Ten College of Science students visited Coca-Cola’s Atlanta headquarters for the inaugural Summer Science Career Trek organized by College of Sciences Career Educator James Stringfellow and Director of Alumni Relations Leslie Roberts.

“When students connect with those in the corporate world, they can better envision themselves in a professional setting,” says Stringfellow. “Interactions between industry leadership and our students promote internship and full-time employment opportunities and help them expand their networks and gain valuable industry connections. Plus, the benefits go both ways as employers meet talented students from the College of Sciences.”

The event featured a tour of the Coca-Cola campus, panel discussion, and networking session — hosted by Georgia Tech alumni working at Coke. Throughout the morning, the Yellow Jacket alumni shared career advice, job search insights, and personal stories about their career trajectories.

“As a Georgia Tech student, I used to look across the street from the Skiles Building and wonder: what do they do over there at Coke? I could never have imagined one day I’d actually work there as the head of Behavioral Science,” said Cerita Bethea, who earned a master’s degree in engineering psychology from the Institute. “I think it’s critical for those of us in industry to give students exposure to the application of their degrees and help build their network.”

Participating students praised the chance to speak with alumni and learn about working at the beverage giant:

• “It was encouraging to see alumni with biology backgrounds working in different areas outside of the traditional research pathways,” says Yanatan Amsalu, a fourth-year undergraduate majoring in biology.
• “I’m starting the job search process and their advice is extremely helpful. “They provided great information about the importance of networking, particularly with Georgia Tech alumni, and shaping a strong pitch to appeal to industry and recruiters,” adds Mert Duezguen, a fourth-year biomedical engineer.
• “I found it inspiring. It was a great opportunity to speak to alumni, especially women, and hear how they built their careers,” says Wa Yang, a fifth-year chemistry major.

Yellow Jacket alumni panelists included Cerita Bethea, who recently retired from Coke; Anthony Diaz (EAS 2001, MBA 2013), senior director HR Planning and Project Management Office; Allison Maloney (BIO 2015, MBA 2021), director, Bottler Capability Development; and Kelliann Chevalier-Morrisey (BSBA 2015), director, North America Portfolio Strategy and Human Insights. Additional panelists included Fernanda Martins, senior director, Functional Ingredient Platform; and Rachel Odolski, associate flavorist.

Double Jacket Diaz enjoyed the opportunity to connect with current students:

“Meeting the Georgia Tech College of Sciences students was an incredibly rewarding experience. Sharing my journey from Tech to Coke generated lively discussions and hopefully helped open doors to exciting new career paths. It was a joy to see their enthusiasm and to contribute to shaping our future leaders!”

Roberts and Stringfellow look forward to continuing their efforts to give students in-depth and personal experiences with industry leaders — and provide alumni an avenue to engage with the College of Sciences and Georgia Tech. Upcoming events include a Shadow Day where students visit local industry, the annual College of Sciences Student and Alumni Leadership Dinner, and another Career Trek to a global industry leader.

 “Yellow Jacket alumni are one of our most valuable and impactful resources,” says Roberts. “Stay tuned for future career/alumni collaborations.”

Four College of Sciences alumni have been selected as members of the 2024 class of 40 under 40. Launched by the Georgia Tech Alumni Association in 2020, this program "highlights the work of Yellow Jackets around the globe whose innovative spirits inspire us all." 

“With hundreds of Jackets nominated, this was an especially competitive year,” says Leslie Roberts, director of alumni relations at the College of Sciences. “I am proud of the work that College of Sciences alumni have contributed towards improving the human condition, and I am excited to join in honoring these four individuals.”

From advancing investments in infrastructure to improving outcomes in individuals with mobility impairments, learn how these four Sciences alumni are championing innovation. 

Kinsey Herrin, M.S. PO 2010 

Senior Research Scientist | Georgia Institute of Technology

Kinsey Herrin is a senior research scientist in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the director of the Human Interface Design Development and Engineering lab. Her research focuses on advancing state-of-the-art assistive and rehab technology and studying the associated outcomes in individuals with mobility impairments. She is passionate about advancing technology and clinical care to improve mobility and quality of life for individuals with disabilities. She completed her residency training in orthotics at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and prosthetics at the University of Michigan and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists. 

Favorite Tech Memory: The slide at the Georgia Tech pool was one of my favorite things to do with friends after triathlon training at the gym!

