The Commission on Research Next invites you to: 

Vision 2030: A Roadmap for Science & Engineering from The National Science Board
Victor R. McCrary Jr., Ph.D.
Vice Chair, National Science Board
Vice President for Research and Graduate Programs,
University of the District of Columbia

Event Moderator: President Emeritus G.P. “Bud” Peterson

Join the event: http://c.gatech.edu/apr14-researchnext

Where should the U.S. scientific and engineering (S&E) enterprise be in 10 years? What actions do the U.S. government, academic institutions like Georgia Tech, and industry need to take so that the U.S. continues to lead in innovation in 2030? The National Science Board’s Vision 2030 offers a roadmap for how the U.S. can reinvent aspects of its S&E enterprise to remain preeminent, with calls to action in four key areas: Practice of Science and Engineering, Talent, Partnerships, and Infrastructure.

Zach Fuller, Ph.D.
Department of Biological Sciences
Columbia University

Attend Bluejeans Seminar

ABSTRACT
Heritable variation in populations underlies the fitness differences among individuals upon which natural selection can act and allows species to adapt through evolutionary change. Because patterns of this heritable variation reflect the complex interactions of evolutionary forces over time, we can use them to ask a number of fundamental biological questions, such as: what are the typical fitness consequences of mutations? How do genetics and the environment interact to influence traits? How do populations adapt to changing environments? Although these questions have long been studied in traditional model organisms, advances in genomic sequencing over the last several years now open the door to address them for a number of other species than was possible even a decade ago and in qualitatively larger sample sizes. Taking advantage of these recent developments, I use large-scale genomic analysis and statistical inference to characterize properties of deleterious mutations in humans and uncover the genetic basis of ecologically important traits related to climate change in corals from the Great Barrier Reef.

Hosts: Drs. Greg Gibson and Mark Hay

Join us for the virtual SoBS 2021 Trainee Talk Days. We will have 6 exciting talks given by SoBS students and Postdocs on Thursdays, March 18th and 25th.

Thursday, March 18

11:00 AM | Shashwat Nagar, PhD Student, Jordon Lab
Socioeconomic deprivation and genetic ancestry interact to modify type 2 diabetes ethnic disparities in the United Kingdom

11:20 AM | Yue Wang, Postdoctoral Researcher, McGuire Lab
Decreases in Biome Resilience Set the Stage for a Major Extinction

11:40 AM | Haley Steele, PhD Student, Han Lab
MrgprC11⁺ Neurons Mediate Glabrous Skin Itch

Thursday, March 25

11:00 AM | Penghao Xu, PhD Student, Storici Lab
Ribonucleotide Incorporation Characteristics in Human Mitochondrial DNA

11:20 AM | Madison Willert, PhD Student, Hay Lab
Anthropogenic-mediated Shifts in the Trophic Structure of Coral Reef Fishes

11:40 AM | Sheyda Azimi, Postdoctoral Researcher, Diggle Lab
Role of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Heterogeneity on Aggregate Assembly

Executive Vice President for Research Chaouki T. Abdallah and the Commission on Research Next (CRN) invite you to a town hall discussion of the launch of the CRN Phase 1 report. With Phase 1, the 50-member commission conducted a landscape analysis for the future of university research and asked ‘if we were to develop the university research enterprise from scratch, what would it look like?’

In alignment with the Institute’s strategic plan, CRN strives to position Georgia Tech to respond to the challenges of the future with innovation, expertise, creativity, and a dedication to improving human lives and the world-at-large.  

Commission co-chairs:

• Wen Masters, Deputy Director for Research, Georgia Tech Research Institute
• Tim Lieuwen, Regents Professor, David S. Lewis Jr. Chair in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, and Executive Director of the Strategic Energy Institute

Join the town hall.

The Atlanta Science Festival, co-sponsored by Georgia Tech, returns March 13-27, 2021 with 80+ virtual, self-guided, and outdoor events for curious kids and adults. ASF celebrates the world-class learning and STEM career opportunities in metro Atlanta, reaching 60,000 people annually.

New! Customize your schedule with this interactive guide, coded by Joshua Preston.

Here is a list of Atlanta Science Festival in-person and virtual events featuring College of Sciences researchers and students, along with other event hosts from across Georgia Tech:
 

Saturday, March 13, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
STEM@GTRI presents The Art of Science

Saturday, March 13, 10 a.m-12 p.m.
Discovery Walks Cascade Springs
2852 Cascade Road SW, Atlanta, GA

Saturday, March 13, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Discovery Walks Decatur
125 West Trinity Place, Decatur, GA, 30030

Saturday, March 13, 11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m 
STEM Star Day with K.I.D.S. Club - Elementary/Middle

Saturday, March 13, 12 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
STEM Star Day with K.I.D.S. Club - High School

Saturday, March 13, 1-3 p.m.
Guthman Musical Instrument Fair

Saturday, March 13, 4-6 p.m.
City Science Quest app-based scavenger hunt

Sunday, March 14, 1-3 p.m.
Discovery Walks Cascade Springs
2852 Cascade Road SW, Atlanta GA 30311

Sunday, March 14, 1-3 p.m.
Discovery Walks Decatur
125 West Trinity Place, Decatur, GA 30030

Sunday, March 14, 7:30-10 p.m.
Completeness, a science-based theatrical production

Monday, March 15, 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Science Improv Comedy

Tuesday, March 16, 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Women in STEM: Learning from Monumental Leaders

Wednesday, March 17, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
Latino College and STEM Fair

Wednesday, March 17, 7:30-10 p.m.
Completeness, a science-based theatrical production

Thursday, March 18, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Spill the Tea: Kitchen Science in Action

