cos-students

Stitched for Strength: The Physics of Stiff, Knitted Fabrics

admin — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 12:39:36 +0000

Stitched for Strength: The Physics of Stiff, Knitted Fabrics admin Wed, 07/30/2025 - 08:39

School of Physics Associate Professor Elisabetta Matsumoto is unearthing the secrets of the centuries-old practice of knitting through experiments, models, and simulations. Her goal? Leveraging knitting for breakthroughs in advanced manufacturing — including more sustainable textiles, wearable electronics, and soft robotics.

Matsumoto, who is also a principal investigator at the International Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (WPI-SKCM2) at Hiroshima University, is the corresponding author on a new study exploring the physics of ‘jamming’ — a phenomenon when soft or stretchy materials become rigid under low stress but soften under higher tension.

The study, "Pulling Apart the Mechanisms That Lead to Jammed Knitted Fabrics," was published this week in Physical Review E, and also includes Georgia Tech Matsumoto Group graduate students Sarah Gonzalez and Alexander Cachine in addition to former postdoctoral fellow Michael Dimitriyev, who is now an assistant professor at Texas A&M University.

The work builds on the group’s previous research demonstrating that knitted materials can be mathematically ‘programmed’ to behave in predictable ways. “These properties are intuitively understood by people who knit by hand,” Matsumoto says, “but in order to manipulate and use these behaviors in an industrial setting, we need to understand the physics behind them. This new research is another step in that direction.”

An Unexpected Twist

Gonzalez, who led the research, first became interested in jamming while conducting adjacent research. “I was using model simulations to characterize how different yarn properties affect the behavior of knitted fabrics and noticed a strange stiff region,” she recalls. “In our previous research, we had also seen this behavior in lab experiments, which suggested that what we were seeing in the simulations was a genuine phenomenon. I wanted to investigate it further.”

After digging into the topic, she realized that what she was seeing was called ‘jamming.’ In knits, Gonzalez explains, jamming occurs when stitches are packed tightly together, and the fabric resists stretching. Although it’s a well-known phenomenon, the physics has mostly been investigated in granular systems, like snow or sand, rather than fabrics.

“In fabrics, when you pull softly, the response is surprisingly stiff, but when you start pulling harder and harder, the stitches rearrange, and the material softens,” Matsumoto says. “In granular systems, this is a little like how avalanches work. At low forces, the snow pack is solid, but when the slope is steep, the force of gravity liquidizes that snow pack into an avalanche.”

“In fabrics, it is a little like having a tangle in a piece of jewelry,” she adds. “If you pull on it, it gets quite stiff, but if you loosen the knot, the chain can reconfigure, and it's not so stiff.”

Unraveling the Physics of Jamming

Using a combination of experiments with industrially knitted fabrics and computer models, the team analyzed what causes jamming in fabrics and how to control it. “We wanted to determine how different yarn properties impacted jamming,” Gonzalez explains. “Our goal was to understand the mechanics of jamming through how yarn interacts at various touchpoints in stitches.”

The team found that both machine tension and yarn thickness played a key role in making a fabric more or less jammed, and that jamming behaves differently depending on which direction the fabric is stretched.

“When you stretch a knit along the rows, the stiffness of the yarn causes fabric jamming. Jamming in the other direction is due to yarn contacts,” says Gonzalez. “We also showed that the impacts of changing machine tension and yarn thickness differ depending on fabric direction.”

“Discovering that fabric jamming works differently in different directions was a key insight,” she adds. “To our knowledge, the physics of this has never been explored before.”

Modern Innovation — With a Centuries-Old Technique

The research dovetails with Matsumoto’s WPI-SKCM2 Center work, which involves investigating fundamental aspects of knots and chirality. The Center is interested in a class of materials called “knotted chiral meta matter” that could lead to more sustainable materials.

For example, knitting — which leverages chiral knots — could be used to create more elastic fabrics from natural materials. “In many cases, manufacturers use yarns that combine, for example, polyester, cotton, and elastane to create a desired elasticity,” Matsumoto says. “Our research suggests that manipulating the topology of the stitches could lead to a similar elasticity, reducing the need for petroleum-based fibers and creating a more sustainable textile.”

“Knitting has the potential to be extremely useful in manufacturing, but knowledge has typically been shared through intuition and word of mouth,” she adds. “By creating these mathematical models, we hope to formalize that knowledge in a way that’s accessible for large-scale manufacturing — so we can leverage this centuries-old intuition for modern innovation.”

Funding: This work was supported by the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI), Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan; National Science Foundation (NSF); and Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA).

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/g94g-c6tt

Summary sentence

Physicists unravel the secrets of the centuries-old practice of knitting in a new study that explores the physics of ‘jamming’ — a phenomenon when soft or stretchy materials become rigid under low stress but soften under higher tension.

Summary

Researchers in the School of Physics unravel the secrets of the centuries-old practice of knitting in a new study that explores the physics of ‘jamming’ — a phenomenon when soft or stretchy materials become rigid under low stress but soften under higher tension.

