NEWS BRIEFS

IN THIS ISSUEFaculty Women’s Club Opens Membership | 2 Recent Faculty, Staff Achievements | 3Photos: Campus Comes Back to Life for Fall | 4

Vol. 43, No. 18whistle.gatech.eduSeptember 4, 2018

Transit Passes Just Got CheaperIf you take transit or want to consider it, discounted passes are now even less expensive through Parking and Transportation Services. See rates and sign up for payroll deduction at:

pts.gatech.edu/metro-transit

Retirees to Be Honored This MonthGeorgia Tech’s annual Retirement Dinner will honor retirees from fiscal year 2018 on Thursday, Sept. 27, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Bill Moore Student Success Center. All employees are invited to attend, and registration is $25. Learn more at:

c.gatech.edu/retirement

KRISTEN BAILEY INSTITUTE COMMUNICATIONS

President G.P. “Bud” Peterson addressed the campus Thursday, Aug. 30, in his 10th Annual Institute Address, identifying both the challenges facing Georgia Tech and the people, programs, and facilities that are the foundation of the Institute.

Nearly 400 students, faculty, and staff gathered for the

annual Institute Address, filling Room 152 of Clough Commons and overflowing into the room next door. The event was also streamed online.

Peterson began by introducing some of the new appointments to senior-level positions including Chaouki Abdallah, the incoming executive vice president for

President Talks about Challenges, Opportunities at Institute Address

President G.P. “Bud” Peterson addressed a full room at the 2018 Institute Address on Thursday, Aug. 30. Around 400 faculty, staff, and students attended the event.

Photo by Rob Felt

MICHAEL HAGEARTY INSTITUTE COMMUNICATIONS

The child of an engineer, Carla Bradley learned the power of data to persuade early on, when she surveyed her grade-school classmates in order to make the case to her parents for a larger allowance. That early success brought with it an appreciation for evidence-based approaches to problem solving.

She joined Georgia Tech in July as its new director for the Counseling Center, which provides mental health services and support to Tech’s student population. A licensed psychologist with a doctorate in clinical psychology, Bradley has spent the last 16 years at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

“I am thrilled to be at a STEM school where there’s a real dedication to solving problems and helping the world,” she said. “To be surrounded by this kind of intellectual energy and passion is a real privilege, and I want to work with students in any way I can to make the Counseling Center a place of innovation and service.”

Bradley sat down for an interview to share her enthusiasm for collaboration, her thoughts on technology-based

options for mental health, and approaches for serving all students in need of support.

You are currently pursuing a master’s degree in Engineering Management. What was your motivation to begin and what interests you about the connections

between engineering and psychology?

It began when my former institu-tion initiated a merger between the two counseling centers on campus. As a result, I began to ask: ‘How does organi-zational change best occur?’ ‘What’s good management?’ ‘What’s good leader-ship?’ These were just philosophical

questions that were in my head; when I expressed them to a colleague she told of a program offered in the School of Engineering. I never connected the idea of engineering to management, but the experience has been wonderful. My dad’s a retired engineer, so I speak a little bit of this language.

I think the connection between STEM and psychology is that psychology is trying to become increasingly clear about what ails people and what helps people, with an evidentiary basis to our problem-solving efforts. I like the engineering approach for solving problems: Identify an issue, understand the nature of the problem, and find solutions that make people’s lives easier. That’s a fundamental connection between what engineers do and what mental health professionals do.

I’ve heard from some students that a major reason they are excited to work with you is because of your plans for collaboration with existing resources. Can you share some of your early ideas in this regard?

New Counseling Director Talks Data, STEM Students, and Technology

see ADDRESS, page 2

see BRADLEY, page 3

Bradley sits for an interview in the Counseling Center in August.Photo by Allison Carter

PAGE 2 • September 4, 2018 whistle.gatech.edu • THE WHISTLE

EVENTS continued on page 3

EVENTS

Submit calendar entries to editor@comm.gatech.edu at least 10 days prior to desired publication date. For more information, call 404-385-7061.

