIZABETH WILLIAMS WHITE, PSY 69, OF BIG CANOE, GA., ON JAN. 2.

After graduating from Sandy Springs High School, White petitioned her way into the all-male psychology department at Georgia Tech. One of the self-proclaimed “early girls,” she was among the first 100 women to study at Tech and paved the way for generations of female students. Her pioneering ways continued in the male-dominated field of mergers and acquisitions in the 1980s, culminating in her position as executive vice president for a Fortune 500 company. Although she achieved much professional success, White would say that her greatest accomplishment was that of a mother and grandmother. She was an amazing role model and truly fit the definition of “super mom” in her selfless devotion to her family. She adored getting to know each of her grandchildren as individuals and passing down family traditions. In her

GROVER C. BAILEY, EE 56, of Atlanta, on Oct. 17, 2022.

RICHARD J. BELARDI, ME 53, of San Clemente, Calif., on Dec. 1, 2022.

DOUGLAS F. “DOUG” BIRCH, CHE 56, of Asheville, N.C., on Oct. 31, 2022.

WILLIAM D. BRADLEY, CE 57, of Chatsworth, Ga., on Nov. 24, 2022.

free time, White was an avid bridge player, a voracious reader, gardener, and traveler. Despite significant health challenges during the last part of her life, White demonstrated tremendous strength and courage. She never complained and always approached each day with a positive attitude.

White is survived by her husband of 50 years, Richard; her children, Sarah (Pascal) and Danny (Julie); and five grandchildren.

JOHN W. BROADFOOT, IM 59, of Amarillo, Texas, on Oct. 28, 2022.

RUDOLPH A. “RUDY” BROWN JR., IE 54, MS IM 59, of Gainesville, Ga., on Nov. 7, 2022.

REGINALD W. CHUNG, CE 55, of Tifton, Ga., on Nov. 3, 2022.

ELMER V. CLARKE JR., IM 53, of Gallipolis, Ohio, on Nov. 21, 2022.

PHILIP W. FRICK, AM 57, of Demorest, Ga., on July 4, 2022.

THOMAS L. GLAZE, IM 51, of Atlanta, on April 17, 2022.

ROBERT D. “BOB” GOTSCH, IM 59, of Roswell, Ga., on Nov. 7, 2022.

FRANK W. HAINES, ME 50, of Leesburg, Va., on May 4, 2019.

ROBERT C. “CLARK” HARRIS, AE 59, of Naples, Fla., on Nov. 26, 2022.

ROBERT M. “BOB” HILL, EE 54, of Woodstock, Ga., on Oct. 2, 2022.

ROBERT M. HOFFMAN, IE 59, of Nokomis, Fla., on Nov. 10, 2022.

JAMES R. HOLLAND, CE 55, of Watkinsville, Ga., on Dec. 16, 2022.

CLAUDE H. HOLLIS JR., IM 56, of St. Simons Island, Ga., on Oct. 28, 2022.

ROBERT C. HOLT, IE 58, of Clayton, Ga., on Oct. 18, 2022.

ANTHONY J. “TONY” IPPOLITO, CLS 58, of Atlanta, on Nov. 27, 2022.

EDWARD KRASNOW, IE 59, of Fairfield, Conn., on Dec. 8, 2022.

ROBERT L. LONGSHORE, IE 56, MS IE 67, of Irvington, Va., on Oct. 8, 2022.

CHARLES B. McCARTHY, CE 53, MS CE 57, of Chestnut Hill, Mass., on June 28, 2022.

CAROLYN ELIZABETH WILLIAMS WHITE: ONE OF TECH’S EARLY “CO-EDS”

Intelligence Agent

Stefan Faulkner’s Online Master of Science in Analytics degree first brought a promotion with his employer, the National Commercial Bank Jamaica — and then it propelled his career (and life) — in a whole new direction in AI.

How did the OMS Analytics program affect your career path?

The impact of what I learned and could immediately apply to my job was phenomenal. The courses quickly advanced my knowledge and skill set, which my employer recognized immediately. They were very impressed and promoted me from data analyst to data scientist while I was still an OMS Analytics student.

During my time in the program, I became fascinated with AI and machine learning and developed a profound desire to further deepen my understanding. In the end, my OMS Analytics degree shifted my career in a different direction, and I’m now living in the United States, pursuing my Ph.D. at Georgia Tech, and conducting research.

Why did you choose Georgia Tech’s OMS Analytics program?

There were three main reasons. First, it is an interdisciplinary program, which allowed me to take courses from Georgia Tech’s nationally-ranked engineering, computing, and business colleges. This was important to me because I wanted to see the whole data science landscape and how it worked across multiple industries.

Second, Georgia Tech’s reputation is global, so I knew no matter where I wanted to go after I earned my master’s, everyone would recognize Georgia Tech’s name. With Georgia Tech’s extensive industry and academic partnerships, I saw the OMS Analytics program as a stepping stone towards either further graduate studies or a senior role in data science.

