{"690318":{"#nid":"690318","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Accelerating Discovery With AI ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EScientific discovery is often portrayed as the result of long hours alone in a lab, but true science is inherently collaborative. The most robust experimental processes are developed through partnerships across multiple areas of research. The need for specialized, multidisciplinary teams slows experiment design, execution, data analysis, and process updates, delaying technological validation and deployment. But if the increasingly automated tools scientists already use in the lab could contribute to this team process of experimental design, the timeline for these goals could be greatly accelerated.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis concept of \u201clab tool as lab assistant\u201d is the premise of a recent paper in \u003Cem\u003Enpj | Computational Materials\u003C\/em\u003E titled \u201cThinking Microscopes: Agentic AI and the Future of Electron Microscopy,\u201d by Vida Jamali, assistant professor the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Amirali Aghazadeh, assistant professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; and Josh Kacher, associate professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the paper, the team introduces the concept of \u201cthinking electron microscopes,\u201d in which agentic AI systems are directly integrated with the instrument. This allows microscopes to move beyond their conventional role as characterization tools and toward functioning as co-scientists for human users.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDrawing on advances in specialized large language models, or LLMs, that demonstrate their ability to collaborate, reason over data, and integrate prior knowledge, the team envisions specialized LLM-based agents assigned to specific roles and areas of knowledge expertise. By explicitly incorporating domain knowledge into specialized agents and distributing information across multiple agents with focused expertise, the approach enables parallel evaluation of competing hypotheses, clearer separation of roles \u2014\u0026nbsp;such as planning, simulation, and critique \u2014 and more transparent and robust reasoning.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWithin the experimental pipeline, these agents can analyze materials\u2019 properties, physical data, chemical processes, and other relevant parameters. They could also collaborate with an agent that specializes in experimental design, refining iterative closed-loop experimentation, and real-time scientific discovery.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough the research focuses on AI collaboration, the team notes that human researchers must retain accountability for the accuracy and integrity of both the experimental process and the results reported. This oversight begins with advocating for greater open access to research materials in all formats, building community-driven data repositories, and adopting standardization in how experimental parameters and metadata are reported. Equally important, researchers should be willing to report data from failed experiments as well as successful outcomes. Finally, organizations should work together to standardize secure APIs that enable shared, remote access to infrastructure across distances.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe see this as a step toward scientific instruments that do more than acquire data; systems that can reason over experiments, adapt measurements, and participate in the scientific discovery process alongside researchers. - Vida Jamali,\u0026nbsp;assistant professor the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team is already developing these systems by connecting cloud-based, agentic infrastructures to microscopes at the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/matter-systems.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EInstitute for Matter and Systems at Georgia Tech\u003C\/a\u003E. With the addition of agentic AI, the goal is to accelerate discovery and engineering of new nanoscale materials for energy and quantum applications, as well as advance capabilities in cryo-electron microscopy and structural biology. These tools can optimize data collection, link real-time microscope observations with structural models of proteins, and dynamically adjust and prioritize experiments. The team sees this work as the first step toward the next generation of \u201cthinking\u201d electron microscopes, as well as an advancement in scientific discovery across domains.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;- Christa M. Ernst\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThis research is supported by the Institute for Data Engineering and Science and the Institute for Matter and Systems\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOriginal Publication\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EJamali, V., Aghazadeh, A. \u0026amp; Kacher, J.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41524-026-02077-y\u0022\u003EThinking microscopes: agentic AI and the future of electron microscopy.\u003C\/a\u003E \u003Cem\u003Enpj Computational Materials\u003C\/em\u003E 12, 149 (2026). https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41524-026-02077-y\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Automating Electron Microscopy Experimental Design With Agentic AI"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EScientific discovery is often portrayed as the result of long hours alone in a lab, but true science is inherently collaborative. The most robust experimental processes are developed through partnerships across multiple areas of research.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New paper teams AI agents with microscopy tools to increase productivity in research processes."}],"uid":"27863","created_gmt":"2026-05-18 13:04:05","changed_gmt":"2026-05-18 19:16:22","author":"Christa Ernst","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-05-18T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-05-18T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680296":{"id":"680296","type":"image","title":"Accelerating-Mats-Discovery-with-AI-Main-Pic-Amelia-N.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EA photo of Vida Jamali, assistant professor the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Amirali Aghazadeh, assistant professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; and Josh Kacher, associate professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering standing in front of a TEM at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1779109455","gmt_created":"2026-05-18 13:04:15","changed":"1779109455","gmt_changed":"2026-05-18 13:04:15","alt":"Vida Jamali, assistant professor the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Amirali Aghazadeh, assistant professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; and Josh Kacher, associate professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering.  