Recent Press Coverage

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Vote Next Week Will Decide Future Of Transit In Gwinnett

March 14, 2019

Ronald Bayor, professor emeritus in the School of History and Sociology, was quoted in the “Vote Next Week Will Decide Future Of Transit In Gwinnett” article on the proposed MARTA expansion in an article . WABE, March 14, 2019.

Excerpt:

Gwinnett has voted on MARTA before. In 1971, the idea failed. It went down again in 1990.

“But remember that these counties were largely rural during that time and largely white,” said Ronald Bayor, a professor emeritus at Georgia Tech who taught history, and wrote the book, “Race and the Shaping of Twentieth-Century Atlanta.”

In those previous votes, Bayor said even if people didn’t say they were voting against MARTA because of race, they would talk about things like crime, or falling home values.

“What that usually meant was they were afraid of minorities coming into their areas,” he said.

Things could be different with the vote this time around. The demographics of Gwinnett have changed dramatically. The county has gone from being largely white, to having big Latino and black populations.

Read the full article here.

The School of History and Sociology is a unit of the Georgia Tech Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: WABE
E.T., Phone Hollywood: Aliens Invade the Movies

March 14, 2019

School of Literature, Media, and Communication Professor Lisa Yaszek was interviewed for the podcast “E.T., Phone Hollywood: Aliens Invade the Movies” by Focus Film's Zoom on March 14, 2019.

Listen here.

School of Literature, Media, and Communication is a unit of the Georgia Tech Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: Zoom
Remembering Al Reinert and 'For All Mankind,' the Precursor to 'Apollo 11'

March 8, 2019

Gregory Zinman, an assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Literature, Media, and Communication, recently wrote an article entitled “Remembering Al Reinert and 'For All Mankind,' the Precursor to 'Apollo 11'” for The New Yorker.

Here's an excerpt:

Viewers still coming back down to Earth after watching “Apollo 11,” Todd Douglas Miller’s new documentary about the spaceflight that first landed men on the moon, might overlook the dedication line in the film’s credits: “For Al and Theo.” “Theo” refers to Theo Kamecke, the director of the nasa-commissioned documentary “Moonwalk One,” from 1972, whose leftover Todd-AO 70-mm. reels of spectators watching the mission launch provided key visual elements for “Apollo 11.” Kamecke died, in 2017, at the age of seventy-nine. “Al” refers to Al Reinert, the director of “For All Mankind,” from 1989, a kaleidoscopic assemblage of Apollo-mission footage narrated by thirteen of the twenty-four astronauts involved.

Read the full story here.

The School of Literature, Media, and Communication is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: The New Yorker
Indictment Could Bolster State Bid to Take Over Atlanta Airport

March 6, 2019

Georgia Persons, professor of pubic policy was quoted in “Indictment Could Bolster State Bid to Take Over Atlanta Airport” in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, March 6.

Excerpt:

But not everyone was convinced new leadership would translate into an improved ethical climate.

If the state gained control of Hartsfield-Jackson, “You’d have different people who make the decision as to who gets the contracts, and you’d have probably different people getting the contracts,” said Georgia Persons, a professor at Georgia Tech’s School of Public Policy.“ You wouldn’t solve a problem.”

Read Full Article in AJC

The School of Public Policy is a unit of Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: Atlanta Journal Constitution
How Push Messages Change Us

March 1, 2019

Robert Rosenberger, an assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Public Policy, was recently quoted in an article entitled “How Push Messages Change Us” (Original title “Wie Push-Mitteilungen uns verändern”) in the German publication Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Here's a translated excerpt:

"Distractions are everywhere," warns the meditation app by distracting you from work by push message. "You've already taken 8,000 steps today ," praises the pedometer app when you drag yourself home. "Are you thinking about pizza?" Asks the digital pizza supplier after work. The friendly message from a science magazine: "We hope you have a good day, here's what the climate apocalypse might look like."

Read the full story here.

The School of Public Policy is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: Süddeutsche Zeitung
The Perils of Chinese Ambiguity: How and Why the US Mistrusts and Misunderstands China

February 28, 2019

Fei-Ling Wang, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, was recently quoted in an article entitled “The Perils of Chinese Ambiguity: How and Why the US Mistrusts and Misunderstands China” for The South China Morning Post.

Here's an excerpt:

Reclusive Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei has recently been taking the limelight and talking to the international media. In an interview with CBS that aired on February 19, he promised that the telecoms company would never spy on the United States and that even if he was required by Chinese law to share customer data with Beijing, he would “firmly reject that”.