And lastly, as an international student living in Jamaica, the budget-friendly tuition was important.

After earning your master’s, you moved to the U.S. and are now pursuing your Ph.D. in Machine Learning at Georgia Tech. What are your post-graduate plans?

I hope to secure a position as an applied or research scientist in the corporate sector. I am eager to continue my work at the intersection of machine learning, optimization, and data science, using these powerful tools to tackle real-world problems in the supply chain and energy systems industries. Additionally, I am interested in exploring the potential applications of these techniques in the healthcare, finance, and gaming sectors.

Online Master of Science in Analytics

• Top-5 nationally ranked program

• 100% online and self-paced

• Complete in 24-72 months

• Same faculty and curriculum as on-campus program

• 3 specialized tracks:

- Analytical Tools

- Business Analytics

- Computational Data

• Total tuition under $10,000

• No GRE/GMAT required

Read more about Stefan, his current graduate research work at AI4OPT - AI for Advances in Optimization, and his post-Ph.D. plans at pe.gatech.edu/blog/StefanFaulkner omsanalytics.gatech.edu

ALAN D. NACHT, TE 51, MS TE 53, of Martinsville, N.J., on Nov. 2, 2022.

WILLIAM S. OSTRANDER, ME 51, of Cincinnati, Ohio, on Dec. 29, 2022.

JAMES R. REICH SR., CHE 52, of Dalton, Ga., on Dec. 14, 2022.

FEN RHODES, IM 56, of Long Beach, Calif., on Nov. 30, 2022.

ARDEN D. ROGERS JR., EE 54, of Knoxville, Tenn., on Nov. 2, 2022.

NATHAN SAGER, ME 54, of Greenwood Village, Colo., on Nov. 10, 2022.

EDWIN L. “LEE” SKIPPER JR., TE 59, of Liberty Hill, S.C., on Oct. 27, 2022.

KWAN L. SO, ME 55, of La Jolla, Calif., on Nov. 8, 2022.

MARTIN A. TORRANCE, IM 57, of Atlanta, on Dec. 1, 2022.

WILLIAM T. “BILL” UNDERWOOD, CHE 50, of Roswell, Ga., on Oct. 27, 2022.

WILLIAM E. “BILL” WARNER, IM 58, of Dillard, Ga., on Dec. 8, 2022.

1960 s

DAVID H. ABERNATHY, AE 63, MS INFOSCI 71, of Winter Haven, Fla., on Dec. 16, 2022.

JERRY C. ANDERSON, IM 60, of Westminster, S.C., on Nov. 30, 2022.

LEWIS R. “RAY” BAKER JR., AE 61, MS AE 67, of Huntsville, Ala., on Nov. 24, 2022.

SHELDON L. BENNETT, ME 64, of Little River, S.C., on Dec. 8, 2022.

WILLIAM M. “BUDDY” BLACK III, IM 65, of Kennesaw, Ga., on Nov. 7, 2022.

CANDLER M. BROOM, IM 64, of Port St. Joe, Fla., on Dec. 4, 2022.

ROBINSON W. “ROB” BUCK, MS SANE 62, of Wethersfield, Conn., on Dec. 17, 2022.

LEROY H. “HENDERSON” FEAGIN JR., ME 60, of Indian Land, S.C., on Dec. 3, 2022.

ALTON D. FONVILLE JR., IE 60, of Richmond, Va., on Oct. 20, 2022.

CLAUDE D. GAMBLE JR., CLS 61, of Surf City, N.C., on Nov. 22, 2022.

ROBERT E. “BOB” GILBERT, CHE 66, of Pensacola, Fla., on Oct. 22, 2022.

JAMES F. GRANDUSKY, ME 61, of Allegany, N.Y., on Nov. 28, 2022.

MAXWELL B. “BERRY” GRANT JR., CLS 68, of Charlotte, N.C., on Oct. 26, 2022.

ROBERT W. “BOB” GREENE III, CHE 61, of Vero Beach, Fla., on Oct. 9, 2022.

EDWARD D. GRUBB, IE 62, of Macon, Ga., on Oct. 24, 2022.

WILLIAM L. “BILL” GUNN, ME 67, of Indian Trail, N.C., on Nov. 24, 2022.

RONALD C. HIGGINBOTHAM, IM 60, of Bellingham, Wash., on Nov. 3, 2022.

CHENG C. HSU, MS EE 66, of Atlanta, on Oct. 10, 2022.

ALLEN C. JOHNSON, MS CE 67, of Houston, Texas, on Dec. 16, 2022.

STEPHEN H. “STEVE” JONES, IM 69, of Midlothian, Va., on Oct. 10, 2022.

JAMES Y. KEEN, AM 66, MS INFOSCI 70, of Harvest, Ala., on Oct. 10, 2022.

ARA KEYFER, ARCH 67, of Anderson, S.C., on Oct. 8, 2022.

