Mutations in genes encoding histones, which package DNA into chromatin, have been identified as cancer drivers, yielding oncohistones. Most of the validated oncohistones support single amino acid mutations that occur at lysines that support histone posttranslational modification (PTM), which perturbs the histone PTM landscape. Here, we examine the oncogenicity of a series of globular domain histone H3 mutations in which any residue is mutated to a lysine, “H3 X to K,” which were identified as recurrent H3 missense mutations in human cancers. H3 X to K mutation promotes oncogenic growth in immortalized but untransformed human cells. Some H3 X to K mutations alter PTMs at proximal H3 residues. Bulk RNA sequencing comparing H3 X to K mutant expression with wildtype H3 expressing cells identifies alterations in expression of genes implicated in unique cancer-related pathways. To complement studies in human cells, we created a budding yeast model where we express H3 X to K mutants as the sole cellular copy of histone H3 or in the presence of wildtype H3, which simulates the dominant phenotype observed in human cancers. Expression of some H3 X to K mutations in yeast confer growth sensitivity to DNA damage and general cellular stress in a dominant fashion. Together, these studies suggest that H3 X to K mutation within the H3 globular domain creates bona-fide oncohistones that disrupt normal growth through altering histone PTMs, the transcriptome, and/or DNA damage repair.
Event Details
The University System of Georgia Board of Regents has approved a new Neuroscience and Neurotechnology Ph.D. Program at Georgia Tech.
The interdisciplinary degree is a joint effort across the Colleges of Sciences, Computing, and Engineering. The program expects to enroll its first graduate students in Fall 2025, pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
The Institute Curriculum Committee has also approved a new Minor in Neuroscience, set to become available in the Georgia Tech 2024-2025 Catalog.
B.S. in Neuroscience
The Ph.D. and Minor offerings build on the recently launched Neuro Next Initiative in Research, and the established Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, respectively.
Approved by the Board of Regents in 2017, the interdisciplinary B.S. in Neuroscience degree in the College of Sciences enrolled more than 400 undergraduate students in 2022, and has been the fastest growing undergraduate major at Georgia Tech.
The B.S. in Neuroscience is also key to a strong ecosystem of undergraduate neuroscience education across the state, which includes peer programs at Mercer University, Augusta University, Georgia State University, Agnes Scott College, and Emory University.
Ph.D. in Neuroscience and Neurotechnology
The new doctoral degree will provide a path for the rapidly growing pipeline of in-state neuroscience undergraduate students and young alumni — while also welcoming a wider slate of graduate researchers to campus.
The Ph.D. Program’s mission is focused on educating students to advance the field of neuroscience through an interdisciplinary approach, with scientists and engineers of different backgrounds — ultimately integrating neuroscience research and technological development to study all levels of nervous system function.
Biological Sciences Professor Lewis A. Wheaton, who chaired the Ph.D. Program Planning Committee, shares that a cohort model will fuse “experimental and quantitative skill development, creating opportunities for students to work in science and engineering labs to promote collaborations, while also fostering a program and community that’s unique to the state and against national peer offerings.”
Expanding innovation — and impact
Wheaton explains that the new Ph.D. aims to equip graduates for a wide range of employment opportunities and growing specializations, including computational neuroscience, neurorehabilitation, cultural and social neuroscience, neuroimaging, cognitive and behavioral neuroscience, developmental neuroscience, and neurolinguistics.
The new degree will also help meet the country’s growing demand for a neuro-centric workforce. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for medical scientists (including neuroscientists) tracked around 13% between 2012 and 2022, faster than the average for all tracked occupations.
Wheaton adds that the program will equip neuroscientists to conduct research that can significantly improve lives.
Seeking students
The Planning Committee anticipates a tentative February 1, 2025 application deadline for Fall 2025 enrollments — and encourages students with the following interests to learn more and apply in the coming school year:
- Developing deeper quantitative, computing and/or engineering skills to make scientific discoveries that support innovations in neuroscience
- A clear, comprehensive understanding of the nervous system at all scales from molecular to systems
- Understanding how to use and innovate new tools and approaches to investigate the nervous system at all levels
- Becoming uniquely qualified to translate knowledge across neuroscience and related disciplines to create new knowledge in their professional pursuits
Director search
The participating Colleges will soon conduct a search for a program director, engaging a tenured member of the Georgia Tech faculty to serve as the new program’s administrator. A graduate program committee composed of five faculty members and mentors across the Colleges of Sciences, Computing, and Engineering, will also be created.