Dateline

Fri, 07/25/2025 - 12:00

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Written by Selena Langner

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Wed, 07/30/2025 - 08:38

Georgia Tech Celebrates Two Goldwater Scholarship Recipients

dgivens8 — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 15:17:41 +0000

Georgia Tech Celebrates Two Goldwater Scholarship Recipients dgivens8 Wed, 04/16/2025 - 11:17

Georgia Tech is proud to announce that two of its outstanding students have been awarded the prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship for their exceptional academic achievements and dedication to STEM research. The recipients, Matthew Rohan and Anirudh Sriram, have demonstrated remarkable potential in their respective fields.

Matthew Rohan, a B.S. in Chemistry student graduating in 2026, has been recognized for his commitment to studying and applying physical chemistry towards future innovation. Matthew's journey at Georgia Tech has been marked by his passion for chemistry and his drive to contribute to scientific advancements. This summer, he will be returning to work at the Air Force Research Laboratory's Fuels & Energy Branch, where he will study deposition chemistry in jet fuel.

Matthew's advice to new students is to find something that is both interesting and fulfilling. Reflecting on his experience applying for the Goldwater Scholarship, Matthew shared, "The application process gave me the chance to reflect on my current progress and further develop my application for graduate school. I am both humbled and honored to be among the recipients."

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship has provided Matthew with the confidence and support to continue his academic pursuits in chemistry.

Anirudh Sriram, a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering student graduating in 2026, aims to advance precision medicine in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, focusing on the safety and scalability of immunotherapies through computational modeling. Anirudh's dedication to innovation via research has driven him to pursue skills within his field that he is passionate about.

Anirudh applied for the Goldwater Scholarship because it aligns with his passion for research and provides access to critical funding, mentorship, and a network of like-minded individuals. This summer, he will continue working on a project regarding gene expression analysis in various cancer tissue samples. Anirudh believes this experience will validate his research approach and open doors to collaborate with top-level researchers and scientists.

Anirudh's advice to new students is to find what they are passionate about within their field of study and pursue skills within that space.

Congratulations to Matthew Rohan and Anirudh Sriram on their well-deserved recognition. We look forward to their continued contributions to the scientific community.

If you are interested in applying for the Goldwater Scholarship, visit success.gatech.edu/prestigious-fellowships.

Summary sentence

Chemistry major Matthew Rohan and biomedical engineering major Anirudh Sriram were awarded the prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship for exceptional academic achievements and dedication to STEM research.

Summary

Dateline

Wed, 04/16/2025 - 12:00

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Georgia Brunner
Prestigious Fellowships Advisor
gbrunner6@gatech.edu

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Wed, 04/16/2025 - 11:17

College of Sciences Students Earn Walk-on Stamps President’s Scholarships

dgivens8 — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 16:44:41 +0000

College of Sciences Students Earn Walk-on Stamps President’s Scholarships dgivens8 Tue, 11/19/2024 - 11:44

Three College of Sciences students with aspirations of making a difference in medicine were selected as recipients of the prestigious Stamps President’s Scholarship. Though this scholarship is typically given to 40 exceptional incoming first-year students, a select few second- and third-year students are chosen to receive the honor for exemplifying the program’s pillars of scholarship, leadership, progress, and service.

The new Scholars include School of Biological Sciences/School of Modern Languages student Sonali Kaluri, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry student Seth Kinoshita, and School of Biological Sciences student Medina McCowin.

As part of the program, the selected students will receive a full-ride scholarship, special mentoring, and travel opportunities.

About the Scholars

Sonali Kaluri is a third-year student double majoring in biology and applied languages and intercultural studies (with a concentration in Spanish). Deeply passionate about women's health, she has researched clinical considerations of treating liver disease in pregnant women and the impact of a virtual lactation program on maternal and infant health outcomes at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. In her spare time, she volunteers at the Winship Cancer Institute and the March of Dimes and is a member of the Yellow Jacket Fencing Club.

“I hope to attend medical school and pursue a career in academic medicine after graduation from Georgia Tech,” says Kaluri. “My research experience has made me acutely aware of the gaps in medical knowledge regarding the different ways disease processes affect women, and I hope to become an advocate for change through research and clinical practice!”

Seth Kinoshita is a third-year biochemistry major with a minor in health and medical sciences. As an undergraduate research assistant with the Department of Biomedical Engineering, he focuses on a novel drug delivery structure that can be surgically inserted to decrease recovery time and minimize invasiveness for tendon injuries. His work has been published in several academic journals. He serves as an undergraduate research ambassador and a pre-health mentor — and spends his free time with Sympathetic Vibrations, Georgia Tech's male a cappella group. Kinoshita also works as the medical coordinator for Aurora Day Camp, a camp for children with cancer and their siblings.

"After graduation, I want to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. in regenerative orthopedic medicine to bridge my tendon repair research with direct implementation into patients,” says Kinoshita. “I aim to develop innovative treatments that can restore mobility in the extremities and improve the quality of life for patients with musculoskeletal disorders."

Medina McCowin is a third-year biology major researching cancer treatment methods in the Sulchek BioMEMS and Biomechanics Lab. She also worked for Lachance Laboratories as an undergraduate researcher, investigating cancer genetics. Active on campus, she is the biology representative for the Georgia Tech Undergraduate House of Representatives and president of the Georgia Tech Public Health Student Association. McCowin has also held several leadership roles with the Georgia Tech American Medical Student Association.