Photo courtesy of Amelia Neumeister; Georgia Institute of Technology","file":{"fid":"264543","name":"Accelerating-Mats-Discovery-with-AI-Main-Pic-Amelia-N.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/18\/Accelerating-Mats-Discovery-with-AI-Main-Pic-Amelia-N.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/18\/Accelerating-Mats-Discovery-with-AI-Main-Pic-Amelia-N.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4622660,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/05\/18\/Accelerating-Mats-Discovery-with-AI-Main-Pic-Amelia-N.jpg?itok=gH8M9NAb"}}},"media_ids":["680296"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"660369","name":"Matter and Systems"}],"categories":[{"id":"194606","name":"Artificial Intelligence"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"149","name":"Nanotechnology and Nanoscience"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187023","name":"go-data"},{"id":"194241","name":"Institute for Matter and Systems"},{"id":"192863","name":"go-ai"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193655","name":"Artificial Intelligence at Georgia Tech"},{"id":"39431","name":"Data Engineering and Science"},{"id":"39471","name":"Materials"},{"id":"193652","name":"Matter and Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EChrista M. Ernst - \u003C\/strong\u003EResearch Communications Program Manager | Klaus Advance Computing Building 1120E | 266 Ferst Drive | Atlanta GA | 30332 | christa.ernst@research.gatech.edu\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"689484":{"#nid":"689484","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Incoming College of Sciences Faculty to Attend 75th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAfroditi Papadopoulou\u003C\/strong\u003E has been invited to attend the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.lindau-nobel.org\/news-75-nobel-laureates-and-600-young-scientists-gather-in-lindau\/\u0022\u003E75th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting\u003C\/a\u003E in Germany to debate the future of science. Papadopoulou is one of the 600 young scientists selected from around the world to engage directly with 75 Nobel Laureates during this prestigious forum for intergenerational and interdisciplinary scientific exchange. Discussions this year will focus on how science can help societies navigate an increasingly complex world.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cAttending the 75th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting is both an honor and a responsibility: a chance to represent my academic community which focuses on the study of elusive particles called neutrinos while learning from those who have shaped the field,\u201d says Papadopoulou, who will join Georgia Tech as a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E assistant professor in August 2026. \u201cI hope to come away with a deeper understanding of how transformative ideas emerge and how to cultivate the kind of leadership and vision needed to guide future large-scale scientific efforts that will unravel some of the mysteries of the universe.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EPapadopoulou obtained her Ph.D. in experimental physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As part of her research, she analyzed neutrino data collected by the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/microboone.fnal.gov\/\u0022\u003EMicroBooNE detector\u003C\/a\u003E at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois and electron scattering data from the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.jlab.org\/\u0022\u003EJefferson Lab\u003C\/a\u003E in Virginia.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EIn 2022, she joined Argonne National Laboratory as a Maria Goeppert Mayer Fellow, continuing her research as a member of the MicroBooNE,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sbn-nd.fnal.gov\/\u0022\u003EShort-Baseline Near Detector\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.dunescience.org\/\u0022\u003EDeep Underground Neutrino Experiment\u003C\/a\u003E, and Jefferson Lab\u2019s Electrons-For-Neutrinos collaborations. Her work focuses on testing the performance of simulation predictions against existing and new neutrino and electron data sets.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EPapadopoulou currently serves as a J. Robert Oppenheimer Fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory where she is working to better understand neutrino interactions.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Afroditi Papadopoulou meets with Nobel Laureates before joining the School of Physics this fall"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EBefore joining the School of Physics as an assistant professor this fall, Afroditi Papadopoulou will engage with Nobel Laureates during a global forum focused on intergenerational and interdisciplinary scientific exchange.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Before joining the School of Physics as an assistant professor this fall, Afroditi Papadopoulou will engage with Nobel Laureates during a global forum focused on intergenerational and interdisciplinary scientific exchange."}],"uid":"36583","created_gmt":"2026-04-06 19:45:14","changed_gmt":"2026-04-07 13:41:24","author":"lvidal7","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-04-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-04-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679868":{"id":"679868","type":"image","title":"Afroditi Papadopoulou","body":null,"created":"1775504931","gmt_created":"2026-04-06 19:48:51","changed":"1775504931","gmt_changed":"2026-04-06 19:48:51","alt":"Headshot of Afroditi Papadopoulou wearing pink collared shirt and glasses","file":{"fid":"264079","name":"33933D34_PSE_PORTRAIT_Afroditi-Papadopoulou__web.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/06\/33933D34_PSE_PORTRAIT_Afroditi-Papadopoulou__web.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/06\/33933D34_PSE_PORTRAIT_Afroditi-Papadopoulou__web.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2447456,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/04\/06\/33933D34_PSE_PORTRAIT_Afroditi-Papadopoulou__web.jpg?itok=ybag3L1d"}}},"media_ids":["679868"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166937","name":"School of Physics"},{"id":"1646","name":"New Faculty"},{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWriter: Lindsay C. Vidal\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["lvidal7@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"688902":{"#nid":"688902","#data":{"type":"news","title":"3.8\u2011Billion\u2011Year\u2011Old Titanium Clue Sheds New Light on the Moon\u2019s Early Chemistry","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EA chemical signature hidden in a 3.8\u2011billion\u2011year\u2011old lunar rock is offering new insights into the availability of oxygen within the young Moon.