During their April 2024 meeting, Regents also announced budget approvals and tuition changes for Georgia's 26 member institutions.
The Ph.D. Program Planning Committee included the following faculty:
- Lewis Wheaton (Committee Chair, Biological Sciences)
- Constantine Dovrolis (Computer Science)
- Christopher Rozell (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
- Eric Schumacher (Psychology)
- Garrett Stanley (Biomedical Engineering)
- David Collard (College of Sciences Office of the Dean)
Robots that can run, jump, and even talk have shifted from the stuff of science fiction to reality in the past few decades. Yet even in robots specialized for specific movements like running, animals are still able to outmaneuver the most advanced robotic developments.
Georgia Tech’s Simon Sponberg recently collaborated with researchers at the University of Washington, Simon Fraser University, University of Colorado Boulder, and Stanford Research Institute to answer one deceptively complex question: Why can’t robots outrun animals?
“This work is about trying to understand how, despite have some really amazing robots, there still seems to be a gulf between the capabilities of animal movement and what we can engineer,” says Sponberg, who is Dunn Family Associate Professor in the School of Physics and School of Biological Sciences.
Recently published in Science Robotics, their study systematically examines a suite of biological and robotic runners to figure out how to further advance our best robotic designs.
“In robotics design we are often very component focused — we are used to having to establish specifications for the parts that we need and then finding the best component solution,” said Sponberg, who also serves on the executive committee for Georgia Tech's Neuro Next Initiative. “This is of course not how evolution works. We wondered if we systematically analyzed the performance of animals in the same component way that we design robots, if we might see an obvious gap.”
The gap turns out not to be in the function of individual robotic components, but rather the ability of those components to work together in the seamless way biological components do, highlighting a field of opportunity for new research in robotic development.
“This means that the frontier is not necessarily figuring out how to design better motors or sensors or controllers,” says Sponberg, “but rather how to integrate them together — this is where biology really excels.”
Read more about man versus machine and the future of bioinspired robotics here.
April is Earth Month, and according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2023 was the warmest year on record for our planet. As the global conversation around the climate and humans’ effect on it continues, Georgia Tech researchers are taking a leading role in quantifying the issues posed by climate change and crafting solutions for the road ahead.
The latest episode of Generating Buzz follows the College of Sciences’ Frontiers in Science event, giving listeners an opportunity to hear from experts, including dean and renowned oceanographer Susan Lozier, Associate Professor Alex Robel, Professor Valerie Thomas, and Associate Vice President of Sustainability Jennifer Chirico as they explore the intersection of science, policy, and human nature.
April 12 is a significant date in the history of exploration, as it marks the first space flight of a human, Yuri Gagarin, in 1961. This year on April 12, the Georgia Tech Space Research Initiative (Space RI) hosted an event highlighting the Institute’s interdisciplinary space research. The Yuri’s Day Symposium was Space RI’s first public event.
A multidisciplinary initiative, the Space RI brings together faculty, researchers, and students from across campus who share a passion for space exploration. Their combined research explores a broad array of space-related topics, all considered from a human perspective.
“Launching Georgia Tech’s Space Research Initiative reinforces our commitment to advancing our understanding of space and our universe,” said Executive Vice President for Research Chaouki Abdallah. “It is also a testament to Georgia Tech's unwavering dedication to pushing the limits of what is possible and to fostering innovations that benefit humankind.”
The symposium was organized by Glenn Lightsey, interim executive director of the Space RI, and the Space RI steering committee, which consists of representatives from the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) and the Colleges of Engineering, Computing, and Sciences, the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, and the Scheller College of Business. The day began with remarks from Research leadership and an overview of the Space RI and its mission. “This is an exciting time for space exploration at Georgia Tech and across the world,” Lightsey said. “Space research is a critical part of solving our world’s most challenging problems and improving life for everyone on Earth.”
Space research and exploration yield many societal benefits that improve life on Earth and even foster economic growth. These advances include rapidly evolving technologies, improvements in medicine, and the development of enhanced materials — such as self-healing materials and those designed for extreme environments. Additionally, space research provides essential tools, data, and insights for climate scientists.
Sessions and panels throughout the day covered space science, space media, NASA’s Moon to Mars program, GTRI’s space research program, commercial space initiatives, and space in popular culture. A.C. Charania, NASA’s chief technologist and a Georgia Tech alumnus, delivered the keynote address. He shared insights into his work at NASA and Moon to Mars.