“In the future, I hope to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. and become a pediatric oncologist and cancer treatment researcher, focusing on improving pediatric cancer treatments,” says McCowin. “Working in the healthcare field and experiencing personal loss has taught me that empathy and compassion are the most important factors in becoming a doctor. As a doctor, I want to contribute to the advancements of pediatric medicine, but also be dedicated to improving the emotional and mental well-being of my patients and their families.”

Subtitle

Summary sentence

Sonali Kaluri, Seth Kinoshita, and Medina McCowin have been selected as walk-on recipients of the prestigious Stamps President's Scholarship, recognizing their exceptional academic accomplishments, leadership, and dedication to service.

Summary

Sonali Kaluri, Seth Kinoshita, and Medina McCowin have been selected as walk-on recipients of the prestigious Stamps President's Scholarship. Chosen for their academic achievements, leadership, and commitment to service, they will receive full scholarships, mentoring, and unique growth opportunities.

Dateline

Tue, 11/19/2024 - 12:00

laura.smith@cos.gatech.edu

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Writer: Laura S. Smith
College of Sciences

laura.smith@cos.gatech.edu

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Tue, 11/19/2024 - 11:42

Isabel Berry Earns Prestigious Department of Energy Fellowship

dgivens8 — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 17:07:41 +0000

Isabel Berry Earns Prestigious Department of Energy Fellowship dgivens8 Thu, 07/18/2024 - 13:07

Chemistry Ph.D. student Isabel Berry has been named a U.S. Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellow (DOE CSGF).

The program trains emerging leaders in computational science, providing opportunities and funding to students pursuing doctoral degrees in fields that use high-performance computing to solve complex science and engineering problems.

“I am honored to receive this fellowship,” says Berry. “In addition to the support for my Georgia Tech studies, I’m especially excited to participate in the three-month practicum where I’ll collaborate with leading DOE scientists.”

According to the DOE, the practicum takes place at one of 21 DOE laboratories or sites across the country, offering the fellows insights into how their scientific interests can translate to research areas important to the nation.

At Georgia Tech, Berry is a graduate research assistant for the Sherrill Group, spearheading research on using quantum mechanics and high-performance computing to understand how drug molecules bind to proteins.

“Computational chemists are always trying to balance speed and accuracy. My current research focuses on accuracy–modeling proteins with thousands of atoms to understand why some drugs work better than others,” explains Berry. “One of the practicum benefits will be access to the DOE’s supercomputers. I’m looking forward to learning how these incredible computers can help us further implement data-driven approaches to screen potential drug candidates (small molecules) even more rapidly.”

The fellowship is renewable for up to four years. As of September 1, 2024, the DOE CSGF will have onboarded more than 675 students across 34 cohorts representing 84 Ph.D. institutions. There are a record 40 incoming fellows for 2024-2025, with Berry the sole recipient from Georgia Tech.

"Izzy is an amazing student. She came to Georgia Tech with a B.S. in Chemistry and minors in computer science, applied math, and physics—as well as research experience in computational biophysics,” says David Sherrill, Regents’ Professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the School of Computational Science and Engineering who oversees Berry’s work. “She is exactly the kind of interdisciplinary student the DOE wants to recognize with their Computational Science Graduate Fellowship. I'm thrilled she's received this prestigious recognition."

Summary sentence

Berry, a Chemistry Ph.D. student, is one of 40 students in the U.S. to receive the Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship awarded to emerging leaders in computational science.

Summary

Berry, a Chemistry Ph.D. student, is one of 40 students in the U.S. to receive the Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship awarded to emerging leaders in computational science. She is the sole student from Georgia Tech to earn the distinction this year.

Dateline

Wed, 07/17/2024 - 12:00

laura.smith@cos.gatech.edu

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Laura S. Smith
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College of Sciences

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computational science

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675499

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Thu, 07/18/2024 - 13:06

The Geometry of Life: Physicists Determine What Controls Biofilm Growth

admin — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 14:25:49 +0000

The Geometry of Life: Physicists Determine What Controls Biofilm Growth admin Fri, 07/12/2024 - 10:25

From plaque sticking to teeth to scum on a pond, biofilms can be found nearly everywhere. These colonies of bacteria grow on implanted medical devices, our skin, contact lenses, and in our guts and lungs. They can be found in sewers and drainage systems, on the surface of plants, and even in the ocean.

“Some research says that 80% of infections in human bodies can be attributed to the bacteria growing in biofilms,” Aawaz Pokhrel says, lead author of a groundbreaking new study that uses physics to investigate how these biofilms grow.

The paper, “The Biophysical Basis of Bacterial Colony Growth,” was published in Nature Physics this week, and it shows that the fitness of a biofilm — its ability to grow, expand, and absorb nutrients from the medium or the substrate — is largely impacted by the contact angle that the biofilm’s edge makes with the substrate. The study also found that this geometry has a bigger influence on fitness than anything else, including the rate at which the cells can reproduce.

“That was the big surprise for us,” says corresponding author Peter Yunker, an associate professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Physics. “We expected that the geometry would play an important role, and we thought that figuring out exactly what the geometry is would be important for understanding why the range expansion rate, for example, [the rate at which the biofilm spreads across the surface over time] is constant. But we didn't start the project thinking that geometry would be the single most important factor.”