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EPublished today in the journal\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003ENature Communications,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003Ethe paper \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-026-69770-w\u0022\u003ETrivalent Titanium in High-Titanium Lunar Ilmenite\u003C\/a\u003E\u201d confirms titanium in a reduced, trivalent state in a black, metal-rich lunar mineral called\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003Eilmenite\u003C\/em\u003E. It\u2019s a state only possible in low-oxygen environments, conditions researchers refer to as \u201creducing.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cModels have suggested that these reducing conditions may have varied at different locations and times across the surface of the Moon,\u201d says lead author\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/advik-vira\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAdvik Vira\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, a graduate student in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E who recently earned his doctoral degree. \u201cWe hope our microscopy technique can be a valuable step in mapping and understanding the Moon\u2019s 4.5-billion-year history.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe team anticipates that their technique could be used on many of the lunar samples collected more than 50 years ago by the Apollo missions in addition to the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/lunar-science\/programs\/angsa\/\u0022\u003EApollo Next Generation Samples\u003C\/a\u003E \u2014 a group of lunar samples that have been stored under pristine conditions \u2014 and new samples from the planned\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission\/artemis-ii\/\u0022\u003EArtemis missions\u003C\/a\u003E, with Artemis II slated for launch this spring. The technique might also be applicable to samples collected from the far side of the Moon and returned in 2024 by the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.planetary.org\/space-missions\/change-6\u0022\u003EChang\u2019e-6 mission\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThe Moon holds clues not only to its own past, but also to the earliest eras of Earth\u2019s evolution \u2014 history that has long since been erased from our planet,\u201d Vira says. \u201cThis study is a step toward understanding the history of both and a reminder that there is still so much left to learn from the lunar rocks we\u2019ve brought back to Earth.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe School of Physics research team included corresponding authors Vira and Professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/phillip-first\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPhillip First\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E; in addition to graduate student\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003ERoshan Trivedi\u003C\/strong\u003E; undergraduate students\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EGabriella Dotson, Keyes Eames\u003C\/strong\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EDean Kim,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003Eand\u003Cstrong\u003E Emma Livernois\u003C\/strong\u003E; and Professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/zhigang-jiang\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EZhigang Jiang\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, along with Institute for Matter and Systems Materials Characterization Facility Senior Research Scientist\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/matter-systems.research.gatech.edu\/people\/mengkun-tian\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMengkun Tian\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E Senior Research Scientist\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/brant-m-jones\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBrant Jones\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/thomas-orlando\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThom Orlando\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003ERegents\u0027 Professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry with a joint appointment in the School of Physics.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe Georgia Tech team was joined by\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/addisenergy.com\/\u0022\u003EAddis Energy\u003C\/a\u003E Senior Geochemist\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EKatherine Burgess\u003C\/strong\u003E; Macalester College Assistant Professor of Geology\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/geology\/facultystaff\/emily-first\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEmily First\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E; along with\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.lbl.gov\/\u0022\u003ELawrence Berkeley National Laboratory\u003C\/a\u003E Research Scientist\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/energygeosciences.lbl.gov\/profile\/hlisabeth\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHarrison Lisabeth\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, Senior Scientist\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/als.lbl.gov\/people\/nobumichi-tamura\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENobumichi Tamura\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003Eand\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EPostdoctoral Fellow\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003ETyler Farr,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003Ewho recently earned a Ph.D. from Georgia Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECLEVER research\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe investigation began with a dark gray rock called a lunar basalt. Formed when ancient magma erupted on the Moon\u2019s surface, minerals crystallized as it cooled \u2014 preserving key information in their structures. Billions of years later, the rock was brought to Earth by the 1972 Apollo 17 mission, where a small piece is now stored at Georgia Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/clever.research.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Lunar Environment and Volatile Exploration Research (CLEVER)\u003C\/a\u003E, a NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) center led by Orlando.