Following the symposium, the Space RI hosted a “star party” at the Georgia Tech Observatory. People of all ages gathered at the event, where they could use the observatory’s telescope to observe the moon, Jupiter, and the Orion Nebula, an immense cloud of dust and gas from which new stars are born.
“It was a clear night, and we were able to view the lunar terminator — the boundary where the sun is setting on the moon — which accentuates craters and mountains,” said Lightsey. “It was exciting to officially launch our initiative on a day when the world celebrated space exploration and the star party was a fantastic way to end our event.”
In July 2025, the Space RI will transition into one of Georgia Tech’s Interdisciplinary Research Institutes. Learn more about the initiative at space.gatech.edu.
Sign up to receive space news and event updates from the Space RI.
In the weeks after Commencement, Andrew Rogers, a master's medical physics candidate, will begin looking for a place to live in Texas for his residency, take a family vacation to Alaska, and return to his hometown of Augusta, Georgia, to pack for his big move.
But a busy travel schedule is nothing new for Rogers. Diagnosed with hepatoblastoma at the age of 3, he spent over a decade traveling between Augusta, Philadelphia, and Atlanta, with lengthy hospital stays in between, undergoing treatment for the rare childhood liver cancer.
Given a prognosis with a "one-in-a-million" chance of survival, Rogers had two liver transplants before the cancer spread to his lungs and brain. In total, he endured 50 surgeries before his 13th birthday, and it was during the countless trips to Atlanta that he dreamed of two things — attending Georgia Tech and making a difference for kids facing similar struggles.
Unlike chemotherapy or other procedures, Rogers found radiation therapy to be a painless experience, in part thanks to the radiation therapists administering the treatment.
"They may not have thought much of it at the time, but in those moments, by playing with me, making me laugh, making me a Spiderman radiation mask, they helped me forget — even for a second — that I had cancer and helped me enjoy life. I think about that every day. I hope to one day change a child's life like my therapists did for me,” he said.
Now 18 years cancer-free, Rogers earned a bachelor's degree in radiation therapy from Augusta University. A program director told him about Georgia Tech's medical physics program, and, since arriving at the Institute in 2021, he has sought hands-on experience in the field. Completing the clinical portion of the program through a partnership with the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Rogers learned each role within the rotation.
"From booting up machines and checking on patients to everything else, I just started wanting to come in every day. I'd go in for free just because I love what I'm doing," he said.
Rogers wasn't immune to the stresses of everyday college life, but he approached them with a positive perspective.
"My parents told me that there's always a light at the end of every tunnel, and it's always going to be worth it in the end. So, I will keep telling myself and everybody else that when they're going through a hard time, keep pushing,” he said. “Things may be painful and stressful now, but think about what you will achieve in the future and the people you will help get through battles of their own. That will always keep me motivated."
Rogers isn't done with medical appointments, but with each yearly checkup, he never tires of hearing the words he hopes to deliver in his career: "All clear."
James T. Stroud has been named an Early Career Fellow by the Ecological Society of America.
He joins the ranks of nine newly appointed ESA Fellows and ten 2024-2028 ESA Early Career Fellows, elected for "advancing the science of ecology and showing promise for continuing contributions" and recently confirmed by the organization's Governing Board.
Stroud, an Elizabeth Smithgall Watts Early Career Assistant Professor in the School of Biological Sciences, is an integrative evolutionary ecologist who investigates how ecological and evolutionary processes may underlie patterns of biological diversity at the macro-scale.
He primarily studies lizards and his research is highly multidisciplinary, combining field studies with macro-ecological and evolutionary comparative analyses. Stroud’s current interests are particularly focused on measuring natural selection in the wild, often taking advantage of non-native lizards as natural experiments in ecology and evolution.
Earlier this month, Stroud presented his recent work at the inaugural College of Sciences Frontiers in Science: Climate Action Conference and Symposium, joining more than 20 faculty experts and 100 stakeholders from across all six colleges at Georgia Tech to discuss climate change, challenges, and solutions.
Stroud joined the Georgia Tech faculty in August 2023. He earned a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution from Florida International University.
"I am thrilled to recognize the exceptional contributions of our newly selected Fellows and Early Career Fellows,” says ESA President Shahid Naeem. “Their groundbreaking research, unwavering commitment to mentoring and teaching and advocacy for sound science in management and policy decisions have not only advanced ecological science but also inspired positive change within our community and beyond. We celebrate their achievements and eagerly anticipate the profound impacts they will continue to make in their careers."