ROBERT S. KOONTZ, EE 64, of Deerfield, Va., on Oct. 27, 2022.

ALBERT J. “AL” LEDERLE, IM 63, of Wilmington, N.C., on Nov. 27, 2022.

ROBERT C. LEMERT JR., IE 63, of Winston-Salem, N.C., on Oct. 24, 2022.

JOHN A. MANN JR., BC 62, of Monroe, Ga., on Dec. 15, 2022.

WILLIAM E. “BILL” McGONIGAL SR., CHEM 61, PHD CHEM 65, of Savannah, Ga., on Dec. 13, 2022.

JOHN ARTHUR REAGAN: PROUD TKE ALUMNUS & COMMUNITY LEADER

JOHN ARTHUR REAGAN, ARCH 71, OF ATLANTA, ON NOV. 14, 2022.

Reagan found immense joy in immersing himself in the lives of family and friends. He gave of himself and all he possessed with abundance and embraced the Reagan family motto, “Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.”

He married the love of his life, Clare Bard Reagan, on Nov. 19, 1984. He eagerly adopted Clare’s two children, Emilie and Matthew, and loved them fiercely as his own. He imbued in them a deep understanding about the importance of family, encouraged them to find joy in the little things, and cultivated a passion for his beloved Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. It was during his time at Tech that he became a brother of Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity. The enduring friendships made there inspired his dedicated service to the fraternity throughout his life. He served on the chapter board as well as the national board and won numerous awards, including TKE alumnus of the year, the Southern Order of Honor, culminating in the prestigious Medal of Excellence in 2009. In honor of his service and that of his wife, who was a fraternity sweetheart, his fraternity brothers came together to establish

The Clare B. and John A. Reagan Scholarship Endowment Fund at The

REX A. MILLER, IM 60, of Pensacola, Fla., on May 22, 2022.

JOSEPH B. “JOE” MONTGOMERY III, ME 67, MS IS 69, of Waynesboro, Ga., on Dec. 9, 2022.

Georgia Tech Foundation. Reagan’s generosity of spirit extended beyond those he knew and made its mark throughout his adored Grant Park neighborhood, where he fought tirelessly to ensure its preservation and vibrancy through his leadership in the Grant Park Neighborhood Association, as a key advocate and supporter for the Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School, and as a long-time board member of Oakland Cemetery. Reagan was a longtime new urbanist architect and developer in the Atlanta area, and a retired partner at Urban Realty Partners.

Reagan is predeceased by his wife, Clare Bard Reagan. He is survived by his daughter, Emilie Henry; son, Matthew Reagan (Katy); and five grandchildren. In his final years, Nancy Dougher became an important person in his life, and John enjoyed the companionship and care of Nancy and her family. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Reagan’s honor to The Clare B. and John A. Reagan Scholarship Endowment Fund and sent to the Georgia Tech Foundation.

GEORGE E. RAMBO, PHYS 64, of Williamsburg, Va., on Oct. 31, 2022.

NEAL A. “ALLEN” ROBERTSON, IE 69, of St. Johns, Fla., on Oct. 29, 2022.

BILLY B. RYKARD, IE 62, of Columbus, Ga., on Oct. 30, 2022.

WILLIAM B. SAYE, IM 62, of Fernandina Beach, Fla., on Dec. 1, 2022.

EDWARD H. “ED” SCHNEIDER, ME 66, MS ME 68, of Sandy Springs, Ga., on Dec. 2, 2022.

ROBERT W. SELF, CHE 64, of Birmingham, Ala., on Nov. 14, 2022.

ROBERT H. SHACKELFORD, MS CE 66, of Corpus Christi, Texas, on Oct. 30, 2022.

RONALD F. “RON” SHEHANE, IE 68, of Nashville, Ga., on Dec. 12, 2022.

WALTER L. SHELTON, IM 60, of Atlanta, on Oct. 9, 2022.

FORREST D. SMITH, IM 65, of Cumming, Ga., on Nov. 14, 2022.

JAMES C. “JIM” SMITH, IM 66, of Atlanta, on Nov. 7, 2022.

THOMAS W. MORGAN JR., CLS 63, of Marshalltown, Iowa, on Nov. 16, 2019.

JEAN C. “CHRIS” PURVIS, BIO 69, of Beaverton, Ore., on Nov. 4, 2022.

WILLIAM R. STOKES III, CE 60, of Sautee Nacoochee, Ga., on Nov. 15, 2022.

THOMAS F. TALBOT, PHD ME 64, of Mountain Brook, Ala., on Nov. 1, 2022.

IN MEMORIAM

JOHN PAO TING

HSU: MECHANICAL ENGINEER

JOHN P. TING HSU, ME 56, OF PLAINVIEW, N.Y., ON NOV. 8, 2022.

