Recent Press Coverage

Current News and Events

Celebrating 10 Female Leaders in Sustainability

May 21, 2021

Kaye Husbands Fealing, Dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, was quoted in, “Celebrating 10 Female Leaders in Sustainability,” published May 21, 2021, in GreenBiz.

The article highlights Husbands Fealing as the keynote speaker for part of the 2021 Women in Sustainability Leadership Awards.

Full article

Published in: GreenBiz
How Georgians Might Reach New U.S. Target for 50% Carbon Cut

May 20, 2021

Marilyn Brown, Regents Professor and Brook Byers Professor of Sustainable Systems, was quoted in, "How Georgians Might Reach New U.S. Target for 50% Carbon Cut," published May 20, 2021, in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The article focused on options for reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the state, and the implications of meeting the 50% emission reduction goal by 2030.

Excerpt:

Making the cuts “is difficult but doable,” said Marilyn Brown, a Georgia Tech professor of sustainable systems who helped analyze options in Georgia to possibly reach the target. “It’s an all-hands-on-board kind of approach we are taking.”

Brown, the Georgia Tech professor, said the governor should immediately pull together a commission to look at the options for how to best cut carbon in Georgia.

She said options include expanding solar power, eliminating caps on how many people can receive full credit for surplus solar power they generate and sell to Georgia Power, and reducing barriers that keep manufacturers from producing electricity using waste heat.

Individuals can make shifts at home, she said, including composting, having a more plant-rich diet, spending less time in gas-powered cars, shifting home energy use to when demand is lower and cleaner generation technology is in use, and installing solar panels.

Full article

Published in: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Iraqi Engineering Schools Add Ethics Courses in an Accreditation Push

May 19, 2021

Jason Borenstein, Director of Graduate Research Ethics Programs, was quoted in, “Iraqi Engineering Schools Add Ethics Courses in an Accreditation Push,” published May 19, 2021, in Al-Fanar Media.

The article explains the need for new and improved ethics courses at Baghdad’s University of Technology, and the university’s collaboration with Georgia Tech in its quest for international accreditation. Justin Biddle, associate professor in the School of Public Policy, also worked on the project.

Published in: Al-Fanar Media
The Value Of Understanding Why People Believe COVID-19 Misinformation

May 17, 2021

Amit Prasad, associate professor in the School of History and Sociology, was featured on the May 13, 2021, episode of the WABE podcast, Did You Wash Your Hands? Prasad discussed his research about the reasons why people believe Covid-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories.

Published in: 'Did You Wash Your Hands?'
EV battery recycling sparks opportunities for Georgia startups, CEO says

May 12, 2021

Omar Asensio, assistant professor in the School of Public Policy, was mentioned in the article, "EV battery recycling sparks opportunities for Georgia startups, CEO says," published May 12, 2021, in the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Published in: Atlanta Business Chronicle
Money and Maltreatment

May 9, 2021

Lindsey Bullinger, assistant professor in the School of Public Policy, was featured on May 9, 2021, edition of the Impact podcast. She discussed her research, recent child tax credit legislation, and recent research on Covid-19 and child maltreatment.

Published in: The Imprint Weekly Podcast
Space junk—how did orbital debris become such a huge headache?

May 9, 2021

Mariel Borowitz, associate professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, was featured on the May 9, 2021, edition of the Rear Vision podcast, a production of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

During the podcast, Borowitz and the panel discussed the proliferation of space junk in Earth orbit and what can be done to manage it.

Listen to the podcast here.

Published in: Rear Vision
Tourism and Climate Change Threaten Lake Baikal, a Unique Global Treasure

April 27, 2021

Kate Pride Brown, associate professor in the School of History and Sociology, published an adaptation of her paper "Human Impact and Ecosystem Health at Lake Baikal," on April 27, 2021 in Advanced Science News.