ESA will formally acknowledge and celebrate its new Fellows for their exceptional achievements during a ceremony at ESA’s 2024 Annual Meeting in Long Beach, California.
About ESA Fellowships
ESA established its Fellows program in 2012 with the goal of honoring its members and supporting their competitiveness and advancement to leadership positions in the Society, at their institutions, and in broader society. Past ESA Fellows and Early Career Fellows are listed on the ESA Fellows page.
About ESA
The Ecological Society of America, founded in 1915, is the world’s largest community of professional ecologists and a trusted source of ecological knowledge, committed to advancing the understanding of life on Earth. The 8,000 member Society publishes six journals and a membership bulletin and broadly shares ecological information through policy, media outreach, and education initiatives. The Society’s Annual Meeting attracts 4,000 attendees and features the most recent advances in ecological science. Visit the ESA website at https://www.esa.org.
The following members of the Tech community were honored at the 2024 Faculty and Staff Honors Luncheon on Friday, April 26.
Georgia Tech Chapter Sigma Xi Awards
Best Faculty Paper Award
Christopher Rozell
Julian T. Hightower Chair and Professor
Electrical and Computing Engineering
Sankaraleengam Alagapan
Research Scientist II
Electrical and Computing Engineering
Shu Jia
Associate Professor
Biomedical Engineering
Young Faculty Award
Juan-Pablo Correa-Baena
Assistant Professor
Materials Science and Engineering
Yue Chen
Assistant Professor
Biomedical Engineering
Sustained Research Award
Facundo Fernandez
Regents’ and Vasser-Wooley Professor
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Institute Research Awards
Outstanding Achievement in Research Enterprise Enhancement
Anton Bryksin
Regents’ Professor
Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences
Outstanding Achievement in Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Research
Mary Frank Fox
Dean’s Distinguished Professor
Public Policy
Outstanding Achievement in Early Career Research Award
Lindsey Rose Bullinger
Assistant Professor
Public Policy
Outstanding Achievement in Research Innovation Award
Emmanouil (Manos) M. Tentzeris
Ed and Pat Joy Chair in Antennas
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Advisor Award
Moinuddin Qureshi
Professor
Computer Science
Outstanding Faculty Research Author Award
Feryal Özel
Chair and Professor
Physics
Outstanding Achievement in Research Engagement and Outreach Award
Shreyes N. Melkote
Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Outstanding Achievement in Research Program Development Award
UNCAGE-ME
Ryan P. Lively
Professor
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Krista Walton
Associate Vice President for Research Operations and Infrastructure
Research
David Sholl
Professor
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Leslie Schlag
Grants Administrator Lead
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Christopher W. Jones
Professor and John F. Brock III School Chair
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Rochelle Moses
Program and Operations Manager
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Outstanding Achievement in Research Program Impact Award
Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory
Dimitri Mavris
Regents' Professor and Director
Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory
Michelle R. Kirby
Senior Research Engineer
Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory
Elena Garcia
Advanced Methods Division Chief
Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory
Olivia J. Pinon Fischer
Principal Research Engineer
Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory
ANAK Awards
Outstanding Faculty ANAK Award
Jacqueline Garner
Senior Lecturer
Scheller College of Business
Outstanding Staff ANAK Award
Carolina Amero
Senior Director – Auxiliary Services
Campus Services
Staff Performance Awards
Acting With Ethics First Award
Library Finance
Verstell Agee
Financial Analyst
Library
Cheryl Parker
Financial Manager II
Library
Embracing All Voices Award
Monica Jackson
Employer Connections Coordinator
Career Center
One Giant Leap Award
Brent O’Guin
Tech Strategist and Architect Senior
OIT – Enterprise App and Data
One Small Step Award
Andrew James George
Public Services Associate II
Library
Rachel Watts
Training Generalist Senior
Workplace Learning and Professional Development
Service to the Community Award
Melody Foster
Unit Administrative Officer
Mechanical Engineering
Cultivate Well-Being Award
Jamaal D. Taylor
General Safety Manager
Environmental Health and Safety
Leading By Example in Sustainability Award
Ashley E. Carr
Finance and Operations Specialist
Procurement and Business Services
Putting Students First Award
Marc Ebelhar
Graduate Student Success Specialist
Office of Graduate Education
Rising Wreck Award
Casey Hayes