The statement sounds genuine, but does not square with what he told foreign reporters at a round table weeks ago, when he said that he loves his country, supports the Communist Party, and that “we must abide by all applicable laws and regulations in the countries where we operate”.

Read the full story here.

The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: South China Morning Post
Dollars on the Margins

February 26, 2019

Lindsey Bullinger, an assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Public Policy, was recently quoted in an article entitled “Dollars on the Margins” for The New York Times.

Here's an excerpt:

IN 2014, Julio Payes was working 80 hours a week at two full-time jobs. A permanent resident from Guatemala who came to the United States on a work visa, Payes labored in Emeryville, Calif., a city of roughly 12,000 residents and almost 22,000 jobs, sandwiched between Oakland and Berkeley. He began his day with the graveyard shift at a 24-hour McDonald’s, where he served burgers and fries from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Afterward he had two hours to rest and shower. Then he’d clock in at Aerotek, going anywhere the temp service sent him between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. To stay awake, he loaded up on coffee and soda. Each job paid minimum wage.

Read the full story here.

The School of Public Policy is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: The New York Times
Remembering Antisemitism When Public Memory Is Fleeting

February 21, 2019

Claire Greenstein, a postdoctoral fellow in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, and Elizabeth Osman, a fourth-year International Affairs student in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, have written an article titled, "Remembering Antisemitism When Public Memory Is Fleeting" in New America.

Find an excerpt:

Reports on antisemitism are important not because they act as a warning system to Jewish communities—which they generally don’t—but, rather, because they play a crucial role in shaping society’s memory culture. It may seem like the mere existence of the Holocaust ought to serve as reminder enough that antisemitism is dangerous, evil, and persistent. But public memory isn’t static. Instead, seemingly permanent narratives are constantly supplanted, reinterpreted, and reconstructed in light of current events.

The article can be found on New Amercia's website.

Published in: New America
Tech Pays Tribute to Fallen Willow Oak That Dates to Late 1800s

February 15, 2019

Hugh Crawford, an associate professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Literature, Media, and Communication, was recently quoted in an article entitled “Tech Pays Tribute to Fallen Willow Oak That Dates to Late 1800s” for Saporta Report.

Here's an excerpt:

Associate Professor Hugh Crawford shifted his plan for the students’ big project for the semester. The subject matter for the class was unchanged – the role of trees in American culture, and the ongoing “recalibration of human’s relationship with the natural world.”

But the project shifted from building a play structure for a local school to memorializing a tree that had been part of Tech’s institutional memory since about the time the school opened in October 1888 with a class of 84 students.

Read the full story here.

The School of Literature, Media, and Communication is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: Saporta Report
Public Policy Graduate Degrees Can Lead to Lucrative Jobs and Universities Are Starting to Notice

February 14, 2019

Richard Barke, associate professor and director of undergraduate studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Public Policy, was recently quoted in an article entitled “Public Policy Graduate Degrees Can Lead to Lucrative Jobs and Universities Are Starting to Notice,” which was published in Insight Into Diversity.

The article, which starts on page 36, can be read here.

The School of Public Policy is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: Insight Into Diversity
How Regions Become Innovation Hubs

February 13, 2019

P aul Baker, the senior director of research and strategic innovation at the Center for Advanced Communications Policy, recently co-authored an article entitled “How Regions Become Innovation Hubs” for The Hill Times.

Here's an excerpt:

With an eye toward the upcoming 2019 federal election, public sector officials are looking for new approaches to improve the economic vitality of their economies, the livelihood of their citizens and, not coincidentally, their electoral prospects. Public sector efforts in Canada and the United States include: federal investments in field crop research and innovation, the Canadian Premiers’ 2015-2018 Economic Productivity and Innovation Working Group, the Federal Reserve System’s Investing in America’s Workforce program, and the U.S. National Governors Association’s Good Jobs for All Americans initiative.

A subscription is required to read the full article, which is available here.

T he Center for Advanced Communications Policy is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: The Hill Times
Knights, Horses, and...Hummus?

February 12, 2019

Richard Utz, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Literature, Media, and Communication, was recently quoted in an article entitled “Knights, Horses, and...Hummus?” for Serious Eats.