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAs a NASA virtual institute, CLEVER supports researchers exploring lunar conditions and developing tools for the upcoming crewed Artemis missions, and provided the lunar samples for this research. The SSERVI also plays a critical role in training the next generation of planetary researchers: both Vira and Farr earned their Ph.D.s while on the CLEVER team.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cAt CLEVER, we are very interested in understanding the impacts of space weathering,\u201d Vira says. \u201cWe implemented modern\u0026nbsp;sample preparation and advanced microscopy techniques\u0026nbsp;to image samples at the atomic level, and were curious to apply it more broadly to the collection of Apollo rocks in the Orlando Lab. This sample caught our attention.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cWhen we imaged an ilmenite crystal from the lunar basalt, what struck us first was how uniform and perfect the crystal structure was,\u201d he recalls. \u201cWe found no defects from space weathering and instead saw an undamaged, pristine crystal \u2014 undisturbed for 3.8 billion years.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ETo investigate further, the team analyzed small chips of the rock with Burgess,\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003Ea member of the RISE2 SSERVI team and then a geologist at the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nrl.navy.mil\/\u0022\u003EU.S. Naval Research Laboratory\u003C\/a\u003E. Using state-of-the-art electron microscopy and spectroscopy techniques, Vira determined the oxidation state of the elements in the ilmenite\u003Cem\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003Epresent.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EIn spectroscopy measurements, each element leaves a distinct \u2018signature,\u2019 Vira explains. \u201cWhen we brought our results back to Georgia Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/matter-systems.research.gatech.edu\/mcf\/materials-characterization-facility\u0022\u003EMaterials Characterization Facility\u003C\/a\u003E, Mengkun (Tian) noticed something unusual: the signature showed titanium might be present in the trivalent state.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe presence of trivalent titanium had long been suspected in this lunar mineral. The team was intrigued.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA new window into old rocks\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EWith funding from Georgia Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cstar.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Space Technology and Research (CSTAR)\u003C\/a\u003E, Vira returned to the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory to analyze additional samples. The results confirmed that more titanium was present than the mineral\u2019s formula (FeTiO\u2083) predicts \u2014 indicating a portion of the titanium present was trivalent.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThat led me to place our measurements in terms of the broader geological context,\u201d Vira shares. Working with First, Vira explored how ilmenite with trivalent titanium could help reconstruct the nature of ancient magmas from the Moon, especially the chemical availability of oxygen.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cBecause its location on the Moon was noted during the Apollo mission, we know exactly where this rock is from, and we can determine how old the rock is,\u201d he explains. \u201cWhen coupled with our trivalent titanium measurements, we can use that information to estimate the reducing conditions for this specific region at the specific time our rock formed.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EIf the upcoming Artemis missions return samples suitable for the team\u2019s technique, these rocks could provide a new window into ancient lunar geology. The research also highlights that many lunar samples already on Earth could be reexamined to look for trivalent titanium.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThere is still so much to learn from the lunar samples we have already brought to Earth,\u201d Vira says. \u201cIt\u2019s a testament to the long-term value of each sample return mission. As technology continues to advance, this type of work will continue to give us critical insights into our planet and our place in the universe for years to come.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDOI\u003C\/strong\u003E: \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-026-69770-w\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E10.1038\/s41467-026-69770-w\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFunding\u003C\/strong\u003E: This work was directly supported by the NASA SSERVI under CLEVER. Researchers were also supported by the NASA RISE2 SSERVI and the Heising-Simons Foundation. Funding for collaborations between the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and Georgia Tech for the investigation of lunar minerals was provided by the Georgia Tech Center for Space Technology and Research. Sample preparation was performed at the Georgia Tech Institute for Matter and Systems, which is supported by the National Science Foundation. This work utilized the resources of the Advanced Light Source, a user facility supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, and was supported in part by previous breakthroughs obtained through the Laboratory Direct.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe finding offers new clues about the oxygen conditions that shaped the Moon\u2019s early environment.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The finding offers new clues about the oxygen conditions that shaped the Moon\u2019s early environment."}],"uid":"35599","created_gmt":"2026-03-12 18:40:17","changed_gmt":"2026-03-27 14:09:07","author":"sperrin6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-03-27T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-03-27T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679604":{"id":"679604","type":"image","title":"Taken aboard Apollo 8 by Bill Anders, this iconic picture shows Earth peeking out from beyond the lunar surface as the first crewed spacecraft circumnavigated the Moon, with astronauts Anders, Frank Borman, and Jim Lovell aboard. (Credit: NASA)","body":"\u003Cp\u003ETaken aboard Apollo 8 by Bill Anders, this iconic picture shows Earth peeking out from beyond the lunar surface as the first crewed spacecraft circumnavigated the Moon, with astronauts Anders, Frank Borman, and Jim Lovell aboard. (Credit: NASA)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1773340129","gmt_created":"2026-03-12 18:28:49","changed":"1774620147","gmt_changed":"2026-03-27 14:02:27","alt":"Earth peeking out from beyond the lunar surface.","file":{"fid":"263785","name":"Screenshot-2026-03-12-at-11.32.02-AM_0.