Design and Techno-Economic Analysis of PV Powered Irrigation System: Case Study in
Rwanda

Abstract: 

The agriculture sector is a major economic driver for Africa. However, climatic change is driving severe disruption across Africa, causing prolonged dry seasons and erratic rainfall. As a result, farmers are facing lower farming yield. To mitigate this serious challenge, farmers must adopt modern and green technologies, like solar irrigation. To show the potential of solar irrigation system to mitigate this critical problem, a research project has been developed with the collaboration of Georgia Tech, University of Rwanda and Adama Science and Technology University. The project aims at developing a PV irrigation system that integrates IoT and controllers for real-time monitoring of the performance of the PV-irrigation system and for optimizing water conservation. This project is envisioned to be a prototype model for further scaling up the deployment of PV-irrigation systems in Africa to enhance sustainable agricultural. 
As part of the whole project, this seminar focuses more on the design and economic assessment of the system for a particular village in Rwanda.

Bio: 

Getachew Biru Worku obtained his MSC and PhD in Electrical Engineering from Dresden University of 
Technology, Germany. He has more than 30 years of academic and research experience in academic institutions and industry. He has extensive experience in teaching a broad range of electrical engineering courses with excellent feedback and acknowledgements from faculties and students. He has been lecturing courses such as Power Quality and Reliability, Power System Operation and Control, High Voltage Engineering, Power System Analysis, Power Transmission and Distribution Engineering, Electrical Machines Design, Smart Grid and Traction Power System in various Ethiopian Universities and University of Rwanda. He is currently employed as an associate professor at the University of Rwanda giving lectures and advising postgraduate students. He is a dedicated researcher in renewable energy deployment focusing on reliability of off-grid and microgrids to bring sustainable electrical power to the underserved areas. His research areas are electrical power and renewable energy and has authored and co-authored more than 45 papers in peer-reviewed journals. 

Host: Dr. Matthew Liska

Title: Multimessenger Modeling of Supermassive Binary Black Holes with Next-Generation GRMHD Simulations

 Abstract:                                                                                                                                       Supermassive binary black holes (SMBBHs) are expected to be excellent mHz gravitational wave (GW) sources that also emit across the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. However, electromagnetically identifying SMBBHs to prepare for and complement future GW observations remains a fundamental challenge facing our field. In this talk, I will discuss our efforts to self-consistently model multimessenger emission from SMBBHs during their late inspiral through merger with state-of-the-art numerical simulations in full general relativity. I will describe smoking-gun synchrotron emission from eccentric SMBBHs, the importance of magnetic reconnection and eruptions in shaping the accretion flow near the binary, the potential for a magnetically arrested cavity, and the longest general-relativistic simulation of SMBBH accretion to date. Finally, I will outline our efforts to develop a next-generation, GPU-accelerated code to model SMBBH accretion with radiation transport at unprecedented resolutions and durations.

Register at Fall 2026 Digital Accessibility Training Series Registration.

Register at Fall 2026 Digital Accessibility Training Series Registration.

Host: Prof. David Ballantyne

Title: Fast Radio Bursts: What Millisecond Flashes Reveal About Neutron Stars, Space Plasma, and Cosmology

Abstract:
Fast radio bursts are among the most luminous coherent radio signals in the Universe, releasing enormous radio luminosities on millisecond timescales. Their discovery has opened a new window onto highly magnetized neutron stars, relativistic plasma physics, and the distribution of matter across cosmic distances. In this talk I will describe how FRBs have evolved from a phenomenological mystery into a quantitative probe of compact-object engines and intervening plasma. I will discuss the evidence connecting at least some FRBs to highly magnetized neutron stars (magnetars), the constraints imposed by energetics, repetition, burst durations, host environments, and multiwavelength limits, and the theoretical challenges of producing coherent emission with such high brightness temperatures. I will then show how the same signals can be used as backlights for cosmic plasma, including the intergalactic medium and small-scale plasma structures near the source. I will argue that FRBs are emerging as a bridge between neutron-star magnetospheres, relativistic outflows, and cosmology.