Here's an excerpt:

When I emailed with Richard Utz, a medievalist who teaches in the School of Literature, Media, and Communications at Georgia Tech, about the role of authenticity in medieval-inspired entertainment, he identified these details as a foundation of credibility on which to build a myth. "To help suspend disbelief about where the [Medieval Times] castle is and how artificial it looks, a 'real' anchor of the 'true' family connection is used to assist audiences at feeling a 'true' alterity,” he wrote. In this way, authenticity itself, in even small doses, becomes a standard feature of fantasy.

Read the full story here.

The School of Literature, Media, and Communication is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: Serious Eats
The Fight Over High-Tech Supremacy Isn't New. We Just Haven't Learned Our Lesson

February 12, 2019

John Krige, the Kranzberg Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology School of History and Sociology, recently wrote an article entitled “The Fight Over High-Tech Supremacy Isn't New. We Just Haven't Learned Our Lesson” for Fortune.

Here's an excerpt:

The U.S. is intensifying its competition with China for high-tech supremacy. Just two weeks ago, the Department of Justice released a major indictment against Chinese telecommunications company Huawei for allegedly violating U.S. sanctions against Iran. But that’s just one piece of a much larger puzzle.

Over the last two years, the U.S. has invoked a wide range of instruments to restrict Chinese access to cutting edge technology. Conditions for foreign investment in U.S. based high-tech firms were tightened. It has become more difficult for Chinese graduate students to get visas to study in sensitive fields like robotics. And concerns about China acquiring more advanced A.I. have led to calls for stronger controls on exports of this technology.

Read the full story here.

The School of History and Sociology is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: Fortune
What Would You Pay For Faster, Smarter Government Data?

February 8, 2019

Mariel Borowitz, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, recently wrote a journal article entitled “Government Data, Commercial Cloud: Will Public Access Suffer?” that was published in Science, and featured on public radio's Science Friday program.

Here's an excerpt:

Whether we’re aware of it or not, “the cloud” has changed our lives forever. It’s where we watch movies, share documents, and store passwords. It’s quick, efficient, and we wouldn’t be able to live our fast-paced, internet-connected lives without it.

Now, federal agencies are storing much of their data in the cloud. For example, NASA is trying to make 20 petabytes of data available to the public for free. But to do that, they need some help from a commercial cloud provider—a company like Amazon or Microsoft or Google. But will the government’s policy of open data clash with the business model of Silicon Valley? Mariel Borowitz, Assistant Professor at Georgia Tech and Katya Abazajian, Open Cities Director with the Sunlight Foundation join guest host John Dankosky to discuss the trade offs to faster, smarter government data in the cloud.

Listen to the interview here.

The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: Science Friday
Apple’s Empty Grandstanding About Privacy

February 6, 2019

Ian Bogost, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Literature, Media, and Communication, recently wrote an article entitled “Apple’s Empty Grandstanding About Privacy” for The Atlantic.

Here's an excerpt:

“We at Apple believe that privacy is a fundamental human right,” Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, said in a privacy-conference keynote last year in Brussels. “But we also recognize that not everyone sees things as we do.” Cook was making an impassioned plea to end the technology industry’s collection and sale of user data. “This is surveillance,” he continued. “And these stockpiles of personal data serve only to enrich the companies that collect them.” Cook called for a comprehensive U.S. data-privacy law focused on minimizing data collection, securing that data, and informing users about its nature and use.

Read the full story here . Portions of his article were also quoted in a USA Today article entitled “What if Apple Ran Social Media and Facebook?”

The School of Literature, Media, and Communication is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: The Atlantic
The Genesis of the Apocalypse: Movies of 2018

February 6, 2019

Dina Khapaeva, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Modern Languages, recently wrote an article entitled “The Genesis of the Apocalypse: Movies of 2018” for Discover Society.

Here's an excerpt:

Thinking about the similarities between the 2018 movies featured on IMDb list, what stands out, aside from the overall prevalence of violence and horror? Apocalypse is clearly the theme that runs through the most acclaimed movies of the year.

What makes the secular apocalypse so trendy? Could the mounting popularity of the apocalyptic genre in the 2000s be rationalized as an expression of political and social anxieties, such as environmental problems, world peace insecurity, terrorism etc.? However important, these explanations overlook the cultural factors that may explain the fixation on apocalypse of the millions of readers and viewers.

Read the full story here.

The School of Modern Languages is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: Discover Society
Building Reliable Teams, a Cure for Research Pathologies?