Hsu was born in Shanghai, China, and immigrated to the United States at the age of 23. He worked extremely hard to receive his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech. His first job out of college was at the Cavalier Corporation, which produced soda machines exclusively for Coca Cola. He was instrumental in designing the mechanism that only allowed one Coca Cola bottle to be pulled out at a time in their line of refrigerated Coca Cola machines. Hsu retired after 27 years of being a mechanical engineer for Grumman. Among his various projects, he worked on every single Apollo lunar module that went to the moon, working on the flight control and landing gear on the lunar modules. He also worked on many Navy planes, including the F-14, the A-6, and the E-2C. In his personal life, he used his mechanical skills and ingenuity to single-handedly build a 14-foot sailboat to sail

BARBARA T. TERRELL, TE 64, of Clarksville, Tenn., on Oct. 23, 2022.

BILLY H. TERRELL, EE 61, of Clarksville, Tenn., on Oct. 20, 2019.

JAMES B. URQUHART III, MS ME 68, of Cullman, Ala., on Dec. 3, 2022.

1970 s

WILLIAM T. BAKER, MS IM 77, of Riverton, Utah, on Nov. 6, 2022.

around Lake Washington. Another of his side projects resulted in a patent for the improved maneuverability of a cartesian-type toy fish. His design appeared to bring the toy fish to life. Hsu was also a passionate tennis player and played for many years on the Grumman team. Hsu and his wife of 62 years, Katherine, enjoyed traveling the world together. He loved taking his family on cruises to the Caribbean and enjoying high tea in the afternoons with his grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife, Katherine, and children Geoffrey (Pamela) and Vivian Moy (Stephen), and six grandchildren. He is predeceased by his siblings, Margaret, Joan, and Paul.

RODDY N. BOWLDEN, IM 76, of Jonesboro, Ga., on Nov. 1, 2022.

RALPH B. “BARRY” BURNS, ME 70, of Columbia, S.C., on Oct. 26, 2022.

RICHARD H. “DICKIE” CARPENTER, BIO 74, of Irvington, Va., on Nov. 10, 2022.

ROBERT B. CLARKE, MS EE 77, of Riva, Md., on Dec. 1, 2022.

ROBERT P. “BOB” COCKERHAM, BC 71, of Memphis, Tenn., on Dec. 16, 2022.

STEPHEN E. DANIEL, IM 75, of Smyrna, Ga., on Dec. 10, 2022.

BRUNO R. DUNN, CHE 72, MS CHE 74, of Mooresville, N.C., on Nov. 19, 2022.

WILLIS J. “JACK” GLENN, EE 71, of Hull, Ga., on July 20, 2021.

KEITH E. HARDMAN, EE 76, of Arnoldsville, Ga., on Oct. 17, 2022.

RICHARD L. HARPER, IM 76, of Bettendorf, Iowa, on Oct. 8, 2022.

ALTON G. HARTLEY, IE 71, of Tucker, Ga., on Oct. 19, 2022.

ROBERT L. “BOB” HENRY III, MS BIO 79, of St. Petersburg, Fla., on Nov. 24, 2022.

JOHN R. JACOBS, MS INFOSCI 73, of Tucson, Ariz., on Oct. 19, 2020.

ANTHONY M. JEZIOR, MS IE 71, of Morrisville, N.C., on Oct. 14, 2022.

JOSEPH JOHNSON, IE 70, of Rockville, Md., on Jan. 9, 2021.

THOMAS F. “TOM” LANGFORD JR., EE 71, of Roswell, Ga., on Oct. 12, 2022.

STEPHEN A. LEMAY, ME 77, of Orland, Maine, on Aug. 31, 2019.

DANIEL K. MUSGROVE, CHE 70, of Perry, Fla., on Dec. 9, 2022.

DANIEL E. NOLEN JR., MS INFOSCI 70, of Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 7, 2022.

JAMES R. PASS, IM 77, of Hampton, Ga., on Nov. 4, 2022.

JAMES T. “TOM” PORTER, ARCH 72, of Fernandina Beach, Fla., on Nov. 6, 2022.

ALLEN B. QUAKENBUSH, CHE 79, of Lake Charles, La., on Nov. 6, 2022.

RICHARD N. “RICH” SPEER JR., MGT 70, of Hilton Head Island, S.C., on Dec. 6, 2022.

JACKSON E. SULLIVAN JR., M CRP 76, of Tallahassee, Fla., on Aug. 6, 2022.

CHARLES S. WALLACE, IM 75, of Brookhaven, Ga., on Oct. 14, 2022.

ROBERT E. “BOB” WHIDBY, APHYS 78, of Hopkins, S.C., on Nov. 17, 2022.

RALPH M. WHITE, EE 75, of Taos, N.M., on Oct. 22, 2022.

WILLIAM S. “BILL” YOUTIE, ESM 78, of Atlanta, on Dec. 10, 2022.

WILLIAM D. YOWELL, IM 73, of Orlando, Fla., on Aug. 17, 2022.

1980 s

STEPHEN P. BOVEE, MS EE 81, of La Mesa, Calif., on Nov. 1, 2022.