Understanding how biofilms grow — and what factors contribute to their growth rate — could lead to critical insights on controlling them, with applications for human health, like slowing the spread of infection or creating cleaner surfaces. “What got me excited was this opportunity to use physics to learn about complex biological systems,” Pokhrel, who is also a Ph.D. student in Yunker’s lab, adds. “Especially on a project that has so many applications. The combination of the importance for human health and exciting research was really intriguing for me.”

A new method

While biofilms are ubiquitous in nature, studying them has proven difficult. Because these “cities of microorganisms” are comprised of tiny individuals, scientists have struggled to image them successfully.

That changed in 2015, when Yunker began wondering if interferometry, a commonly used imaging technique in physics and materials science, could be applied to biofilms. “Given my background in physics, I was familiar with its use in materials applications,” Yunker recalls. “I thought applying this technique more broadly might be interesting, because we know from decades of physics that surface interfaces contain a lot of information about the processes that create them.”

The technique proved to be simple, effective, and time-efficient, providing nanometer-scale resolution of bacterial colonies. “It allows us to essentially get a picture of the topography — the shape of the surface of the bacterial population — with super-resolution,” Yunker adds.

Leveraging interferometry, the team began conducting new biofilm experiments, investigating how colonies’ shapes changed over time. Co-first author Gabi Steinbach, formerly a postdoctoral scholar in Yunker’s lab and now a scientific research coordinator at the University of Maryland, noticed that every colony had a specific shape when it was small: a spherical cap, like a slice from the top of a sphere, or a droplet of water. It’s a shape that shows up often in physics, and that sparked the team’s interest.

“A spherical cap in physics is very interesting, because it is a surface-minimizing shape,” Pokhrel adds. “I was curious why a biological material was growing in this shape, and we started wondering if there was some physics to it – perhaps geometry was involved. And that made us think that maybe we could develop a model. And that got me really excited.”

A mathematical mystery

However, the researchers soon hit a roadblock. “While we could see that the colonies were spherical caps at first, they would deviate from that shape as they grew,” Pokhrel says. “And the shape that they grew into was difficult to describe with existing spherical cap geometry.”

“The middle didn’t grow as quickly as it should to keep the spherical cap shape, and we wanted to connect all of this to the range expansion [the rate at which the colony spread across a surface],” Yunker adds. “But we knew that somehow, geometry was playing a very important role.”

Finally, Thomas Day, a former graduate student in Yunker’s lab, now a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Southern California, and one of the authors of the paper, suggested a quirky problem of geometry called the napkin ring problem.

“As soon as we started to think about the napkin ring problem, we were able to start developing a mathematical toolkit,” Yunker says, though the solution wasn’t effortless. “We couldn't find anyone who had ever looked at a spherical cap napkin ring before, because the application is very rare.”

Pokhrel, alongside two co-authors, was responsible for working out the geometry. He discovered that the cells grew exponentially at the edge of the shape, expanding further onto the medium, while the cells in the middle grew upward, creating a shape not unlike an egg in a frying pan — if the egg white was expanding outwards, while the yolk was only growing taller.

This was the breakthrough discovery: Because the cells at the middle were only contributing to the biofilm’s height, the team only needed to account for how many cells were at the edge of the biofilm, and the shape they needed to be in to grow and spread.

After incorporating their findings into a mathematical model, the team found that the contact angle was the most important factor: the angle that the very edge of the biofilm made when it touched the surface it was growing on. That single geometric quality is even more important to a biofilm’s growth than the rate at which it can reproduce cells.

The physics-biology connection

Overall, the project took more than three years, from conception to publication. “Aawaz really made an incredible effort seeing this work through,” Yunker says. “It was many years and many, many experiments. But the finished product is 100% worth it.”

The team hopes the research will pave the way for future studies, which could lead to applications like controlling biofilm growth to help prevent infections.

“Going forward, there are still a lot of research avenues,” Pokhrel says. “For example, looking at competition experiments between biofilms — do taller colonies change their contact angle so that they can spread faster? What role does this geometry play in competition?”

“Biology is complex,” Yunker adds. In nature, the surface a biofilm grows on may not be as consistent as a laboratory surface, and colonies may have different mutations or may consist of more than one species. And while the model is based on how biofilms behave in a controlled lab environment, it’s a critical first step in understanding how they may behave in nature.

Citation: Pokhrel, A.R., Steinbach, G., Krueger, A. et al. The biophysical basis of bacterial colony growth. Nat. Phys. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-024-02572-3

Funding information: This research was funded by the NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences and NSF Biomaterials

Summary sentence

Up to 80% of infections in human bodies can be attributed to the bacteria growing in biofilms, and understanding how biofilms grow could lead to critical insights on controlling them.

Summary

A groundbreaking new study published in Nature Physics has revealed that geometry influences biofilm growth more than anything else, including the rate at which cells can reproduce. The research shows that the fitness of a biofilm is largely impacted by the contact angle that the biofilm’s edge makes with the substrate.