Friday, March 19, 1 p.m.-2:15 p.m.
The Size of Science!, exploring the largest and smallest objects in the universe

Saturday, March 20, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Discovery Walks Beltine and Piedmont Park
675 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30308

Saturday, March 20, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Discovery Walks Sweet Auburn
423 John Wesley Dobbs Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30312

Sunday, March 21, 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
Discovery Walks Sweet Auburn
423 John Wesley Dobbs Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30312

Sunday, March 21, 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
Discovery Walks Beltline and Piedmont Park
675 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30308

Sunday, March 21, 4-6 p.m.
City Science Quest app-based scavenger hunt

Tuesday, March 23, 7:30-8:30 p.m.
It's Getting Hot in Here: Urban Heat Islands

Tuesday, March 23, 8-10 p.m.
Science Jazz Hands science comedy

Wednesday, March 24, 7:30-10 p.m.
Completeness, a science-based theatrical production

Saturday, March 27, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Catalyst STE(A)M education workshops

Saturday, March 27, 9 a.m.-11 a.m.
City Science Quest
 

See the complete 2021 Atlanta Science Festival schedule here.

BlueJeans Link: http://bit.ly/NOVID-Talk

Title: Fighting Infectious Disease, Using Game Theory and Network Theory

Abstract: The COVID pandemic has catalyzed the invention and development of many ways to control disease. The speaker, Carnegie Mellon professor Po-Shen Loh, will talk about the fundamentally different approach behind the NOVID app, which explores the potential of a categorically new way to control disease.

Its origins come from math, game theory, and computer science. It hopes to resolve deep flaws in “contact tracing apps”, and hopes to work flexibly against COVID variants. Functionally, it gives you an anonymous radar that estimates how “far” away COVID has just struck. “Far” is measured by counting the number of physical relationships.

Bio: Po-Shen Loh is a math professor at Carnegie Mellon University, and the national coach of the USA International Mathematical Olympiad team. He also dabbles in social entrepreneurship, previously founding the free math and science education platform expii.com which sees 500,000 visitors each month, and he has featured in or co-created videos totaling 10 million YouTube views. Upon the outbreak of COVID, he turned his mathematical attention to create NOVID.

Related:

• NOVID Exposure Notification App Enlists Smartphones in Coronavirus Battle
• Georgia Tech Surveillance Testing Update and Early Interpretations, NOVID App, and Your Questions — Answered
• The Tension Between Awareness and Fatigue Shapes Covid-19 Spread
• Testing Success Depends on Participation
• Tech Campus Surpasses 200,000 Covid-19 Tests
• Protect Yourself from Covid-19 with NOVID
• Georgia Tech Stamps Health Services: Contact Tracing with NOVID

The Center for Space Technology and Research (C-STAR), along with the ExplOrigins Group representing the Georgia Tech Astrobiology community, presents Space Science Week at Tech, a week's worth of lectures and presentations celebrating the latest information from space exploration activities. 

Friday, Feb. 12
11 a.m. The World In A Grain of Sand: What the Perseverance Rover Can Tell Us About the Geology of Mars
Speaker: Aileen Yingst, Senior Scientist, Planetary Space Institute; Co-Investigator, SHERLOC/WATSON, Perseverance Rover; Deputy Primary Investigator, MAHLI Camera, Curiosity Rover 
Registration: https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/register/gpddbxfs

Wednesday/Thursday, Feb. 17-18
ExplOrigins Colloquium
5 p.m. Feb. 17 - Poster Session
10 a.m.-2 p.m. Feb. 18 - Colloquium
Registration: https://bit.ly/3cXu6Bh

Thursday, Feb. 18
2:15 p.m. NASA Mars Perseverance Landing Watch Party
Registration:  https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/register/xecvbzja

Friday, Feb. 19
11 a.m. Mars+Landing Panel

• Glenn Lightsey, Professor, Aeronautics Engineering
• Frances Rivera-Hernandez, Assistant Professor, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
• James Wray, Associate Professor, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences; Co-Investigator, HiRISE & CRISM, MRO
• Angela Dapremont, PhD Candidate, Planetary Science

Registration: https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/register/buzhyshh

The 2021 Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage is awarded to Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Georgia Tech is proud to honor the legacy of a great alumnus and civic leader, former Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. The Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage shines a light on those around the world who bravely act to improve the human condition, often in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges.

The Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage was first awarded in 2011 and is funded in perpetuity by a grant from the Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation. It provides a stipend of $100,000 to the awardee or a charitable contribution to a non-profit in honor of the awardee.

Georgia Tech invites you to virtually attend our events surrounding the award celebration.
3 - 4 p.m. - Award presentation and recipient's remarks
4 - 5 p.m. - Panel discussion

Watch the livestream here.

Viewers can submit questions prior to the event by emailing events@comm.gatech.edu.

Yann Hautier, Ph.D.
Department of Biology
Utrecht University

ATTEND SEMINAR

ABSTRACT
Syntheses of many experiments manipulating biodiversity have widely established that the loss of local species diversity impairs the stable provisioning of ecosystem services mankind relies on. Criticisms of these highly controlled and small scale studies have questioned their relevance to naturally assembled ecosystems and larger spatial scale at which policy, management and service provisioning takes place. In response, an increasing number of studies investigating biodiversity-stability relationships in non-manipulated communities have emerged, but syntheses are missing. Concurrently, theoretical developments have clarified the mechanisms by which biodiversity can stabilize functioning at different spatial scales. I will present results of a review of the literature assessing the balance of evidence regarding the direction of biodiversity-stability relationships and underlying mechanisms in (semi-)naturally assembled communities at the local and larger spatial scales. I will discuss the contribution of dominant and rare species to functional stability and identify knowledge gaps and opportunities for future research.

Host: Lin Jiang, Ph.D.