MARIE L. CURRY, MS INFOSCI 81, of Shawnee, Kan., on June 16, 2022.

MICHAEL M. “MIKE” GRIFFIN, CLS 87, of Nashville, Tenn., on Feb. 5, 2021.

DAVID HURLBUT, ID 89, of Selma, Ala., on Jan. 27, 2022.

JEFFREY L. LANDERS, IM 85, of Chickamauga, Ga., on Dec. 5, 2022.

STEPHEN E. “STEVE” NOVAK, IE 83, of Cornelius, N.C., on Nov. 29, 2022.

MICHAEL D. “MIKE” RUCKER, EE 83, of Fairburn, Ga., on Dec. 13, 2022.

LUZ C. SAGUIGUIT, IE 87, MS OR 91, of Robinsonville, Miss., on Nov. 1, 2022.

ROY A. STEEL III, APHYS 83, of Richmond Hill, Ga., on Oct. 12, 2022.

KEITH C. VAGLIENTI, INFOSCI 88, of Sugar Land, Texas, on Dec. 1, 2022.

PHILLIP G. WOOD, CHE 88, of Harrisburg, N.C., on Oct. 31, 2022.

1990

JEFFREY W. HARRELL, ME 95, of Ringgold, Ga., on Nov. 21, 2022.

CHRISTOPHER D. “CHRIS” GADDIS: FORMER ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BUILDING DIRECTOR

REV. CHRISTOPHER D. “CHRIS” GADDIS, AGE 59, OF ROYSTON, GA., ON DEC. 26, 2022.

Gaddis, a pastor of Woods Grove Baptist Church, served as the Georgia Tech Alumni Association’s building director for 30 years, overseeing the historic Alumni House and driving the Alumni Association’s Wreck. Gaddis was born on Nov. 30, 1963, in Atlanta. He was a 1981 graduate of Dacula High School. In 2018, he moved to Franklin County to become a farmer and pursue a life that he had long dreamed of. He was well known in his community and never met a stranger. A jack-of-all-trades, Gaddis was quick to help others in need and was the life of the party.

He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Tracy Smith Gaddis; sons, Adam (Ricky) Gaddis, Zak Gaddis, Hayden Gaddis; daughter, Kelsye Gaddis; uncle, Roger (Gaye) Strickland; aunts, Josephine Strickland, Martha Strickland, Juanita (Roger) Popp; four grandchildren, a niece, and three nephews.

ROBERT W. HESSER, MGT 91, of Nokesville, Va., on Oct. 19, 2022.

BRENT A. HINDMAN, ME 92, of Indian Trail, N.C., on Oct. 30, 2022.

DARRYL K. “KEITH” MATHIS, TE 91, of Panama City, Fla., on Nov. 6, 2022.

MARTHA B. “BETH” (BACON) PHARR, HPHYS 90, of Flowery Branch, Ga., on Dec. 1, 2022.

PHILLIP M. THOMAS, MS ESM 96, of Cleveland, Ga., on Oct. 27, 2022.

ZACHARY L. YOUNG, CE 96, of Decatur, Ga., on Nov. 1, 2022.

2000 s

SAMUEL G. DURBIN II, MS ME 02, PHD ME 05, of Albuquerque, N.M., on Nov. 11, 2022.

HOA GENERAZIO, PHD IE 00, of Springfield, Va., on Oct. 6, 2022.

ROBERT D. OWEN, CS 00, of Atlanta, on Nov. 28, 2022.

SAM K. RUSHING IV, CMPE 00, of Cumming, Ga., on Oct. 31, 2022.

2010

JOSHUA M. “JOSH” BYERLY, ME 14, of Ludowici, Ga., on Sept. 14, 2022.

CHRISTOPHER W. WALLIS, EE 11, of Decatur, Ga., on Nov. 14, 2022.

FRIENDS

THOMAS J. “TOM” ASHER, of Atlanta, on Dec. 25, 2022.

ESTHER “TERRY” ECKSTEIN, of Safety Harbor, Fla., on Oct. 23, 2022.

MARY W. JOHNSON, of Forest Park, Ga., on Aug. 25, 2022.

GEORGE A. MILLER, of Atlanta, on Sept. 8, 2022.

GERALD E. SMITH, of Loganville, Ga., on Dec. 6, 2022.

https://designbloc.gatech.edu/

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“At

70 YEARS OF WOMEN AT GEORGIA TECH CELEBRATING THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

BY KELLEY FREUND

67 years of its existence, Georgia Tech did not admit women. That changed 70 years ago. Since then, the women who have set foot on campus have earned research grants, been published as undergraduates, set records on athletic fields, led campus organizations, and left the Institute to make an impact in the world beyond. It hasn’t been easy. Along the way female students have had to prove why they belong. But Georgia Tech women know their selfworth. Here we look back at 70 years of women at Georgia Tech—women who have never been afraid to speak out about what they deserve, women who have never been afraid to make change.

first female letter winner, couldn’t help but laugh.