Dateline

Tue, 07/09/2024 - 12:00

selenalynlangner@gmail.com

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Written by Selena Langner

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Earth and Environment

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Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics

Life Sciences and Biology

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Mercury ID

675410

Source updated

Fri, 07/12/2024 - 10:24

Fulbright U.S. Student Awards Announced for 2024-2025

dgivens8 — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 15:26:41 +0000

Fulbright U.S. Student Awards Announced for 2024-2025 dgivens8 Mon, 06/17/2024 - 11:26

The Georgia Institute of Technology is pleased to announce that five students and alumni have received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to study/conduct research in the fields of international business and neuroscience and serve as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Mongolia and Taiwan for the 2024-2025 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

ANISHA KANUKOLANU, B.S. NEUROSCIENCE, 2023, Research at the Technische Universität, Berlin, Berlin Germany. Anisha will conduct research under the guidance of Dr. Sein Jeung in the Berlin Mobile Brain-Body Imaging Lab. Anisha states, “I am very passionate about cultural competency and creating globally inclusive research. I want to conduct research in Germany to learn more about the highly multicultural academic landscape in neuroscience research.”

GINA PIAZZA, B.S. ECONOMICS & BS APPLIED LANGUAGES & INTERCULTURAL STUDIES, 2021, Mexico Binational Business Program. This unique program provides recipients with a ten-month internship in a Mexican or multinational company in Mexico City. Gina is excited about this opportunity to work internationally and develop valuable resources for her future career in global development. Gina states, “This experience will broaden my perspective on the process of development, and immersion in Mexican culture will help me to understand diverse viewpoints. As a result, I anticipate completing the grant period prepared to work with various stakeholders in a global development career.”

TOM (MINSEOK) LEE, B.S. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, 2024, English Teaching Assistant, Mongolia. While completing an internship at the Department of State, Tom was able to help out at the Mongolia Desk. Tom explains, “I chose the English Teaching Assistant program in Mongolia because I wanted to continue learning about Mongolia and its language and culture.”

EMILY YAN, B.S. BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, 2024, English Teaching Assistant, Taiwan. Emily is excited to teach young students from another culture and looks forward to fostering empathetic listening skills. With the ultimate goal of attending medical school, Emily explains, “Teaching may seem distant from the field of medicine, but teaching plays a large part in patient care. I aspire to develop into a healthcare professional capable of comprehending and addressing the diverse needs of those under my care.”

CLAIRE LIN, B.S. INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING, 2023, English Teaching Assistant, Taiwan. One of Claire’s life goals is to bring accessibility to underserved areas around the globe. She explains, “I have yearned to connect with communities through cultural immersion and direct communication to address the root causes of disparities in healthcare and education.”

More than 2,000 Fulbright U.S. Students—recent college graduates, graduate students, and early career professionals from all backgrounds—pursue graduate study, conduct research, or teach English in schools abroad each year.

Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. Fulbrighters exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and work to address complex global challenges.

Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which has operated in over 160 countries worldwide. In the United States, the Institute of International Education implements the Fulbright U.S. Student and U.S. Scholar Programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of State. For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit https://fulbrightprogram.org.

Georgia Tech’s Prestigious Fellowships Advisor Dr. Karen Mura sees the Fulbright program as an opportunity for recipients to connect with the world as they advance their personal goals and growth. "The Fulbright program is a tremendous opportunity for our students to broaden their horizons and gain valuable experience in their fields of study," she said. "We are incredibly proud of our five recipients for their hard work and dedication, and we look forward to seeing how they will contribute to their host communities while representing Georgia Tech and the United States."

The Office of Undergraduate Education is proud of these talented students and wishes them the best of luck as they embark on their Fulbright journeys.

Students interested in Fulbright, or any nationally or internationally competitive award, can follow up by contacting Shannon Dobranski at shannon.dobranski@gatech.edu.

Pre-Graduate and Pre-Professional Advising is part of Academic Success and Advising (ASA) and the Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE).

Summary sentence

College of Sciences graduate Anisha Kanukolanu is among the Georgia Tech students and alumni who have received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to study/conduct research.

Summary

College of Sciences graduate Anisha Kanukolanu is among the Georgia Tech students and alumni who have received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to study/conduct research.

Dateline

Mon, 06/10/2024 - 12:00

Contact

by Karen Mura, Office of Undergraduate Education

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College of Sciences

B.S. Neuroscience

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Mercury ID

675110

Source updated

Mon, 06/17/2024 - 11:25

Simpler Approach to Prevent Cervical Cancer Makes Collegiate Inventors Competition Finals

dgivens8 — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 15:31:39 +0000

Simpler Approach to Prevent Cervical Cancer Makes Collegiate Inventors Competition Finals dgivens8 Fri, 03/22/2024 - 11:31

A group of Georgia Tech students is looking to prevent cervical cancer and other gynecological diseases with a new approach to testing that could increase access to healthcare and turn a wasted resource into a valuable tool.

Their idea, a simple menstrual pad add-on to collect blood for lab screening, has earned them one of five finalist spots in the national Collegiate Inventors Competition Oct. 24-25. They’ll compete against other undergraduate teams for $10,000, mentoring from experienced inventors, and a patent acceleration certificate from the U.S. Patent and Trade Office.

The team also is competing for a People’s Choice Award that’s based on online voting.