February 5, 2019

John Walsh, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Public Policy, recently co-authored an article entitled “Building Reliable Teams, a Cure for Research Pathologies?” for the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Here's an excerpt:

There is increasing concern amongst the scientific community, policymakers and the general public about the unreliability of science. This has been driven by stories of scientific fraud, high profile retractions, failures to reproduce well-known findings and other concerns about pathologies in the science system. Much of this discussion focuses on individual-level deviance and the need for social control. However, science is now primarily a team sport and the organisation of these teams can be a critical source of weakness that increases the likelihood of pathological outcomes. For several years now, we have studied scientific teams as work organisations. This research has led us to consider the structural causes of pathologies in science. In particular, we focus on the division of labour in research teams and how this can generate research pathologies, potentially leading to retracted papers and irreproducible results.

Read the article here.

The School of Public Policy is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: London School of Economics and Political Science
Membership Spotlight - Michael Terrell

February 4, 2019

Michael Terrell, the associate director of graduate studies for the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Literautre, Media, and Communication, was recently featured in a spotlight by the Association for Graduate Enrollment Management (NAGAP). His work was highlighted because of his excellence in achieving NAGAP's mission, “to support, advance and engage graduate enrollment professionals by promoting integrity, excellence and collaboration through education and professional development.”

Here's an excerpt:

Michael knew he wanted to be in the world of higher education when he was a part of Georgia Southern’s orientation program (SOAR). This is when he recognized his passion for higher education and working with students. Now, as a proactive and supportive resource for graduate students, Michael takes special care in guiding students throughout their graduate careers. He utilizes “an intrusive approach in my day to day graduate advising practices so that support can be proactive rather that reactive and help prevent the student from becoming a statistic.”

Read the full spotlight here.

The School of Literature, Media, and Communication is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management
Intel Chiefs Contradict Trump on North Korea, ISIS, Iran & Russia

January 29, 2019

Elizabeth Sherwood Randall, a distinguished professor of the practice in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, was interviewed in "Intel Chiefs Contradict Trump on North Korea, ISIS, Iran & Russia" by CNN.

Read an excerpt:

The threats that we face from North Korea, from ISIS, from the climate change are real and what the president has said about them are just not factually accurate. It's very important to base our policies and our actions on the facts and so if we look at the facts as you just shared them with the American people, the clips from the statements that were made this morning, we know the north Koreans are not headed in the direction the president's have said they are heading.

Watch the interview

Published in: CNN
US Doctoral Degrees May Be Losing Their Appeal

January 19, 2019

John Walsh, a professor in the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Public Policy, was recently featured in a VOA article entitled “US Doctoral Degrees May Be Losing Their Appeal.”

Here's an excerpt:

For many people who seek higher education in the United States, the common study period of two to four years is not enough. Luckily, graduate degree programs permit students to continue their education and become even more skilled in a given field.

The highest level of education offered by an American college or university is a doctoral degree, or Ph.D. In science, technology engineering and mathematics, or STEM fields, it takes about five years of additional study to earn a Ph.D. In humanities fields, like history or language, receiving a doctoral degree takes an average of seven years.

Doctoral degree programs are difficult and can be costly, but in the past they have been a path to a well-paying, meaningful career.

A new study, however, finds that the number of people seeking Ph.D.s has decreased. Experts say the structure of the American higher education system could be the cause.

Read the full story here.

The Georgia Institute of Technology School of Public Policy is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Published in: VOA

Recent Press Coverage

Vote Next Week Will Decide Future Of Transit In Gwinnett

E.T., Phone Hollywood: Aliens Invade the Movies

Remembering Al Reinert and 'For All Mankind,' the Precursor to 'Apollo 11'

Indictment Could Bolster State Bid to Take Over Atlanta Airport

How Push Messages Change Us

The Perils of Chinese Ambiguity: How and Why the US Mistrusts and Misunderstands China

Dollars on the Margins

Remembering Antisemitism When Public Memory Is Fleeting

Tech Pays Tribute to Fallen Willow Oak That Dates to Late 1800s

Public Policy Graduate Degrees Can Lead to Lucrative Jobs and Universities Are Starting to Notice

How Regions Become Innovation Hubs

Knights, Horses, and...Hummus?

The Fight Over High-Tech Supremacy Isn't New. We Just Haven't Learned Our Lesson

What Would You Pay For Faster, Smarter Government Data?

Apple’s Empty Grandstanding About Privacy

The Genesis of the Apocalypse: Movies of 2018

Building Reliable Teams, a Cure for Research Pathologies?

Membership Spotlight - Michael Terrell

Intel Chiefs Contradict Trump on North Korea, ISIS, Iran & Russia

US Doctoral Degrees May Be Losing Their Appeal

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