The locker room Shelander remembers as the sole woman on the men’s diving team from 1973 to 1976 was dreary and cramped. (Cramped, even though Shelander was often the only one in it, since there were no women’s athletic teams on campus.) It was

in the old Heisman gymnasium along with the team’s pool, and Shelander would have to make the long walk from the women’s dorms, restricted to the northwest side of campus, to get to practice on the southeast side. She was only allowed at away competitions if they were in the Atlanta area. At one such meet, her teammates, as the visiting team, used the opposing school’s women’s locker room while Shelander changed in a closet that housed firstaid supplies. If she went out with her friends for a fun evening her freshman year, she was expected back to her dorm at a certain time even though her male teammates did not have curfews. And at some point during her time at Tech, while she was earning her degree in physics, the ratio of men to women was 18:1.

But Shelander wasn’t fazed by any of it. By her junior year, she was winning first place most meets—against men. (She competed against another

DIANNA SHELANDER, APHYS 76

woman just once and lost.) During one meet, a male opponent who she had beaten commented it was unfair that he had to dive against a girl.

“And I thought, how fair is it that for all these years women didn’t even have the opportunity to dive or participate in any sport they wanted?” Shelander says.

Title IX’s passage in 1972 would change that for some. The 1970s saw other important milestones for women, including the Roe v. Wade ruling, the creation of Take Back the Night marches, and the launch of the first women’s studies department at San Diego State University. It was also in the late 1970s that women began to outnumber men in college programs. Back at Tech, in 1974 basketball

became the first women’s sport at the Institute to receive varsity status. But the school did not add a women’s swimming and diving team until 2001, 28 years after Shelander earned her first letter with the men’s organization.  “Times were changing,” Shelander says of her college years. “And they were at Tech, too—just very slowly.”

A NEW CENTER

When Stephanie Ray joined Georgia Tech’s staff as the inaugural associate dean and director for student diversity programs in 1997, the female population on campus was just over

19 percent. Ray likes to joke that her supervisor, Gail DiSabatino, left out a key item on the list of responsibilities the job entailed. Soon after her new employee arrived on campus at the end of March, DiSabatino said, “Did I mention you have to start a women’s resource center?”

“As a matter of fact, you didn’t,” Ray replied. “But tell me more.”

It was the Women’s Student Union who pushed the Institute’s

Image of students at a Yellow Jacket game from the 1981 Blueprint.

In 1956, Diane Michel and Shirley Clements Mewborn were the first two women to graduate from Georgia Tech.

A female student in a Tech classroom in the 1950s.

administrators to start a women’s center on campus. The organization, which participated in marches, provided escort services for the women’s health center, and offered workshops on reproductive health and selfdefense, was one of the first ones Raja Schaar, ID 01, joined as a freshman in 1996. (She would later serve as co-president.)

“When I arrived at Tech, there were still a lot of celebrating firsts,” Schaar says. “The first woman to do this or that was still happening. It was obvious the culture was still trying to get used to women on campus.”

But a unified voice for women at Georgia Tech would help change that. A resource center would offer female students a space where they could be themselves, provide the support and resources needed to be successful in a structure that was based on male students, and foster a sense of community.

When Georgia Tech’s Women’s Resource Center (WRC) opened in 1998, Schaar was one of the organization’s first student assistants. These leaders not only helped to establish the center’s early programs, but they made WRC’s office a welcoming place for students by painting the walls themselves, first in their one-room space, and then in their current suite in the Charles A. Smithgall Student Service Building.

In 2000, the WRC hired its inaugural director, Yvette Upton, whose grandmother once asked her if she was one of those “women libbers.” When Upton read the description for Tech’s new position, she said it was like reading her own resumé. And when she took the position, she told her friends, “I just got hired to raise hell on women’s issues.”

PRESENT

MAKING CHANGE

From 2000 until she left the Center in 2009, Upton helped further develop the programming for the WRC. But both Ray and Upton recall that a portion of their job in the early days was eradicating the myth that women at Georgia Tech were admitted just because they were women. That was never true, but Upton says it created the feeling for women at Tech that they had to prove themselves—and that it was a sign of weakness to get help from organizations like the WRC. Thankfully, that mentality has changed. Today there are over 40 women’s organizations on campus, such as the Society of Women Engineers and Women in Architecture that provide resources and a sense of community for female students.

“That says to me women are able to be these smart, accomplished students and also be comfortable being female in this space, however they define that for themselves,” Upton says. “It’s not something they have to hide or downplay to be successful at Georgia Tech. They can integrate those

different parts of themselves. And that’s powerful.”