Archives are posted at whistle.gatech.edu.

Georgia Tech is a unit of the University System of Georgia.

Editor: Kristen Bailey Copy Editor: Stacy Braukman Photographers: Allison Carter, Rob Felt, Christopher Moore

Published biweekly throughout the year by Georgia Tech Institute Communications.

ARTS AND CULTURE

Sept. 13 The School of Music and School of Mathematics have teamed up with local Atlanta artists to create a performance employing contemporary dance, original music, and storytelling, called The Seven Bridges of Königsberg. The performance will take place from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Seven Bridges Plaza, Atlantic Drive Promenade.music.gatech.edu

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Sept. 8 Outdoor Recreation hosts a Backpacking Beginner Day Hike. Registration is $10. Sign up at:mycrc.gatech.edu

Sept. 12 The Mindfulness Book Club discusses Mindfulness Meditation:

Your Guide to Achieving a Life

of Peace by Reducing Stress

and Anxiety through Mindfulness

Meditation from noon to 1 p.m. in the Student Center Theater. See the full semester meeting schedule at: healthinitiatives.gatech.edu

Sept. 12 Human Resources hosts a Be Well session on Understanding Mental Health and Important Triggers from 11 a.m. to noon in Room 320, Student Center. ohr.gatech.edu/bewell

Sept. 13 An Overeaters Anonymous meeting takes place Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. at Room 230, Stamps Health Services.atlantaoa.org

MISCELLANEOUS

Sept. 6 The Health and Well-being cluster for A Path Forward — Together will discuss their progress and welcome feedback from 11 to 11:45 a.m. in the Student Center Theater.president.gatech.edu/

path-forward-together

Sept. 11 The Academics cluster for A Path Forward — Together will discuss their progress and welcome feedback from 11 to 11:45 a.m. in Room 102, Clough Commons.president.gatech.edu/

path-forward-together

SANDRA SONG GEORGIA TECH FACULTY WOMEN’S CLUB

The Georgia Tech Faculty Women’s Club (GTFWC) was originally formed as a social group for wives of male faculty members. When faculty began to include women, membership became open to female faculty members. Now, the group is opening itself to all Georgia Tech employees.

Last spring, a special committee of the GTFWC, led by Lynne Wepfer, was formed to reevaluate the existing definition of membership, and to make recommendations for possible changes. As part of this process, the committee researched best practices at similar universities around the country. Their final recommendation was to amend the by-laws of the GTFWC to more closely align with Georgia Tech’s culture of inclusivity, and with the current practices of other major

universities and institutes of higher learning. In short, the committee recommended that anyone who supports the mission and vision of Georgia Tech, and who embraces the GTFWC’s core mission of friendship, service, and scholarship, can become a member.

The board of directors of the GTFWC unanimously approved the proposed changes. Following this, the general membership of the GTFWC voted, and also resoundingly approved.

What this means for the Tech community is simply this: Anyone with an interest in joining the GTFWC is now able to. Members can participate in annual events, such as the Fall Open House, Holiday Party, and Spring Luncheon, as well as participate in a host of Special Interest Groups, which include day and night book clubs, French and Spanish conversation groups, lunch groups, and a

host of others. The club has been active since its first

iteration in the 1920s and offers activities that draw community members together for friendship and shared passions and interests. The club exists to promote the values of friendship, service, and scholarship. Community service activities are ongoing, and every year, scholarships are awarded to Georgia Tech students with a parent who is employed at Georgia Tech.

Annual membership is $50. To join, download an application form at gtfwc.gatech.edu. Any questions can be directed to gtfwc1921@gmail.com.

The opening event for the 2018-19 year will be an Open House at Barcelona Wine Bar – Westside Ironworks on Sept. 26 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. RSVP to gtfwc1921@gmail.com by Sept. 20 to attend.