Hannah (Hatchell) Liu, M.S. BI 2017 

Senior Manager, Data Analysis | Natera

Hannah (Hatchell) Liu is a graduate of Georgia Tech’s master’s program in Bioinformatics and has an undergraduate degree in Neuroscience from Pomona College. She began her career in molecular diagnostics at the genetic testing company Invitae as a clinical informatics scientist and subsequently as a people leader in the Dry Lab Operations group. Her time at Invitae cultivated her passion for supporting the accessibility and affordability of genetic information for everyone to improve health outcomes. She is excited to continue working toward this mission as she starts a new role in Natera’s Data Science group as a senior manager. 

Favorite Tech Memory: The relieved and accomplished feeling after I gave my master’s capstone presentation to Professor Soojin Yi and her lab.

Ariel Marshall, Ph.D. CHEM 2014 

Chief of Staff, Office of the Under Secretary for Science and Innovation | U.S. Department of Energy

Ariel Marshall is the chief of staff to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Under Secretary for Science and Innovation. Before assuming this role, Marshall served as the legislative director for Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. During Marshall’s nearly nine-year tenure on Capitol Hill, she helped to advance several impactful government policies and led efforts to secure historic investments in energy, water, and broadband infrastructure as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Central Arkansas and a doctorate degree in Chemistry from Georgia Tech. 

Favorite Tech Memory: I will always treasure the time I spent working with Professor Joseph Perry and the friends I made while at Tech.

Emily Weigel, BIO 2010 

Senior Academic Professional | Georgia Institute of Technology

Emily Weigel is a nationally recognized educator and senior academic professional (teaching and advising faculty) in the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Georgia Tech and obtained dual doctorates in Zoology and in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior from Michigan State University. Dr. Weigel’s research revolves around what wild animals do around Atlanta and the world, and in understanding how student backgrounds, values, and responses to teaching methods impact their academic performance. Outside of Tech, she enjoys playing soccer, watching Netflix, and promoting STEM in the community. 

Favorite Tech Memory: Convincing 10 other I-House residents to jam with me for an extra-credit cover of Wonderwall dedicated to biologist Barbara McClintock.

Learn more about the 2024 class on the Georgia Tech Alumni Association’s website or by exploring this interactive honoree dashboard.

Nine early-career professors will pursue cutting-edge climate mitigation research during the upcoming year as part of the Seed Grant Challenge for Climate Solutions created by the Strategic Energy Institute (SEI) and the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems (BBISS). 

Launched in April during the Frontiers in Science: Climate Action Conference and Symposium, the Challenge “provides seed funding for climate mitigation and adaptation research led by ambitious early-career faculty eager to work across disciplines,” explains Beril Toktay, Regents’ Professor and interim executive director of BBISS. 

One goal of the Challenge is to facilitate research collaboration across the Institute. “Transitioning to a sustainable, clean energy system requires concerted collaboration across diverse disciplines,” says Tim Lieuwen, Regents’ Professor, David S. Lewis, Jr. Chair, and executive director of SEI. “Initiatives like this are instrumental in paving the way for such groundbreaking interdisciplinary work.” 

The four selected proposals include researchers from five different schools and two centers, and will investigate biodiversity, coral reef resilience, lithium-ion battery recycling, and coastal resilience. “I am pleased with the range of proposals submitted by our assistant professors,” adds Susan Lozier, dean of the College of Sciences and Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair and professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. “Each proposal represents an opportunity to combine expertise from across the Institute to deepen our understanding of climate challenges and uncover possible solutions.”

Each of the following projects will receive a $15,000 seed grant to be used during the 2025 fiscal year:

Climate Solutions in the Most Biodiverse Regions on Earth: Testing Whether Warming Temperatures have set in Motion an “Escalator to Survival” in Tropical Rainforests

• Benjamin Freeman, assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences
• James Stroud, assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences
• Saad Bhamla, assistant professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
• Amirali Aghazadeh, assistant professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

The research team seeks to test the “escalator to survival” concept, which theorizes that lowland tropical species will only be able to persist in the face of rising temperatures if they are able to shift their ranges to nearby foothills and mountains, where temperatures remain cooler. 

Macro- and Microscale Drivers of Coral Reef Resilience in a Changing Climate

• Isaiah W. Bolden, assistant professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
• Lauren Speare, assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences and the Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection

The research team will develop transformative tools to evaluate reef health and resilience; detect impending compositional changes; determine the capacity for reef regeneration; and elevate mitigation strategies that preserve reef diversity and ecosystem services.