Abstract:

Bio:

Jennifer Glass, Jean “Chris” Purvis Professor, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology

Abstract: The ocean plays a major role in Earth’s climate and biogeochemical cycles. Microorganisms are key players in ocean carbon cycle. Archaea and bacteria oxidize most of the methane that diffuses upward from vast reservoirs beneath the seafloor before it can reach the atmosphere. In this seminar, I will present recent findings from our lab on the role of microbes and their proteins on methane and methanol cycling in three habitats: under the seafloor, in a deep brine pool, and in the surface ocean. First, I will highlight our discovery of methane hydrate binding proteins made by subseafloor bacteria, and how collaboration with GT biochemists enabled characterization of these novel proteins that are only found in bacteria that inhabit deep seafloor sediments rich in methane. Second, I will present our recent study of marine archaea that prevent leakage of methane out of a deep anoxic salt pond on the seafloor of the Gulf of Mexico. Third, I will highlight our discovery of Methylaequorales, an uncultivated order of alphaproteobacteria that are highly active in the surface ocean and use lanthanide-requiring enzymes to grow on methanol. Despite recent progress, we have barely scratched the surface of knowledge of the biochemical repertoire of microbial proteins, particularly those from habitats rarely visited by humans, and the need for fundamental science to uncover the chemical potential of environmental microbes is stronger than ever.

Radiation Worker Registration and X-Ray Safety Training Sign-Up

1. Complete a Form B, Radiation Worker registration before attending class (you may need to be connected to the GT VPN). After the training, the completed Form B will be sent to your Authorized User (AU - this is whoever manages the x-ray machine you'll be using) for signature via DocuSign.
2. Go to Genius LMS and use your GT Login
3. Click "View Course Catalog"
4. Search for X-Ray
5. Click "Register" for your preferred date
6. Click "Proceed to Checkout" and follow the instructions

IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE REGISTERING, or IF YOU DON'T GET AN EMAIL IMMEDIATELY AFTER REGISTERING, please contact ors@ors.gatech.edu.

Radiation Worker Registration and X-Ray Safety Training Sign-Up

1. Complete a Form B, Radiation Worker registration before attending class (you may need to be connected to the GT VPN). After the training, the completed Form B will be sent to your Authorized User (AU - this is whoever manages the x-ray machine you'll be using) for signature via DocuSign.
2. Go to Genius LMS and use your GT Login
3. Click "View Course Catalog"
4. Search for X-Ray
5. Click "Register" for your preferred date
6. Click "Proceed to Checkout" and follow the instructions

IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE REGISTERING, or IF YOU DON'T GET AN EMAIL IMMEDIATELY AFTER REGISTERING, please contact ors@ors.gatech.edu.

Radiation Worker Registration and X-Ray Safety Training Sign-Up

1. Complete a Form B, Radiation Worker registration before attending class (you may need to be connected to the GT VPN). After the training, the completed Form B will be sent to your Authorized User (AU - this is whoever manages the x-ray machine you'll be using) for signature via DocuSign.
2. Go to Genius LMS and use your GT Login
3. Click "View Course Catalog"
4. Search for X-Ray
5. Click "Register" for your preferred date
6. Click "Proceed to Checkout" and follow the instructions

IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE REGISTERING, or IF YOU DON'T GET AN EMAIL IMMEDIATELY AFTER REGISTERING, please contact ors@ors.gatech.edu.

Radiation Worker Registration and X-Ray Safety Training Sign-Up

1. Complete a Form B, Radiation Worker registration before attending class (you may need to be connected to the GT VPN). After the training, the completed Form B will be sent to your Authorized User (AU - this is whoever manages the x-ray machine you'll be using) for signature via DocuSign.
2. Go to Genius LMS and use your GT Login
3. Click "View Course Catalog"
4. Search for X-Ray
5. Click "Register" for your preferred date
6. Click "Proceed to Checkout" and follow the instructions

IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE REGISTERING, or IF YOU DON'T GET AN EMAIL IMMEDIATELY AFTER REGISTERING, please contact ors@ors.gatech.edu.

Radiation Worker Registration and X-Ray Safety Training Sign-Up

1. Complete a Form B, Radiation Worker registration before attending class (you may need to be connected to the GT VPN). After the training, the completed Form B will be sent to your Authorized User (AU - this is whoever manages the x-ray machine you'll be using) for signature via DocuSign.
2. Go to Genius LMS and use your GT Login
3. Click "View Course Catalog"
4. Search for X-Ray
5. Click "Register" for your preferred date
6. Click "Proceed to Checkout" and follow the instructions

IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE REGISTERING, or IF YOU DON'T GET AN EMAIL IMMEDIATELY AFTER REGISTERING, please contact ors@ors.gatech.edu.