Faculty Women’s Club Opens Membership to All Employees

Research who begins Sept. 4. He then addressed the ethics-related news and concerns head-on.

“Georgia Tech has been in the news, and it has not been good,” he said, referring to reviews released in July detailing conflicts of interest and misuse of funds by high-ranking employees. Those reviews came in response to employee submissions to Ethicspoint, Tech’s anonymous reporting tool for ethics concerns. In addition to being shared on Georgia Tech’s news site and via email from President Peterson, external media also reported on the violations.

Peterson took responsibility for what has happened under his leadership, and vowed to fix it.

“I have been embarrassed, and I’m sure you have been embarrassed,” he said. He reviewed some of what has already been done to address ethics concerns, such as adjust-ments to Tech’s organizational structure. That includes having an interim vice president for Ethics, Compliance, and Legal Affairs reporting directly to the president. An email to the campus on Aug. 20 shared a report Peterson prepared for University System of Georgia Chancellor Steve Wrigley, detailing the progress made so far and what else is underway.

Peterson also talked about how Georgia Tech is working with the University of North Georgia’s BB&T Center for Ethical Leadership, which will administer a campus-wide ethics survey in September to ask for feedback on the Institute’s ethical culture and how comfortable members of the community feel in reporting concerns.

He continued by emphasizing

some of the exceptional people, programs, and facilities at Georgia Tech. He recognized Donald “DJ” Jordan, a fourth-generation landscaper. Peterson also announced that our Facilities Management Group was recently awarded the 2018 APPA Award for Excellence, which is the highest honor in higher education for outstanding achievements in facilities management. “We appreciate everything you all do to keep our facilities running and keep us operating,” he said.

Peterson noted other highlights from the past year, including

work from the Commission on Creating the Next in Education, the expansion of resources for cell manufacturing, and construc-tion projects that are underway or soon will be.

He concluded his address with an update on the work of A Path Forward — Together, which was initiated nearly a year ago after Tech student Scout Schultz was fatally shot by a campus police officer. The shooting and its aftermath led to the creation of several action teams to recommend improve-ments for student mental health, campus culture, and LGBTQIA community support.

Nearly 200 recommendations came out of the initial action team meetings, which were then grouped into three focus areas and dispersed to those on campus who would lead implementa-tion. Among these are an intake center for student mental health, an expanded LGBTQIA Resource Center, and the inaugural

Graduate Student Welcome event that took place earlier this week.

“We have the chance to change the culture here, and improve it,” he said.

See the full presentation at president.gatech.edu.

Peterson addressed a full auditorium in Clough Commons on Thursday, Aug. 30, at the annual Institute Address. Photo by Rob Felt

ADDRESS, from page 1

“We have the chance to change the culture here, and improve it.”

— President Peterson

A Path Forward – Together Updates

Updates on the three clusters of A Path Forward – Together will be shared at events starting this week:

• Sept. 4, 11 – 11:45 a.m. Room 102, Clough Commons

• Sept. 6, 11 – 11:45 a.m. Student Center Theater

• Sept. 11, 11 – 11:45 a.m. Room 102, Clough Commons

Learn more at: president.gatech.edu/path-forward-together.

For a more comprehensive listing of events, or to add your own, visit calendar.gatech.edu.