Systems Development Engineer Senior
OIT – Enterprise App and Data
Karena Ha Nguyen
Assistant Director of Postdoctoral Services
Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Education
Naima Barton
Assistant Director of Administrative Operations
Office of the Provost
Leadership in Action Award
Brittany McCormick
Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications
Scheller College of Business
Monifa Skelton-Wells
Academic Program Manager
Mechanical Engineering
Excellence Award
Michelle Powell
Director
Strategic Consulting
Capstone Design Expo
Nichelle Compton
Event Coordinator II
Mechanical Engineering
Andrea Dominguez
Program Support Coordinator
Mechanical Engineering
Amit S. Jariwala
Senior Academic Professional
Mechanical Engineering
Cary Ogletree
Building and Delivery Service Manager
Mechanical Engineering
Ashley Ritchie
Communications Manager
Mechanical Engineering
Spirit of Georgia Tech Award
Peter Lee
Creative Services Manager
Scheller College of Business
Laxminarayanan Krishnan
Laboratory Manager I
Bioengineering and Biosciences
Sherree King
Store Clerk III
Housing and Residence Life
Sarah Collins
Graphic Designer Senior
College of Engineering
Center for Teaching and Learning Awards
Junior Faculty Teaching Award
Anirban Mazumdar
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Daniel Molzahn
Assistant Professor
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Lindsey Rose Bullinger
Assistant Professor
Public Policy
Curriculum Innovation Awards
Francesco Fedele
Associate Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Geoffrey G. Eichholz Faculty Teaching Award
Christopher Stanzione
Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies
Psychology
Mary Hudachek-Buswell
Associate Chair and Senior Lecturer
Computing Instruction
Innovation and Excellence in Laboratory Instruction Award
Anh Le
Academic Professional
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Innovation in Co-Curricular Education Award
Carla Gerona
Associate Professor
History and Sociology
GTDC
Lawrence Rubin
Co-Director of GTDC and Associate Professor
International Affairs
Zachary Taylor
Co-Director of GTDC and Associate Professor
Public Policy
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award
Colin Harrison
Senior Academic Professional
Biological Sciences
Teaching Excellence Award in Online Teaching
A.J. Medford
Associate Professor
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Undergraduate Educator Award
Michael Evans
Senior Academic Professional
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Education Partnership Award
Saad Bhamla
Assistant Professor
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Janet Standeven
Assistant Professor
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Elio Challita
Postdoctoral Researcher
Engineering and Applied Science, Harvard University
International Initiatives Award
Steven A. Denning Faculty Award for Global Engagement
Shuichi Takayama
Price Gilbert Jr. Chair
Biomedical Engineering
Faculty Honors Committee Awards
Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award
Junior Faculty
Saad Bhamla
Assistant Professor
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Senior Faculty
Ravi Kane
Garry Betty/ V Foundation Chair and GRA Eminent Scholar
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Class of 1934 Outstanding Service Award
Susan Margulies
Professor
Biomedical Engineering
Outstanding Professional Education
Shalu Suri
Co-Director of NSF Cell Manufacturing Technologies ERC Engineering Workforce Development
Biomedical Engineering
Class of 1934 Outstanding Interdisciplinary Activities Award
Bruce Walker
Professor
Psychology
Class of 1934 Outstanding Innovative Use of Education Technology Award
Pamela Pollet
Senior Research Scientist
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Class of 1940 W. Roane Beard Outstanding Teacher Award
Daniel Molzahn
Assistant Professor
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Class of 1940 W. Howard Ector Outstanding Teacher Award
Faisal M. Alamgir
Professor
Materials Science and Engineering
Class of 1934 Distinguished Professor Award
Dimitri Mavris
Regents' Professor, Boeing Professor of Advanced Aerospace Systems Analysis, and Langley Distinguished Professor in Advanced Aerospace Systems Architecture
Aerospace Engineering
The University System of Georgia's Board of Regents has honored 19 Georgia Tech faculty members with 2024 Regents' Distinctions. These accolades recognize the recipients’ outstanding contributions and excellence in education, research, and innovation.
“These amazing colleagues exemplify the spirit of excellence and dedication that defines Georgia Tech's faculty,” said Steve McLaughlin, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “Their contributions not only advance knowledge within their respective fields but also positively impact our community at large. Working alongside these faculty members is an honor and inspires me every day.”