The publication addresses the human-created threats facing Lake Baikal in Russia, the world's deepest freshwater lake. The effects are both a result of increased human activity in the immediate area around the lake, as well as the global impacts of climate change.

Excerpt:

Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia is one of the world’s natural wonders. Deeper than the Grand Canyon, older than the Amazon Rainforest, as voluminous as all the U.S. Great Lakes combined, Lake Baikal is home to more species than any other lake on Earth, many of which are found nowhere else. Baikal water is exceptionally pure, fully oxygenated at its maximum depth, and covered in winter by a meter of clear ice. These unique conditions have allowed for the evolution of a complex and interdependent ecosystem that maintains the lake’s purity and the flourishing of its web of life.

However, human encroachment has threatened the stability of Baikal’s ecosystem. These anthropogenic threats began in the early 20th century; by the end of that century a new legal regime arose to meet these threats. However, these protective efforts were never fully implemented, and the new millennium ushered in a series of novel problems, even while the legacy of 20th century harm has not been fully resolved. Some of these threats are local in origin, while others are more global in scope. But without concerted action by governments, industries, and individuals, a global treasure faces continued deterioration.

Full article.

Published in: Advanced Science News
The Map: National Urban History Experts Applaud Syracuse Reporting on Redlining

April 26, 2021

Todd Michney, assistant professor in the School of History and Sociology, was quoted in the story "The Map: National Urban History Experts Applaud Syracuse Reporting on Redlining," published April 26, 2021, in CNYCentral.

The article explores the maps that first instituted the pattern of racially discriminatory "redlining" in housing programs, which have been archived as part of the University of Richmond's "Mapping Inequality" project. Michney, who has spent considerable time studying the impact of housing policies on urban demographics, contributed thoughts to the article.

Excerpt:

Michney, particularly finds it notable that the Syracuse Map was in the War Department files of the National Archives which he feels shows the cross-department reach of the outlining of ethnic neighborhoods and discriminatory practices that stretched beyond federal housing and lending programs.

Setting aside the precise details of the origin of 'The Map,' as an urban historian Michney sees great value in a wide-ranging discussion of the topic of redlining and government discrimination.

He is seeing progress in those conversations taking place more often. "My main interest is getting out the word, getting more people into the discussion," said Michney.

Full article.

Published in: CNYCentral
A Landmark Agreement is Toppling Barriers to Global Digital Trade

April 16, 2021

Milton Mueller, professor in the School of Public Policy, was quoted in the article "A Landmark Agreement is Toppling Barriers to Global Digital Trade," published April 16, 2021 in Tech Monitor.

Mueller, a prominent commentator and expert in internet policy issues, offered his thoughts on the place of trade policy and agreements in regulating internet activity and commerce.

Excerpt:

“One of the great things about the internet is it abolished borders on information exchanges,” says Milton L Mueller, professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Public Policy and co-founder of the Internet Governance Project. “But now we see a counter-movement in place in which people are trying to re-establish borders and we rarely see any good reasons for most of these barriers that have been set up.”

Full article.

Published in: Tech Monitor
Pineapple Ban Another Prickle In Cross-Strait Relations

April 15, 2021

Dalton Lin, assistant professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, wrote the piece "Pineapple Ban Another Prickle In Cross-Strait Relations," published April 15, 2021 in East Asia Forum.

The article discusses the state of geopolitics between Taiwan and China through the context of a recent ban on the importation of Taiwanese pineapple by China.

Excerpt:

Unlike the banana ban in 2012, this pineapple ban’s timing appears mysterious because no incident preceded the suspension. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen called the announcement ‘ambush-like’ .

The larger background to this ban involves the triangular dynamics between Beijing, Taipei and Washington. The Biden administration’s statements and actions since its inauguration indicate that it will continue the Trump administration’s strong support of Taiwan. The pineapple ban is Beijing’s signal to Taipei that it cannot circumvent the influence of Beijing over its affairs, even with US support.