THE WHISTLE • whistle.gatech.edu September 4, 2018 • PAGE 3

EVENTS

Sept. 12 The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) hosts Silence the Shame, which will bring together panelists from entertainment, professional sports, technology, academia, and science backgrounds to address the negative stigma associated with mental health. The event takes place from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at the Garage at Tech Square. Register at: c.gatech.edu/silencetheshame

Sept. 13 The Ivan Allen Prize for Social Courage symposium and award reception will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Biltmore.ivanallenprize.gatech.edu

Sept. 13 The Institute for People and Technology hosts a Thursday Think Tank on the Atlanta Map Room, a public space for creating interpretive maps of the city from a combination of contemporary data, historical documents, and personal experiences. The event will take place from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Room 209, Technology Square Research Building. ipat.gatech.edu

Sept. 14 The Robotarium hosts an open house from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Room 261, Van Leer Building.www.robotarium.gatech.edu

Sept. 14 Georgia Tech Night at Six Flags will take place from 6 p.m. to midnight. Tickets are $30 for faculty and staff.tickets.studentcenter.gatech.edu

WORKSHOPS AND TRAINING

Sept. 7 Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars going on the job market for faculty positions within the next year should attend Academic Job Search 101: Preparing Your Application Packet, from 9 a.m. to noon in the Peachtree Room, Student Center.ctl.gatech.edu

Sept. 12 The Women of Georgia Tech ERG hosts an event featuring Mary Lynn Realff, associate professor of Materials Science and Engineering and a certified strengths coach, who will guide participants in identifying and touting their professional strengths, and fueling aspirational career planning. The event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Room 132, Technology Square Research Building. Register at: sdie.gatech.edu

The Atlanta Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center and the Atlanta MBDA Advanced Manufacturing Center — two programs at Georgia Tech — were both given Century Club Awards at the MBDA’s National Training Conference held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Aug. 20-23.

Yong Cho, associate professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, earned the 2018 Distinguished Professor award from the Construction Industry Institute.

Rachel Cummings, assistant professor in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, received the ACM SIGecom Doctoral Dissertation Honorable Mention for her 2017 doctoral dissertation titled “The Implications of Privacy-Aware Choice.” The award recognizes an “outstanding dissertation in the field of economics and computation” and was chosen by a panel of judges from Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and Microsoft Research New England.

Ellen Dunham-Jones, professor in the School of Architecture and director of the Master of Science in Urban Design program, was selected as one of the 2018 winners of the Architectural Record’s Women in Architecture awards.

Pardis Pishdad-Bozorgi, assistant professor in the School of Building Construction, is the 2018 Construction Management Association of America Educator of the Year. The honor emphasizes excellence in teaching and recognizes full-time educators for outstanding professional accomplishments and a commitment to education.

Dana Randall, co-executive director of the Institute for Data Engineering and Science and ADVANCE Professor of Computing, has been named an external faculty member at the Santa Fe Institute. As an external faculty member, Randall will virtually collaborate with other researchers.

Donald Webster, Karen and John Huff School Chair and Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will represent Georgia Tech in a leadership-building and collaboration program through the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Academic Leaders Network. Webster joins College of Sciences Associate Dean Julia Kubanek, School of Physics Chair Pablo Laguna, graduate education Associate Vice Provost Leslie Sharp, and School of Modern Languages Chair Anna Stenport in the program this year.

Rachel Whitlark, assistant professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, has been selected as the 2019 recipient of the ISSS Best Security Article Award for her article “Nuclear Beliefs: A Leader-Focused Theory of Counter-Proliferation,” published in Security Studies.

FACULTY AND STAFF

ACHIEVEMENTS

One of the biggest challenges in collegiate mental health today is what I’ve referred to as the “flow and volume problem.” We have a greater volume of students seeking services across the nation than we historically have, and this volume creates a difficulty with serving students as rapidly as they would like to be served and as rapidly as we would like to serve them. I am interested in what engineering might be able to offer in terms of a collaboration. We know these engineering principles have been effective for improving volume and flow problems in hospitals through the use of queueing theory, for example.

What role does data play? Data plays a prominent role in the analysis of

college mental health at the national level. There are several large-scale, collaborative efforts across the nation, and data feeds into them. From this data bank, we can tell how our student concerns compare to those at the national level.

The top three concerns at Georgia Tech — depression, anxiety, and relationship concerns — are very consistent with what’s happening nationally. For Tech students, it’s a particular type of intense pressure around grades, as well as notions of accomplishment and success that I think are different from [students in] other parts of the country.