“We are trying to end the stigma against periods — that's one of our biggest missions behind the product — and we want to increase access to healthcare. Nearly all cervical cancers are preventable with earlier screening and testing for HPV,” said team member Rhea Prem, referring to the human papilloma virus that causes cervical cancer. “We want healthcare to be on your own terms so that you feel in control of your health, and you feel control over what you're doing with your body.”

Read about the team's FADpad kit on the College of Engineering website.

Summary sentence

Students create a multilayered menstrual pad add-on that collects blood samples for gynecological disease screening.

Summary

Students create a multilayered menstrual pad add-on that collects blood samples for gynecological disease screening.

Dateline

Mon, 10/23/2023 - 12:00

jstewart@gatech.edu

Contact

Written by Matthew Kistner

For more information:
Joshua Stewart
College of Engineering

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Collegiate Inventors Competition

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Engineering

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Mercury ID

670583

Source updated

Fri, 03/22/2024 - 11:31

Faculty Open the Classroom with C-PIES and HHMI Fellowship

admin — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 20:42:41 +0000

Faculty Open the Classroom with C-PIES and HHMI Fellowship admin Thu, 03/07/2024 - 15:42

Whether you’re fresh out of high school or going back to school later in life, your first college-level course can be intimidating. And while Georgia Tech offers numerous resources — drop-in tutoring, learning assistants, peer-led study groups — that provide extra support, they aren’t always accessible to everyone.

The Open Course Project aims to address that gap with self-guided, interactive support for math and statistics courses at Georgia Tech — and beyond.

“The Open Course Project was started in order to be an extra resource for students,” says Stephanie Reikes, a lecturer in the School of Mathematics and one of the project’s leaders. “Many students are entering college with gaps in their knowledge due to online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. I wanted to create a course for students to self-enroll and be able to work at their own pace with the material.”

Support from Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The project was born out of the Inclusive Excellence Faculty Fellowship, established in May 2023 by the College’s Center for Promoting Inclusion and Equity in the Sciences (C-PIES). The annual fellowship, supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, funds one project proposed by Georgia Tech faculty that promotes inclusive teaching.

Reikes was named a 2023-2024 C-PIES Inclusive Excellence Faculty Fellow alongside colleagues Greg Mayer, academic professional in the School of Mathematics; and Bekki George, former academic professional in the School of Psychology for the trio's collaborative proposal for the Open Course Project. Hi Shin Shim, a graduate student in Psychology, has since joined the team to develop the statistics course.

“The original idea was to promote inclusive teaching in a unique way,” says Lea Marzo, program director for C-PIES. “We chose this group because their project really homes in on helping students from disadvantaged communities that maybe don’t have basic foundations in these courses.”

With its self-paced material available completely online, Marzo says the courses allow students of any background — and with any schedule — to “get those foundations.”

Opening up the classroom

Development of the Open Course Project began in the summer of 2023, with the first courses launching in the fall. During that time, Reikes, Mayer, and Shim established databases with recorded videos, supplemental notes, and practice problems for college algebra, multivariable calculus, and statistics.

“Students come to Georgia Tech and find that they need a refresher or that they’re struggling with these courses but can’t necessarily go to tutoring — maybe they’re remote, maybe they work full time, or maybe they’re just not comfortable with in-person tutoring,” Marzo explains. “This gives students another avenue to access this information.”

The online courses are completely self-guided, allowing students to build foundations in these areas from anywhere at their own pace. Enrollment in these courses also provides automatically graded assessments with hundreds of exercises that offer instant feedback to students.

More than 500 Georgia Tech students have enrolled in the courses since the project's launch. To make the materials even more accessible, the team also opened the courses to the general public at no cost.

Publicly available courses currently include college algebra and multivariable calculus, with a statistics course projected to come online sometime this summer.

Because of this, Marzo points out, “any school can use it — and you're essentially getting top level education for free.”

Summary sentence

More than 500 Georgia Tech students are taking advantage of self-guided, online math and statistics courses to provide free extra support for students who may need it — on campus and beyond.

Summary

More than 500 Georgia Tech students have taken advantage of the self-guided, online math and statistics courses designed by faculty and students from the School of Mathematics and the School of Psychology. Also open to the public, the courses were created to provide free extra support for students who may need it — at Georgia Tech and beyond.

Dateline

Thu, 03/07/2024 - 12:00

jess.hunt@cos.gatech.edu

Contact

Writer: Audra Davidson
Communications Officer II
College of Sciences

Contact: Jess Hunt-Ralston
Director of Communications
College of Sciences

Keywords

cos-community

cos-students

C-PIES

academic outreach

tutoring

News room topics

Campus and Community

Categories

Community

Education

Mercury ID

673389

Source updated

Thu, 03/07/2024 - 15:41

Embracing Community

admin — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 03:11:26 +0000

Embracing Community admin Thu, 12/14/2023 - 22:11

Lizzie Wright was in 10th grade when she watched a TED Talk about controlling someone else’s arm with your brain.

“It got me thinking — we’re all walking around, talking to people, moving our hands, and just kind of taking it for granted,” she said. “We all have this brain and it looks pretty much the same on the outside, and has the same functions, yet we are all different. And we don’t fully know why. I wanted to know why.”