The ban could also be explained with reference to Taiwan’s pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government having recently reshuffled its Mainland Affairs Council (MAC). The new MAC head has signalled optimistic expectations in breaking the cross-Strait impasse. The pineapple ban lays bare the reality of cross-Strait relations when there is no official channel to deal with an issue as minor as ‘harmful creatures’ found on pineapples. Beijing reiterated its political precondition for exchange — that Taipei needs to find a way to come to terms with Beijing’s ‘one China’ principle — and laid the blame for disrupted cross-Strait relations on the DPP government.

Full article.

Published in: East Asia Forum
Space Junk Removal Is Not Going Smoothly

April 14, 2021

Mariel Borowitz, associate professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, was quoted in the article "Space Junk Removal Is Not Going Smoothly," published April 14, 2021 in Scientific American.

In the article, which discussed the technical and political issues behind the issue of "space junk," or leftover debris floating above the Earth's atmosphere, Borowitz discussed the strategic implications of removal technologies that could be repurposed for other aims.

Excerpt:

Indeed, the ability to cozy up to spacecraft in orbit and perform servicing or sabotage has spurred considerable interest from military planners in recent years, says Mariel Borowitz, an associate professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Sam Nunn School of International Affairs. “These rapidly advancing technologies have the potential to be used for peaceful space activities or for warfare in space,” she says. “Given the dual-use nature of their capabilities, it’s impossible to know for sure in advance how they’ll be used on any given day.”

Full article.

Published in: Scientific American
Documentary Featuring UGA Faculty Paints Jimmy Carter as 'Millennial President'

April 14, 2021

"Carterland," a documentary for which Richard Barke, associate professor in the School of Public Policy, was inteviewed was the subject of the story "Documentary Featuring UGA Faculty Paints Jimmy Carter as 'Millennial President'," published April 14, 2021 in the Athens Banner-Herald.

Barke was interviewed in summer 2020 for the film by filmmakers Will and Jim Pattiz and appears in the credits as a "cast member." The film explores how the Carter administration was "ahead of its time" in many policy areas and features a number of academics from the state.

Full article here.

Published in: Athens Banner-Herald
Georgia 'Primed to Become a Leader' in Electric Vehicle Industry After SK Innovation Settlement

April 14, 2021

Omar Asensio, assistant professor in the School of Public Policy, was quoted in the article "Georgia 'Primed to Become a Leader' in Electric Vehicle Industry After SK Innovation Settlement," published April 14, 2021 in the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Full article (behind paywall).

Published in: Atlanta Business Chronicle
4 Georgia poets discuss their art for National Poetry Month

April 12, 2021

Travis Denton, academic professional in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication, associate director of Poetry @ Tech, and McEver Chair in Poetry, contributed his thoughts to the article "4 Georgia Poets Discuss their Art for National Poetry Month," published April 9, 2021 in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Denton, who has been at Georgia Tech for more than a decade and works to expose broader audiences to poetry in his position, spoke to the strategy of getting newcomers interested in the medium.

Excerpt:

The foundations of page poetry and spoken word poetry, I think they’re pretty much the same. They both hinge on figurative language, simile and metaphor. You always want to share with your reader what it was like. They are also both founded in music and sound. You want to cultivate that rhythm, that music and sound. In page poetry and spoken word poetry you want to have concrete images, you want to avoid the abstraction, stick with that concrete. They both deal with who we are, our shared humanness. We can have this discourse through poems.

We have a strong community (of poets and fans) at Georgia Tech and in Atlanta. That happened because of the generous spirit of (the late Tech professor) Thomas Lux in those early days. We had these gifts, and it was important that we share these gifts with the community. Too, it was the types of poetry and poets we bring to Tech. We have a no-boring-poets policy.

Full article.

Published in: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
NASA/JPL Named Two Sites on Mars After an Author and an Engineer. Here’s Why You Should Know Them, Too

April 10, 2021

Lisa Yaszek, Regents Professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication, was quoted in the article "NASA/JPL Named Two Sites on Mars After an Author and an Engineer. Here’s Why You Should Know Them, Too," published April 10, 2021 in USA Today.