A lot of students express that they feel uncomfortable walking into the counseling center or picking up the phone. What are your thoughts on how counseling across the country might adapt in the next 10 years to engage young people who are most comfortable when using modern technology while also ensuring proper care?

There are ways in which technology is already playing a greater role in mental health. There are apps students can use to self-monitor between sessions. There are applications for helping students explore stress management or temper anxiety. All of that is good. I think the problem that we don’t have enough data about yet is that most of our information comes through non-verbal channels. When we sit with another person, we’re getting a lot of data that we can’t necessarily put into words, yet is still being registered somewhere within our physiology. We really don’t yet know how much of that informa-tion can resonate via technology.

And within questions of that type there are wonderful opportunities for research into how technology interfaces with our brains and with our physiologies. For instance, I imagine within the next decade or so we could have functional holographic representations of ourselves that can be transmitted in real-time into the same space, like a classroom or consulting room.

Once we’re technologically able to do that we can begin to learn how much of the approxi-mately 70 percent of information transfer that occurs nonverbally between human bodies occupying the same space might be able to be transmitted through holographic representation. Holographic imagery and non-verbal communi-cation is just one example of the fascinating questions that emerge when we begin to talk about the interface of human psychology and technology. Another fascinating question is how the use of technology may be changing our brains in ways we can’t yet really measure. What might such changes mean for our future as a species?

While there are multiple current ways of interfacing, I don’t think we clearly know yet the level of effectiveness for these technological solutions. We mental health professionals need to know much more about how to select and

utilize the best that technology has to offer in order to meet the needs of our clients.

What approaches have you found to be effective in helping to break down the cross-cultural barriers for students who may benefit from mental health services? How do we engage them as equal partners in improving mental health on campus?

One of the programs we offer here is Let’s Talk, where a staff member will go out into the campus community at various locations and be available for a non-clinical conversation. It’s not therapy per se, but it’s an opportunity to meet students where they are, both geographically and culturally.

That’s just one aspect of the Counseling Center’s broad outreach component. We’re contacted fairly frequently to provide support to the campus community. All of our counselors are trained for sensitivity to issues of diversity and inclusion. We want to keep in mind how we can best serve the interests of a broad range of people.

What about underrepresented minorities? Are there any special considerations here?

At a recent staff meeting, one of our counselors presented statistics about different identities that we need to be thinking about: Are we being sensitive to the student when we inquire about gender identity? How are we supporting students who hold a particular faith? What about sexual orientation, or racial and ethnic differences?

Our data, then, informs this questioning process. We use it to assess who we are currently serving, and ask ourselves: ‘Do we need to do anything differently to ensure we are reaching all students who could benefit from our services?’

I know I’m coming to Tech in the wake of a powerful focus on mental health. I take that very seriously. I know the campus has been through a lot. And that’s by no means lost on the staff at the Counseling Center. I’m aware that my staff has been through a tough year in which the tragedy that occurred was deeply felt by campus mental health professionals and by the entire campus community. I am grateful to have come on board to lead an incredibly dedicated, talented, and altruistic staff who care deeply for our campus community. It’s vital to remember that part of the grief our campus experienced came out of respect and concern for people who are disenfranchised in our larger society.

I believe the will and heart of this campus is to embrace everyone. That type of inclusivity is just one of the many reasons I’m so delighted to be here at Georgia Tech.

BRADLEY, from page 1

Photo by Allison Carter

PAGE 4 • September 4, 2018 whistle.gatech.edu • THE WHISTLE

Ads run for at least three issues in the order in which they are received. Submit your 35-word-or-less ad to editor@comm.gatech.edu.

CLASSIFIEDS

REAL ESTATE/ROOMMATESRoom available in 2BR/1BA apt. located 1.5 mi. north of campus. Rent $550/month, electric typically $30/mo., internet $25/mo. Contact ztowner6@gatech.edu.