For the past 25 years, the organization has worked to advance gender equity across identities by cultivating opportunities for community building, learning, leadership, and identity development for women at Georgia Tech. Annually in March, the organization celebrates Women’s Action Month with a series of programs that address gender equity, provides gender-based education, and recognizes women’s accomplishments. RISE (Reimagine, Inspire, Serve, Empower) is a first-year leadership organization for students interested in advancing gender equity and social justice. And the Women’s Leadership Conference offers the opportunity for students to develop themselves personally and professionally through speakers, workshops, and networking events. The WRC also partners with the Institute’s VOICE organization to host Take Back the Night. (VOICE also now offers resources for survivors of sexual assault, but from 2000 to 2015, the WRC filled that role.)

RAJA SCHAAR, ID 01

ANDREA LALIBERTE, IE 82, MS IE 84

TECH HISTORY

The WRC advances gender equity across all identities, but students can also turn to Tech’s Pride Alliance, whose roots go back to 1977, and the LGBTQIA Resource Center, which coordinates programs and events aimed at educating the Georgia Tech community about LGBTQIA issues, diversity, equity, and inclusion; and provides safe spaces for students to build a community and explore their identities.

Today, the percentage of women at Georgia Tech has reached 40 percent. But Ray says that no matter the percentage, women at Tech have never fallen short in commitment and service to the Institute and their community.

“To me, that is the essence of a Georgia Tech woman, and that has never changed,” she says. “What has changed is women have a better understanding of the contributions that they can make at Georgia Tech and beyond.”

WOMEN INSPIRING WOMEN

Schaar is one such alumna who is making an impact beyond Tech. She came to campus because she thought she wanted to be an engineer—until she discovered the Institute’s industrial design program, at the time just one of two in the state. Today, Schaar is the program director and an associate professor for the product design program at Drexel University. Her research focuses on addressing inequities in maternal health; innovation and entrepreneurship education; biologically inspired design and sustainability; and methods for engaging underrepresented minorities in STEM/STEAM

through design and technology. One of her projects, Black Girls STEAMing through Dance, is helping to curb the racial and gender disparities that exist within industrial design by introducing girls to the field at an early age. The program, aimed towards girls ages 7 to 12, combines coding, design, and dance.

“Girls have the opportunity to create dance programs and wearable technology, and work with different software,” Schaar says. “It’s giving them that exposure that I didn’t have before I came to Georgia Tech. I had no idea you could have as much fun doing what I do now.”

Andrea Laliberte, IE 82, MS IE 84, is another alumna hoping to inspire the next generation of women.

After growing up in a small town in Massachusetts, Laliberte was ready for a change, so she came to the big city of Atlanta for college. She went on to spend 19 years with the fashion company Coach, retiring as senior vice president of distribution.

Twenty-five years after graduating, Laliberte reconnected with her alma mater, moving to Atlanta for a gig as the Edenfield Executive-in-Residence in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering. She also served as chair of the Alumni Association and on several Tech boards.

“It was through these positions that I had the opportunity to hear the stories of so many amazing women,” Laliberte says. “During those years, it was always in the back of my mind: What can we do to recognize these women and celebrate them?”

She came up with the idea to tell the stories of the women from Georgia Tech through a structure near the John Lewis Student Center, to be formally dedicated this fall. Faculty, staff, and students gave their input for the design, and Merica May Jensen, Mgt 08,

FUTURE

They have different modes of thinking, and they have challenged my perspectives. I feel very fortunate to have found friends and mentors to help me achieve my goals.”

Last fall, Wright was selected as Ramblin’ Royalty for her community involvement. She is a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority, Campus Outreach, and the Georgia Tech EXCEL mentorship program, which enables students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to earn two certificates during their time at Tech. Wright oversees the organization’s mentorship program, which pairs a Georgia Tech student with EXCEL students to help them develop their academic and personal success.

M Arch 11, brought it to life.

“It will highlight the history of women at Tech, what women have accomplished after graduating, and celebrate women in a way that inspires future women at Georgia Tech,” Laliberte says. “And it’s designed so it can be added to for as many years as it exists.”

THE NEXT GENERATION

When Schaar did a talk on sustainable menstruation for the WRC’s RISE program last year, she was amazed at how well-versed the students were in the issues related to the talk. For Schaar, the event gave her a sense of pride in her alma mater and in the ability of the WRC to nurture young leaders.

Anushka Chalmeti is one such leader. A second-year studying biomedical engineering and pre-law, Chalmeti works as a student assistant in the WRC, greeting visitors and helping with administrative tasks and the center’s big events, like Take Back the Night.

In addition to her work at the WRC,

Chalmeti also does research on campus at an imaging lab, is completing a bioethics internship with Wellstar Health System, and is a volunteer for Jumpstart, which teaches literary skills to students in underserved communities.

“The experience at Georgia Tech can be isolating if you don’t find people who are going through similar things,” Chalmeti says. “The WRC, where I can learn about different aspects of feminism, where I’m surrounded by people who are passionate about social equity, is that community for me.”

Lizzie Wright, a fourth-year neuroscience major, feels the same way about building relationships.