That curiosity led Wright to Georgia Tech, where she graduates this week with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience, with minors in health and medical science and philosophy. She leaves behind a community that has become a defining part of her life.

Through EXCEL, Georgia Tech’s postsecondary education program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Wright mentored five students and later served in a leadership role overseeing the entire group of mentors.

“EXCEL taught me more than anything else,” she said. “I learned skills like how to budget because we worked on that together, how to manage my time, how to walk into new environments and approach joining new clubs and groups.”

Wright was also selected for Ramblin’ Royalty in 2022, an honor bestowed on two students each year. Ramblin’ Royalty students serve throughout the year at campus events and in other leadership roles.

“I was nominated by my sorority, which was very humbling. I always thought about the idea of applying based on previous winners and what I’ve seen them do over the years, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Going through the process made me realize how much I love Georgia Tech and how grateful I am for this place, and it gave me a tangible way to give back.”

Through Greek life, Campus Outreach, and the EXCEL program, Wright not only found a path for her career but a path for her life.

“I joined all three my first year and just never really needed to find anything else. They all taught me that the Tech bubble, though it’s beautiful, there’s so much more outside of Tech, and that perspective kept me going. We’re all here for a reason, and that reason is to take what we’ve learned and go forth into the world.”

For Wright, that means completing her EMT certification with Grady Hospital and applying to medical school. Her passion for global health and medicine was solidified during a summer in Ethiopia working on a medical mission.

“It was my first full encounter with medicine. We were doing rounds one day, and the doctor I was working with came across this patient who had just had spinal surgery, but he had bedsores and needed to be lifted off the bed without having his spine compromised. Eventually, the doctor says, ‘My kid has a bike. Let’s take the tire off the bike, put it under his spine, and raise it so his skin can breathe.’ So he goes home, disassembles the bike, sterilizes the tire, and configures it in a way that raises the person up from the bed. And it worked. And it was just because his kid had a bike.

“That type of thinking — engineering thinking, even though I’m a neuroscience major — is so cool because you just work with what you’ve got.”

That unpredictability, and pursuing a career that could take her anywhere, is part of what drew Wright to medicine.

“That’s the reason I want to do EMT. You have no idea what you’re walking into. You have your jump bag, your partner, and your knowledge. What are you going to do? How are you going to help this person before you can get them to the hospital?”

As Wright prepares for Commencement, she’ll be joined by her family — including her brother Bishop, also a Tech graduate, who encouraged her to be a Yellow Jacket in the first place.

“He really pushed me early on to realize this wasn’t just a good school, but way more than that. Georgia Tech offers so much, but I would really advise most students to not just use it as a launchpad, but to acknowledge this place for the community it offers. I think that is key not only to enjoying the college experience, but really to seeing Georgia Tech for everything it has to offer and not waste these years.”

Summary sentence

Lizzie Wright knew Georgia Tech was a great school, but had no idea the community she would encounter through her four and a half years.

Summary

Lizzie Wright knew Georgia Tech was a great school, but had no idea the community she would encounter through her four and a half years.

Dateline

Thu, 12/14/2023 - 12:00

Contact

Kristen Bailey

Institute Communications

Associated importer

Keywords

cos-neuro

cos-students

cos-community

News room topics

Campus and Community

Mercury ID

671579

Source updated

Thu, 12/14/2023 - 22:10

Tips for Managing Stress

admin — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 21:34:00 +0000

Tips for Managing Stress admin Wed, 11/08/2023 - 16:34

The end of the semester brings pressure to perform well on final exams and presentations. And with the holidays around the corner comes the added stress of traveling to visit family and friends or maybe spending the holidays away from loved ones. For some, it can be hard to manage.

“Stress is not automatically bad or unhealthy. It is part of being a human and growing and facing challenges,” said Vidal Annan Jr., senior director of the Center for Mental Health Care and Resources in Student Engagement and Well-Being. “When we step out of our comfort zone, chances are we will be experiencing something new. And when there's something new, there’s a chance it may be stressful. That stress must be managed because when stress becomes too intense, too frequent, or lasts too long it starts to shift from stress to distress — and we want to avoid distress as much as possible.”

Regardless of the source of stress, there are unhealthy as well as helpful ways to manage it. Annan identified some unhealthy behaviors to avoid.

Distraction: focusing on things that are not important or that are not meaningful. “Looking at social media or playing a game on your phone takes you away from the stressful situation temporarily, but when you turn off the phone the stress is still there.”

Avoidance: staying away from things that are meaningful and important. “Self-isolation is an avoidance technique. You’re not seeking out something else, but you’re tuning out, shutting down, or withdrawing from everything.

Overthinking: focusing on worrying or rumination. You are trying to predict the future, or you’re wishing something different happened in the past. “Overthinking fools the mind into thinking that it is problem solving. But it’s just getting caught up in the problem, not looking at a solution.”

Other unhealthy ways for dealing with stress include taking the following actions to the extreme: sleeping; shopping or “retail therapy;” eating too much or too little; substance abuse; unhealthy sexual behavior; self-harm; or suicidal thinking.

“If any of these actions become a pattern, they can become problematic,” Annan said.