Beautiful 4BR/3BA house, 2300 sq. ft., easy access to Emory/CDC/Georgia Tech. Hardwood floors, open floor plan, many windows. 0.5 acres top-of-the-hill lot, trees/view. Sought-after Oak Grove Elementary School district. Wonderful neighborhood. Minutes to I-85/285, shops, restaurants. Contact pkeskinocak@gmail.com, 404-964-3978.

Affordable 2BR/1BA apt in Buckhead/Peachtree Hills. Spacious apartment, 5-min. walk to Lindbergh MARTA. Quiet garden community. $1,500/mo. including water, gas heat, cable. Furnishing available. Contact Matt, mqrentalproperty@gmail.com.

For rent: 2BR/1BA furnished apartment suite in private North Buckhead home, available Aug. 12. 12-minute walk to Buckhead MARTA station or 15- to 20-minute drive to campus. $1,100/mo. Email newstetter@gmail.com.

For rent: 1BR apartment w/ own bathroom and shared kitchen in Stone Mountain. $500 plus utilities. Call 770-262-0566.

For rent: 2BR/1BA basement apartment in Johns Creek, North Fulton County. Exceptional neighborhood, close to GA-400, I-85, I-285. $950/mo. rent only, or $1,100/mo. rent and utilities (except AT&T internet). Contact jstarnes3@gatech.edu.

One or two rooms for rent in East Cobb. Each w/ its own bathroom. Shared kitchen facilities. $450 for one room or $600 for both. Email bdespy@hotmail.com.

For rent: 1BR/1BA apartment in Home Park, duplex residence. Amenities include: washer/dryer, off-street parking, security system, A/C, ample storage. $925/mo. Contact 404-512-4618.

MISCELLANEOUSSeeking participants for research study between ages 18–40. Participants should be native speakers of English (from the U.S.), or native speakers of French (from France, Belgium, or Switzerland — European French only). Study will run for 2–3 months beginning in August. Compensation is approximately $12/half-hour and will take place on campus. Contact viola.green@modlangs.gatech.edu.

Free 9-week-old kittens. Two males and one female. The two males are black, female is gray. All have had first visit to vet. Contact pk2@gatech.edu.

Looking for a carpool partner for the daily commute from East Cobb to Tech campus. Email bdespy@hotmail.com.

VEHICLESFor sale: Cool, classy 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEL. Black exterior, leather interior. Runs great. Well maintained. All systems work: A/C, heated front and back seats, V8 engine. Mostly restored. Asking $3,200. Call 918-500-6579.

(1) Shane Jacobeen, a graduate student in physics, addresses incoming graduate students at the inaugural Graduate Student Convocation on Aug. 29. (2) Buzz welcomes graduate students to McCamish Pavilion for the Convocation event. (3) Sinet Adous, a neuroscience major and student speaker at New Student Convocation, smiles with her dad at the event on Aug. 19. (4) Georgia Tech Football resumed practice in August to prepare for the 2018 season, which opened on Sept. 1 against Alcorn State. (5) Students were able to get free T-shirts during the picnic event. (6) Graduate students enjoy a picnic hosted by the Graduate Student Government Association, which took place in McCamish Pavilion because of inclement weather, following the Convocation ceremony. (7) A first-year student fills out her RAT Cap during New Student Convocation on Aug. 19. (8) Genevieve Onyiuke-Kennedy, an international affairs major, speaks at the opening of the new LGBTQIA Resource Center on Aug. 23. The center is now located on the first floor of the Smithgall Student Services (Flag) Building.

Photos by Allison Carter, Rob Felt, and Danny Karnik

BACK IN ACTIONIt’s only been two weeks of fall classes, but campus life has picked up full-steam

with events, openings, and the arrival of thousands of new students. Take a look at just a few scenes from recent campus happenings.

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