Georgia Tech faculty named as Regents’ Professors include:
Amy Bruckman (renewal), Senior Associate Chair, School of Interactive Computing, College of Computing
John Cressler (renewal), Schlumberger Chair in Electronics, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
Greg Gibson (renewal), Tom and Marie Patton Chair in Biological Sciences and Director of the Center for Integrative Genomics, School of Biological Sciences, College of Sciences
Thomas Kurfess, Professor and HUSCO/Ramirez Distinguished Chair in Fluid Power and Motion Control, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
Wenke Lee, Professor and John P. Imlay Jr. Chair in Software, School of Computer Science and School of Cybersecurity and Privacy, College of Computing
Brian Magerko, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in Digital Media, Head of the Expressive Machinery Lab, School of Literature, Media, and Communication, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
Patricia Mokhtarian, Clifford and William Greene Jr. Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
Charles David Sherrill (renewal), Professor, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Sciences and Associate Director for Research and Education, Institute for Data Engineering and Science
Georgia Tech faculty named as Regents’ Researchers include:
David Gottfried (renewal), Senior Assistant Director and Principal Research Scientist, Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, College of Engineering
Gregory Showman (renewal), Fellow and Principal Research Engineer, Sensors and Electromagnetic Applications Laboratory, GTRI
Jeffrey Sitterle, Principal Research Scientist and Chief Innovation Officer, Information and Cyber Sciences Directorate, GTRI
Leanne West, Chief Engineer of Pediatric Technology and Principal Research Scientist, Georgia Tech Pediatric Innovation Network
Jie Xu, Head of Chemical and Biological Systems Branch and Principal Research Scientist, GTRI
David Zurn, Test Engineering Division Chief and Principal Research Scientist, GTRI
Georgia Tech faculty named as Regents’ Entrepreneurs include:
Mustaque Ahamad, Professor, School of Computer Science and School of Cybersecurity and Privacy, College of Computing
Omer Inan, Professor and Linda J. and Mark C. Smith Chair, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
Rampi Ramprasad, Professor and Michael E. Tennenbaum Family Chair, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Energy Sustainability, School of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering
Georgia Tech faculty named as Regents’ Innovators include:
Alexander Alexeev, Professor and Joseph Anderer Faculty Fellow, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
Georgia Tech faculty named to the Georgia Mining Association Early Career Professorship:
Sheng Dai, Associate Professor and Group Coordinator in Geosystems Engineering, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
Writer: Brittany Aiello, Faculty Communications Program Manager, Organizational and Academic Communications, Institute Communications
Georgia Institute of Technology and the Trammell Crow Company are transforming Atlanta’s booming skyline with the launch of the first phase of Science Square, a pioneering mixed-use development dedicated to biological sciences and medical research and the technology to advance those fields. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for April 25.
“The opening of Science Square’s first phase represents one of the most exciting developments to come to Atlanta in recent years,” said Ángel Cabrera, president of Georgia Tech. “The greatest advances in innovation often emerge from dense technological ecosystems, and Science Square provides our city with its first biomedical research district, which will help innovators develop and scale their ideas into marketable solutions.”
Science Square’s first phase includes Science Square Labs, a 13-story purpose-built tower with state-of-the-art infrastructure to accommodate wet and dry labs and clean room space. To promote overall energy efficiency as well as sustainability, the complex houses a massive 38,000-square-foot solar panel. The solar panel system is in addition to an energy recovery system that extracts energy from the building’s exhaust air and returns it to the building’s HVAC system, reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Electrochromic windows, which tint during the day to block ultraviolet rays and steady the temperature while also controlling the environment — key in research labs — are also featured throughout the building.
Equipped with technologically advanced amenities and infrastructure, Science Square Labs serves as a nexus for groundbreaking research, enabling collaboration between academia, industry, and startup ventures. Portal Innovations, a company specializing in life sciences venture development, is among the first tenants to establish operations at Science Square, as Atlanta takes center stage as the country’s top city for research and development employment growth.
The opening of the complex’s first phase, just south of Georgia Tech’s campus and totaling 18 acres, also features retail space and The Grace Residences developed by High Street Residential, TCC's residential subsidiary. The 280-unit multifamily tower, already welcoming tenants, is named in honor of renowned Atlanta leader and Georgia State Representative Grace Towns Hamilton who spent many years championing this community.
Beyond its scientific endeavors, Science Square embodies Georgia Tech’s commitment to uplifting the local community. By collaborating with organizations like Westside Works, Science Square aims to empower residents through targeted workforce development initiatives and economic opportunities.
“This mixed-use development adds immense value to Atlanta’s west side and will lead the development of pioneering medical advances with the power to improve and save lives,” President Cabrera added.
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