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/12\/Screenshot-2026-03-12-at-11.32.02-AM_0.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/12\/Screenshot-2026-03-12-at-11.32.02-AM_0.png","mime":"image\/png","size":884051,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/03\/12\/Screenshot-2026-03-12-at-11.32.02-AM_0.png?itok=MbOCiQtk"}},"679608":{"id":"679608","type":"image","title":"Advik Vira","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAdvik Vira\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1773340703","gmt_created":"2026-03-12 18:38:23","changed":"1773340750","gmt_changed":"2026-03-12 18:39:10","alt":"Advik Vira. He is wearing a colorful science-print button up.","file":{"fid":"263789","name":"Vira-Headshot.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/12\/Vira-Headshot.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/12\/Vira-Headshot.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":341274,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/03\/12\/Vira-Headshot.jpg?itok=ogP_wqEd"}},"679610":{"id":"679610","type":"image","title":"An illustration\u00a0of the Apollo rock 75035\u00a0on the Moon, an atomic image of the sample, and its spectral signature.\u00a0(Credit: August Davis)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAn illustration\u0026nbsp;of the Apollo rock 75035\u0026nbsp;on the Moon, an atomic image of the sample, and its spectral signature.\u0026nbsp;(Credit: August Davis)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1773350645","gmt_created":"2026-03-12 21:24:05","changed":"1774620172","gmt_changed":"2026-03-27 14:02:52","alt":"A figure showing moon rocks, a magnifying glass showing the internal structure, with a green wavy line emitting from the rock.","file":{"fid":"263792","name":"feature-image-suggestion--1-.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/12\/feature-image-suggestion--1-.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/12\/feature-image-suggestion--1-.png","mime":"image\/png","size":752836,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/03\/12\/feature-image-suggestion--1-.png?itok=wx3iLDkB"}},"679606":{"id":"679606","type":"image","title":"An optical image of the chip\u00a0from the lunar\u00a0rock\u00a0the team investigated.","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAn optical image of the chip\u0026nbsp;from the lunar\u0026nbsp;rock\u0026nbsp;the team investigated.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1773340509","gmt_created":"2026-03-12 18:35:09","changed":"1774620185","gmt_changed":"2026-03-27 14:03:05","alt":"A chip of the lunar sample.","file":{"fid":"263787","name":"optical-image-75035.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/12\/optical-image-75035.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/12\/optical-image-75035.png","mime":"image\/png","size":284379,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/03\/12\/optical-image-75035.png?itok=7TX3fZrH"}},"679607":{"id":"679607","type":"image","title":"An image of the chip from the sample, imaged using scanning electron microscopy. Titanium is shown in light blue, and white boxes show areas where\u00a0samples\u00a0were\u00a0extracted\u00a0to analyze the\u00a0ilmenite\u00a0crystal.","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAn image of the chip from the sample, imaged using scanning electron microscopy. Titanium is shown in light blue, and white boxes show areas where\u0026nbsp;samples\u0026nbsp;were\u0026nbsp;extracted\u0026nbsp;to analyze the\u0026nbsp;ilmenite\u0026nbsp;crystal.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1773340593","gmt_created":"2026-03-12 18:36:33","changed":"1774620199","gmt_changed":"2026-03-27 14:03:19","alt":"The chip, colored in large areas with purple, with blue ribbons of color. There are a total of five white rectangles on the blue areas.","file":{"fid":"263791","name":"SEM-image-75035.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/12\/SEM-image-75035.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/12\/SEM-image-75035.png","mime":"image\/png","size":5511950,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/03\/12\/SEM-image-75035.png?itok=aaHnKhSw"}}},"media_ids":["679604","679608","679610","679606","679607"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-026-69770-w","title":"Trivalent titanium in high-titanium lunar ilmenite"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[{"id":"136","name":"Aerospace"},{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"192252","name":"cos-planetary"},{"id":"192259","name":"cos-students"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193653","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"},{"id":"39471","name":"Materials"},{"id":"193652","name":"Matter and Systems"},{"id":"193657","name":"Space Research Initiative"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWritten by:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:sperrin6@gatech.edu\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESelena Langner\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ECollege of Sciences\u003Cbr\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"689157":{"#nid":"689157","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Researchers Explore New Remote Sensing Uses for Scheimpflug Principle","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAn optical principle discovered more than a century ago may soon find new applications in such areas as monitoring atmospheric turbulence, tracking airborne objects, and mapping the environment, thanks to researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI).\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EApplying the Scheimpflug technique, the researchers are developing inexpensive rangefinder camera technology, advanced sensors and computational techniques to both complement and provide an alternative to established light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology in certain applications. The technique works best in short- and medium-distance metrology, and can be used passively or in collaboration with laser-based techniques.\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe Scheimpflug technique is a complete alternative to time-of-flight (ToF) LiDAR, and we\u2019re looking for everything we can do with it,\u201d said Nathan Meraz, a GTRI senior research scientist who has been refining the new applications for several years. \u201cIt measures things differently, and since it\u2019s a camera sensor, there\u2019s a lot more information to process compared to a LiDAR signal. And there are also data fusion aspects.\u201d\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA paper on the technique and its potential remote sensing applications was presented during 2025 at the SPIE Defense + Commercial Systems (DCS) Conference. The research was supported by GTRI\u2019s Independent Research and Development (IRAD) program and also has been advanced by teams of student researchers from the GTRI Research Internship Program (GRIP).