A Workforce and Community-Engaged Team Building Approach for Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling in the U.S. Southeast: Addressing Social and Ecological Implications 

• Joe F. Bozeman III, assistant professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the School of Public Policy
• Jennifer Hirsch, senior director of the Center for Sustainable Communities Research and Education

This project will build a transdisciplinary team to determine how to effectively unite community stakeholders, industry, social scientists, and engineers when applying for external grants to equitably establish a U.S. southeastern hub for EV-battery lithium recycling.

Building Coastal Resilience: Science-based Adaptive Solutions to Mitigate Hurricane-Induced Compound Flooding in the Southeast U.S.

• Ali Sarhadi, assistant professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

This project will quantify the risks associated with hurricane-induced compound flooding in a warming climate by developing physics-based hydrodynamic and AI models. The project aims to promote geographic equity in climate resilience and develop science-based, cost-effective adaptation strategies through active community engagement in Savannah, Georgia and Jacksonville, Florida.

Principal Academic Professionals Linda Green from the School of Biological Sciences and Mary Peek from the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry have been awarded Innovation Incubator grants from the Institute's Transformative Teaching and Learning (TTL) initiative. The grants support the development, implementation, and evaluation of transformative teaching projects in undergraduate courses and focus on CUREs (course-based undergraduate research experiences). 

They are part of the second round of TTL grants awarded to Georgia Tech faculty—and the first to go to faculty from the College of Sciences. Peek's initiative in the Biochemistry Laboratory II class will enable students to engage in hands-on research, while Green's Urban Ecology students will focus on studying the impact of green infrastructure in urban settings.

“The projects proposed by these College of Science faculty will bring the real world into—and beyond the traditional classroom,” says Kate Williams, QEP faculty co-director for the Office of Undergraduate Education and a senior academic professional for the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) who leads faculty-facing efforts for the TTL initiative. “We congratulate Peek and Green who earned these grants, but the real winners are the students who will benefit from these exciting experiential education programs.”

Mary Peek: Next Level Biochemical Education, Learning through Mini-CUREs 

In Peek’s CHEM 4582 – Biochemistry Laboratory II class, students will design and conduct experiments to support research projects spearheaded by Biochemistry faculty.

“As a career educator, I am always looking for ways to transform and improve both teaching and learning,” says Peek. “With this grant, I am especially excited to empower my students to stop thinking of themselves as students —and start thinking of themselves as scientists.”

Biochemistry Laboratory II students will begin the semester doing planned experiments to learn the basics of working in a laboratory and then conduct their own research, proposing an experimental design to investigate the established problems presented by faculty. Biochemistry professors and their designated liaisons will serve as “clients” for the student teams. 

“We hope to transform student learning by establishing a real-world research scenario where students take more ownership of their contributions, defend their work, and gain an appreciation for how challenging scientific discovery can be,” says Peek. “If the students generate quality data that has merit and addresses the problem effectively, they even have the potential to get their work published.” 

Throughout the semester, there will be frequent opportunities to consult and collaborate with research faculty, teaching assistants, and other students in the class. The course culminates in seminar-style presentations of students’ work. 

“My goal is for the Biochemistry Teaching Laboratory Mini-CUREs to inspire more critical and creative thinking, motivating students to integrate their knowledge and skills, collaborate more effectively, and become life-long learners,” sums up Peek.

Linda Green: Testing the Impact of Green Infrastructure in Urban Ecology 

Green will use the award to add an experiential component to her BIOS 4803: Urban Ecology class.

“This grant provides an opportunity to immerse students in the outdoors and provide valuable hands-on research to supplement their classroom experience,” says Green.

Students in the class will explore interactions between nature and people in city settings, investigating the impact of nature on the supply of healthy air, water, and food, as well as the human impact of climate change, pollution, and habitat alteration on urban biodiversity. 

“Nature exists within the gray infrastructure of buildings and roads,” says Green. “I’m excited to see where the students take their research—to not just find connections between nature and city life—but then share that knowledge with others.” 

Students will be challenged to develop a project around an element of green infrastructure, then document its effectiveness in improving the community.

“For their final projects, I’m envisioning a website where student findings will be highlighted in museum-style infographics to communicate the science to a public audience,” says Green.