The article explores the decision of a team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to name the landing site of the Perseverance Mars rover after Octavia Butler, a groundbreaking science fiction author. Yaszek, one of the nation's leading science fiction scholars, spoke to Butler's stature in the field.

Excerpt:

Science fiction aficionados — readers, college professors and publishers — hold Butler in high regard.

"She's important because she's a pioneer and the first Black female science fiction author," says Lisa Yaszek, Regents professor of science fiction studies in the School of Literature, Media and Communication at Georgia Tech.

Butler rose to prominence in the traditionally white bastion of science fiction. She was the first to write about prominent Black characters in science fiction settings, using dystopias, time travel and other tropes.

"She was literally one of the first, if not the first, Black women to publish in modern science fiction magazines under her own name," Yaszek says.

Full article.

Published in: USA Today
‘Technology’ Is the Most Useless Word in the English Language

April 9, 2021

Eric Schatzberg, professor and chair in the School of History and Sociology, was mentioned in the article "‘Technology’ Is the Most Useless Word in the English Language," published April 9, 2021 in Bloomberg.

The article, which discusses the meaning – or lack thereof – in the use of the word "technology" in commercial applications today. Schatzberg's contributions to studying the term and its history are used as supporting material.

Excerpt:

The meaning wasn’t always so expansive. Until the 1930s, in line with its ancient Greek etymology, it applied primarily to the study of the technical arts, according to the historian Eric Schatzberg. Hence the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was founded in 1861 to study and teach applied science and engineering rather than to study and teach “technology.”

Full article.

Published in: Bloomberg
PUBP Welcomes New Chair

April 8, 2021

Cassidy Sugimoto, the incoming chair of the School of Public Policy, was mentioned in the article "PUBP welcomes new chair," published April 3, 2021 in Technique.

Sugimoto, who comes to SPP from the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering at Indiana University Bloomington, was announced as incoming chair on March 19 and will formally begin work on June 1.

Excerpt:

Her research is within the specializations of scholarly communication, scientometrics, as well as science policy. Within her principle research, she investigates the ways in which knowledge is produced, disseminated and evaluated. Sugimoto also has a special interest in diversity and inclusion.

“I am confident that Dr. Sugimoto will advance the mission and goals of the school and the college as we envision the purpose and potential for humanities and social sciences at a technologically focused institution in the 21st century,” said Ivan Allen Dean Kaye Husbands Fealing, who was the previous SPP chair.

Full article.

Published in: Technique
The State of Play with Russia and Ukraine with General (Ret) Philip Breedlove

April 6, 2021

Gen. (ret.) Philip Breedlove, distinguished professor of the practice in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, was featured on the "State Secrets" podcast by The Cipher Brief on April 6, 2021.

Breedlove discussed strategic issues with Ukraine and Russia, as well as topics related to China and NATO, on the podcast.

Listen here.

Published in: The Cipher Brief
30 Predictions From “Retro Future” That Were Either A Hit Or A Miss

March 19, 2021

Lisa Yaszek, Regents Professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication, was featured in the article "30 Predictions from 'Retro Future' That Were Either a Hit or Miss," published March 19, 2021 on the website Bored Panda.

Yaszek, a leading scholar in the field of retrofuturism, provided a synopsis of the field for the article, which examined what came to pass – or not – in past depictions of the future.

Excerpt:

To find out more about the weird and wonderful retrofuturism movement, Bored Panda reached out to Lisa Yaszek, a Regents Professor of Science Fiction Studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Lisa explained that when we talk about retrofuturist objects and images, we usually refer to images of the past from the late 1800s through the space race, like many of the images collected here. “And when we look at these images, it becomes clear that people from the past actually had expectations of the future that were often quite like our own!”

Full article.

Published in: Bored Panda