“One of my main goals coming into college was to establish a strong community of women to support me throughout my time here and hopefully beyond,” Wright says. “When I look back on my time at Tech, I don’t really focus on my academic success but rather on the people I’ve had the privilege of becoming friends with.

Chalmeti is deciding whether she wants to be a lawyer or policy maker, or work in clinical bioethics. Wright plans to be a doctor in a low-income and/or public health setting. These two represent the next generation of women who have experienced growth and success on the campus of Georgia Tech. They have done so thanks to other empowered women on campus, and thanks to those who fought for change the past 70 years. Perhaps in the next 70 years, there will be a generation of students who, as Chalmeti says, can learn at Georgia Tech without the burden of breaking glass ceilings and fighting stereotypes.

“Women have been having this same conversation for millennia: that women have a right to be here, too, women defending their right to exist,” Schaar says.

“My hope is that someday we won’t have to make that case. I want to get to a point where we’re not talking about women at Georgia Tech, except to celebrate them.”

LIZZIE WRIGHT ANUSHKA CHALMETI

TECH MBA HOPES SUCCESS IS IN THE CARDS

BY TONY REHAGEN

on his friends without them knowing he created it. The new card game is designed for modern adults who want to party in moderation. “It’s a sipping game,” says Huey. “But you don’t have to drink alcohol at all to have a blast.”

swap, pass, or choose other players and order them to give a card or two or take a sip. And of course, there’s one “mash card,” the 21st century old maid, and whoever is left holding it takes sips as the loser.

IN 2020, DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC , Danza Huey, MBA 15, spent a lot of his spare time playing cards. He and his Atlanta pod of friends spent many nights sitting around the table dealing newer games like Cards Against Humanity and Exploding Kittens and older ones like Uno and Phase 10. To spice up the festivities, they decided to add a twist and make it a drinking game—a decision they quickly regretted.

“We realized that we were at the age where we don’t want to overconsume alcohol,” he says.

Huey drew inspiration from the game nights. He developed Party Card Mash Up, a product that he tested

When sitting down to invent a card game, Huey went back to his childhood. He grew up in Baton Rouge, and every Sunday after church, his family would go to his grandma’s house and sit around the card table. They played Spades as well as Hearts, and dealt the kids in on rounds of Go Fish and Old Maid, a particular favorite of young Huey. While pondering his new “sipping game,” Huey researched the origins of Old Maid, and was surprised to learn that it had started in the 1800s as a barroom pastime. The player left holding the titular queen would have to buy the next round of drinks.

Huey tags his game as Old Maid with a 21st century makeover. The rules are basically the same: Play your number pairs and put them in a discard pile. But you also have various party cards that allow you to reverse,

With the idea in hand, Huey ordered a prototype deck and started refining the rules. He also employed skills learned from his MBA at Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business and started building and marketing his brand, filing a trademark, starting an LLC, and even designing his own website. In 2022, he was also accepted into the Target Forward Founders Program, the retail giant’s 8-week accelerator for startup companies. Initial response to the first game was so overwhelmingly positive, Huey added two new games: Party Card Mash Up Soirée, based on the classic game President, and Party Card Mash Up House Party, modeled after Go Fish.

This year, Huey plans to add more games, including “sipping” spins on War and Spades, and further build brand awareness at events like South by Southwest and Essence Festival, a celebration of Black culture put on by the eponymous magazine.

But of all the enthusiasm his card games have generated, Huey knows he always has the perfect focus group on call. He still gathers with members of his pandemic pod, the first people to play Party Card Mash Up. “I lied and told them I just found this new game and wanted to play it,” he says. “It got great feedback because they didn’t have to drink their whole drink and the game itself felt familiar. They were like, ‘Where did you get this?’”

What does Roll Call mean to you?

Thousands of alumni make a gi to Roll Call every year – each for a reason that is important to them:

Some give to help students achieve their fullest potential as engineers and leaders.

Students like Maria Rain Jennings, MS ChBE 21, PhD ChBE 24, who has not only benefited from a Roll Call funded Georgia Tech President’s Fellowship, but also learned so much about mentorship and professional networking as an active member and mentor in the Roll Call supported Georgia Tech Women in Engineering (WIE) program.

For leaders like Zach McGee, CS 22, who benefited from many life-changing opportunities and learned invaluable lessons outside the classroom about leadership and team building thanks to programs that connected him with alumni mentors and like-minded students.

And others give to help ensure the future excellence of Georgia Tech.

Being the best means providing unmatched experiences for students, like the internship in the United States Senate that Kyle J. Smith, PP 22, experienced through Tech’s Roll Call supported Federal Jackets Fellowship.

No ma er the reason, when you support Roll Call, you are supporting superlative students just like Maria, Zach, and Kyle. Whether it helps fund the next generation of engineers, provides unmatched opportunities, or helps bring the very best to Tech, a gi to Roll Call preserves and enhances Georgia Tech’s legacy of excellence.

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Some give to help make the best-in-class student experience possible for the next generation of leaders and problem solvers.

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