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gtri.gatech.edu\/newsroom\/researchers-explore-new-remote-sensing-uses-scheimpflug-principle\u0022\u003ESee the complete article on the GTRI news site\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAn optical principle discovered more than a century ago may soon find new applications in such areas as monitoring atmospheric turbulence and mapping the environment.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"An optical principle discovered a century ago may soon find new applications in such areas as atmospheric monitoring and environmental mapping."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2026-03-24 17:49:38","changed_gmt":"2026-03-24 17:54:22","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-03-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-03-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679725":{"id":"679725","type":"image","title":"Dual laser prototype highlighting the low-cost Scheimpflug optical ranging technology","body":"\u003Cp\u003EExample of a functional dual-laser prototype using 3D printed materials and off-the-shelf components, highlighting the compact low-cost paradigm exhibited by the Scheimpflug optical ranging technology for wide-domain application. (Credit: Sean McNeil, GTRI)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1774373652","gmt_created":"2026-03-24 17:34:12","changed":"1774374024","gmt_changed":"2026-03-24 17:40:24","alt":"Scheimpflug optical ranging technology","file":{"fid":"263917","name":"scheimpflug_24.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/24\/scheimpflug_24.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/24\/scheimpflug_24.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1933741,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/03\/24\/scheimpflug_24.jpg?itok=pM6Vk3As"}}},"media_ids":["679725"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193653","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":["gtri.media@gtri.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"688812":{"#nid":"688812","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Physics Professor Elected to American Physical Society Board","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/laura-cadonati\u0022\u003ELaura Cadonati\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E and associate dean for Research in the College of Sciences, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.aps.org\/\u0022\u003EAmerican Physical Society\u003C\/a\u003E (APS). In this role, she will support the scientific society\u2019s mission of advancing physics by fostering a vibrant, inclusive, and global community dedicated to science and society.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cSince I was a student, APS has been my professional home\u0026nbsp; \u2014 hosting my first conference talk and networking opportunity, publishing my first paper, and offering me mentoring over the years,\u201d says Cadonati, who is a member of Georgia Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cra.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Relativistic Astrophysics\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cServing on the APS Board of Directors now is a privilege and an opportunity to amplify the voices of physicists at every career stage.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ECadonati\u2019s primary research interests include gravitational wave and particle astrophysics. Since 2002, she has been a member of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ligo.org\/\u0022\u003ELaser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) Scientific Collaboration\u003C\/a\u003E. Cadonati has held several leadership roles with LIGO, including heading its data analysis and astrophysics division during the discovery of gravitational waves \u2014 a breakthrough which led to the project\u0027s founders receiving the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/news\/2017\/10\/03\/gravitational-wave-confirmations-earn-2017-nobel-prize-physics-0\u0022\u003E2017 Nobel Prize in Physics\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EPreviously, she was a member of the Borexino Collaboration, focused on solar neutrino detection, and the DarkSide Collaboration, centered on the direct detection of dark matter.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECadonati earned her Ph.D. in physics from Princeton University and completed postdoctoral research at Princeton University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Before joining Georgia Tech in 2015, she was an associate professor of physics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her honors include an APS Fellowship, National Science Foundation CAREER Award, Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Consortium Distinguished Lecturer Award, Georgia Tech\u2019s Outstanding Faculty Research Author Award, and the\u0026nbsp;Technische Universit\u00e4t M\u00fcnchen\u0026nbsp;Institute for Advanced Study\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ias.tum.de\/ias\/cadonati-laura\/\u0022\u003EHans Fischer Senior Fellowship\u003C\/a\u003E, which was awarded in 2025.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELaura Cadonati, professor in the\u0026nbsp;School of Physics and associate dean for Research in the College of Sciences, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the\u0026nbsp;American Physical Society.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Laura Cadonati, professor in the\u00a0School of Physics and associate dean for Research in the College of Sciences, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the\u00a0American Physical Society."}],"uid":"36583","created_gmt":"2026-03-09 14:47:00","changed_gmt":"2026-03-09 14:51:38","author":"lvidal7","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-03-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-03-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"665207":{"id":"665207","type":"image","title":"Laura Cadonati","body":null,"created":"1674845900","gmt_created":"2023-01-27 18:58:20","changed":"1674845900","gmt_changed":"2023-01-27 18:58:20","alt":"","file":{"fid":"251593","name":"laura_cadonati.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/laura_cadonati.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/laura_cadonati.