Self-Care Is Helpful

People often associate the term “self-care” with pampering or self-indulgence, such as getting a massage or having a slice of cake after a tough day. But it doesn’t have to be that narrowly defined.

“Self-care doesn’t have to be fun, but it does have to be deliberate,” Annan said. “Self-care is living a life that rejuvenates you and makes you healthier, stronger, and mentally fit. That means taking care of yourself on a regular basis and preparing for the demands that are coming.”

He said it’s important to dedicate time to the following:

Sleep. Follow a consistent schedule and get enough sleep. Most people need between six and nine hours each night.

Nutrition and hydration. Eat consistently and drink enough water. “The mind and body are connected, and we get ‘hangry’ when we don’t eat. If something stressful happens when we are hungry, we may feel very irritable, but we’re not angry because of what happened. We’re just hungry.”

Movement (not exercise). “We used to have natural movement from farming, doing manual labor, and walking because we didn’t have cars. Today we exercise because we don’t have enough natural movement in our lives.” We don’t have to rely on a gym or workout equipment, we can try to incorporate natural movement, such as gardening, dance, or taking the stairs.

Socialization. “We are not meant to be solitary. Engaging with others helps us to manage stress better.” Wanting to vent to a friend when you are stressed is a healthy response.

Leisure time. Engage with your hobbies or creative interests. “Remember when you were 5 years old and you did things just for fun — like drawing or building model planes? When was the last time you did that?” Revisit the things that brought you pure joy.

Reflection. Take the time to attend to your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and look at your life in relation to other things, whether that is your values, faith, or ideals. Counseling, meditating, or journaling can be a great way to reflect.

Reach out for help. Students experiencing a mental health crisis that requires immediate attention may speak with a counselor at any time 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During regular business hours, students who are not actively in crisis but would like to schedule a counseling appointment may call 404.894.2575 or walk-in to the Center for Mental Health Care and Resources located on the second floor, Suite 238, Smithgall Student Services Building, 353 Ferst Drive NW Atlanta GA 30313. After business hours, please call 404.894.2575 and select the option to speak to the after-hours counselor.

Staff can contact the Employee Assistance Program 24 hour a day, seven days a week at 1-844-243-4440, or via the Acentra website using company code: USGCares.

Campus Community Shares Stress Relief Tips:

“One of my favorite ways to unwind from a stressful day is to go on a long walk with my dog, Harper. Walking around the neighborhood gives me a chance to enjoy some exercise and quiet time to reflect. I tend to stay busy throughout the day in meetings and teaching classes, so this time in the evening is a good opportunity to decompress.”

—Donald Webster, Karen and John Huff School Chair, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering

“I really enjoy listening to music, as it helps put me in a better headspace and concentrate on what I need to accomplish for the end of the day. I have combined this with exercise by trying to go to cycling classes at least twice a week, which provides dedicated time for me to just focus on moving my body and getting into a more positive headspace.”

—Nicole McClelland, fourth-year, materials science and engineering major

“Generally, I walk home slowly looking at trees, gardens, street life, and architecture. No headset, no podcast — just visual pleasure. During the workday, when it gets stressful, I sit on my balcony in East Architecture and do the same with a little deep breathing. Georgia Tech’s campus has become so verdant and beautiful in the last decade and my birdfeeder is pretty popular. At home, it is music. I have speakers everywhere and I listen to a lot of Erik Satie. The best way to unwind in the evenings, however, is with live music — like Georgia Tech orchestra, jazz, and choral concerts at Ferst. And they are free!”

—Ellen Bassett, dean and John Portman Chair, College of Design

“Getting outside to exercise is my primary outlet and stress reliever, and I try to integrate that into my day. Most mornings I run a mile before doing anything else, regardless of the temperature or weather. On days I take MARTA to work, I bring my bike and ride home, which is a great way to decompress and refresh for my family. If I drive in, I bring my running shoes, so I can either run around campus after work, or stop on the BeltLine or a trail. In the last year, I’ve started taking a ‘digital sabbath’ on Sundays. Since I live on screens the rest of the week, that separation from text, email, and social media before the week starts has been incredibly renewing.”

—Rick Clark, assistant vice provost and executive director, Undergraduate Admission

“I am a swimmer and a morning person. As such, I start most every morning with a swim. I swim before coffee, before breakfast and even before email. I swim outdoors year-round and so for a good part of the year, it is a challenge to jump in the pool in the dark and cold. But after that plunge, I am pretty confident that the hardest part of my day is now behind me. At the end of the day, I relieve stress by quickly pivoting to my role as daughter, mother, wife, sister, and friend. A call to discuss what is going on in their lives helps me put aside small worries of my own. And in the middle of the day, there is always chocolate.”

—Susan Lozier, dean and Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair, College of Sciences

Summary sentence

The senior director of the Georgia Tech Center for Mental Health Care and Resources gives tips for managing end-of-year stress.

Summary

The senior director of the Georgia Tech Center for Mental Health Care and Resources gives tips for managing end-of-year stress.

Dateline

Thu, 11/09/2023 - 12:00

Contact

Victor Rogers

Institute Communications

Keywords

cos-community

cos-students

News room topics

Health and Medicine

Categories

Community

Mercury ID

670941

Source updated

Wed, 11/08/2023 - 16:33

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