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":776434,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/laura_cadonati.jpg?itok=x261aW85"}}},"media_ids":["665207"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cra.gatech.edu\/","title":"Center for Relativistic Astrophysics"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166937","name":"School of Physics"},{"id":"53281","name":"American Physical Society"},{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWriter: Lindsay C. Vidal\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["lvidal7@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"688716":{"#nid":"688716","#data":{"type":"news","title":"New Research Priorities Chart Course Toward Impactful, Energy-Efficient Computing","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech researchers applied their expertise to a national research program that will shape the future of computing. Their work may yield more energy-efficient computers and better predictions for environmental challenges like carbon storage, tsunamis, wildfires, and sustainable energy.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Department of Energy Office of Science recently released two reports through its Advanced Scientific Computing Research (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/science\/ascr\/advanced-scientific-computing-research\u0022\u003EASCR\u003C\/a\u003E) program. The\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/science.osti.gov\/ascr\/Community-Resources\/Program-Documents\u0022\u003Ereports\u003C\/a\u003E were produced by workshops that brought together researchers from universities, national labs, government, and industry to set priorities for scientific computing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProfessor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/slim.gatech.edu\/people\/felix-j-herrmann\u0022\u003EFelix Herrmann\u003C\/a\u003E served on the organizing committee for the Workshop on Inverse Methods for Complex Systems under Uncertainty. Assistant Professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/faculty.cc.gatech.edu\/~pchen402\/group.html\u0022\u003EPeng Chen\u003C\/a\u003E joined Herrmann as a workshop participant, contributing expertise in data science and machine learning.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInverse methods work backward from outcomes to find their causes. Scientists use these tools to study complex systems, like designing new materials with targeted properties and using past wildfires to map vulnerable areas and behavior of future fires.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.osti.gov\/biblio\/2583339\u0022\u003EASCR report\u003C\/a\u003E highlighted Herrmann\u2019s work on seismic exploration and monitoring through digital twins. Founded on inverse methods, digital twins upgrade from static models to virtual systems that accurately mirror their physical counterparts.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDigital twins integrate real-time data sources, including fluid flows, monitoring and control systems, risk assessments, and human decisions. These models also account for uncertainty and address data gaps or limitations.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe DOE organized the workshop to support the growing role of inverse modeling. The group identified four priority research directions (PRDs) to guide future work. The PRDs are:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPRD 1: Discovering, exploiting, and preserving structure\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPRD 2: Identifying and overcoming model limitations\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPRD 3: Integrating disparate multimodal and\/or dynamic data\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPRD 4: Solving goal-oriented inverse problems for downstream tasks\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cA digital twin is a system you can control, like to optimize operations or to minimize risk,\u201d said Herrmann, who holds joint appointments in the Schools of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Computational Science and Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cDigital twins give you a principled way to consider uncertainties, which there are a lot in subsurface monitoring. If you inject carbon dioxide too fast, you will will increase the pressure and may fracture the rock. If you inject too slow, then the process may become too costly. Digital twins help us make balanced decisions under uncertainty.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESupercomputers, algorithms, and artificial intelligence now power modern science. However, these tools consume enormous amounts of energy. This raises concerns about how to sustain computing and scientific research as we know them in the decades ahead.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProfessors\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/vuduc.org\/v2\/\u0022\u003ERich Vuduc\u003C\/a\u003E and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hyesoon.github.io\/\u0022\u003EHyesoon Kim\u003C\/a\u003E co-authored\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.osti.gov\/biblio\/2476961\u0022\u003Ethe report\u003C\/a\u003E from the Workshop on Energy-Efficient Computing for Science. At the three-day ASCR workshop, participants identified five key research directions:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPRD 1: Co-design energy-efficient hardware devices and architectures for important workloads\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPRD 2: Define the algorithmic foundations of energy-efficient scientific computing\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPRD 3: Reconceptualize software ecosystems for energy efficiency\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPRD 4: Enable energy-efficient data management for data centers, instruments, and users\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPRD 5: Develop integrated, scalable energy measurement and modeling capabilities for next-generation computing systems\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u2019m cautiously optimistic about the future of energy-efficient computing. The ASCR report says, from a technological point of view, there are things we can do,\u201d said Vuduc.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe report lays out paths for how we might design better apps, hardware systems, and algorithms that will use less energy. This is recognition that we should think about how architectures and software work together to drive down energy usage for systems.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech researchers applied their expertise to a national research program that will shape the future of computing. Their work may yield more energy-efficient computers and better predictions for environmental challenges like carbon storage, tsunamis, wildfires, and sustainable energy.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Department of Energy Office of Science recently released two reports through its Advanced Scientific Computing Research (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/science\/ascr\/advanced-scientific-computing-research\u0022\u003EASCR\u003C\/a\u003E) program. The\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/science.osti.gov\/ascr\/Community-Resources\/Program-Documents\u0022\u003Ereports\u003C\/a\u003E were produced by workshops that brought together researchers from universities, national labs, government, and industry to set priorities for scientific computing.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech faculty members contributed to two DOE Advanced Scientific Computing Research program workshops. Recently published reports of their work may yield more energy-efficient computers and better predictions for environmental challenges."}],"uid":"36319","created_gmt":"2026-03-04 13:29:44","changed_gmt":"2026-03-04 21:01:18","author":"Bryant Wine","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-02-27T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2026-02-27T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679513":{"id":"679513","type":"image","title":"ASCR-Report-Authors.png","body":null,"created":"1772630996","gmt_created":"2026-03-04 13:29:56","changed":"1772630996","gmt_changed":"2026-03-04 13:29:56","alt":"DOE Office of Science ASCR Reports","file":{"fid":"263685","name":"ASCR-Report-Authors.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/04\/ASCR-Report-Authors.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/04\/ASCR-Report-Authors.png","mime":"image\/png","size":578789,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/03\/04\/ASCR-Report-Authors.png?itok=dQ53-joi"}},"679514":{"id":"679514","type":"image","title":"ASCR-Report-Inverse-methods.jpg","body":null,"created":"1772631052","gmt_created":"2026-03-04 13:30:52","changed":"1772631052","gmt_changed":"2026-03-04 13:30:52","alt":"ASCR Workshop on Inverse Methods for Complex Systems under Uncertainty","file":{"fid":"263686","name":"ASCR-Report-Inverse-methods.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/04\/ASCR-Report-Inverse-methods.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/04\/ASCR-Report-Inverse-methods.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":56325,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/03\/04\/ASCR-Report-Inverse-methods.jpg?itok=rZGhJhnP"}},"679515":{"id":"679515","type":"image","title":"ASCR-Report-Energy-Efficient-Computing.jpg","body":null,"created":"1772631087","gmt_created":"2026-03-04 13:31:27","changed":"1772631087","gmt_changed":"2026-03-04 13:31:27","alt":"ASCR Workshop on Energy-Efficient Computing for Science","file":{"fid":"263687","name":"ASCR-Report-Energy-Efficient-Computing.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/04\/ASCR-Report-Energy-Efficient-Computing.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/04\/ASCR-Report-Energy-Efficient-Computing.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":58857,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/03\/04\/ASCR-Report-Energy-Efficient-Computing.jpg?itok=-0arX_Rb"}}},"media_ids":["679513","679514","679515"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/news\/new-research-priorities-chart-course-toward-impactful-energy-efficient-computing","title":"New Research Priorities Chart Course Toward Impactful, Energy-Efficient Computing"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"194606","name":"Artificial Intelligence"},{"id":"153","name":"Computer Science\/Information Technology and Security"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"654","name":"College of Computing"},{"id":"166983","name":"School of Computational Science and Engineering"},{"id":"9153","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"10199","name":"Daily Digest"},{"id":"181991","name":"Georgia Tech News Center"},{"id":"663","name":"Department of Energy"},{"id":"179230","name":"digital twin"},{"id":"15030","name":"high-performance computing"},{"id":"9167","name":"machine learning"},{"id":"187812","name":"artificial intelligence (AI)"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193655","name":"Artificial Intelligence at Georgia Tech"},{"id":"39431","name":"Data Engineering and Science"},{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBryant Wine, Communications Officer\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:bryant.wine@cc.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ebryant.wine@cc.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"688580":{"#nid":"688580","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Two College of Sciences Faculty Named Senior Members of the National Academy of Inventors ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E Professor\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/chandra-raman\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;Chandra S. Raman\u003C\/a\u003E and\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;School of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E Associate Professor\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/jason-azoulay\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;Jason Azoulay\u003C\/a\u003E have been recognized as senior members of the\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/academyofinventors.org\/\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;National Academy of Inventors\u003C\/a\u003E (NAI) Class of 2026. Launched in 2018, the program recognizes faculty, scientists, and administrators at NAI Member Institutions who have successfully produced, patented, and commercialized technologies that have brought, or aspire to bring, real impact on the welfare of society and economic progress.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThis year\u2019s class is a truly impressive cohort,\u201d said Paul R. Sanberg, FNAI, president of NAI. \u201cI commend them on their incredible pursuits, and I\u2019m honored to welcome them to the Academy.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERecognizing NAI Senior Member Chandra S. Raman\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ERaman is a physicist, inventor, and technology entrepreneur whose work is helping shape the future of quantum sensing. As the Dunn Family Professor of Physics, he studies how atoms behave at extremely low temperatures and uses that knowledge to build new kinds of ultra-precise measurement devices.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EBest known for the co-invention of chip\u2011scale atomic beam technology \u2014\u0026nbsp;a breakthrough that makes it possible to build tiny quantum sensors for navigation and timing \u2014 Raman and his team\u2019s patented\u0026nbsp;devices can operate where GPS fails. These inventions form the foundation for a new generation of manufactured quantum hardware, offering new capabilities for autonomous vehicles, aerospace systems, and national security.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ETo bring these technologies from the lab to real-world use, he founded 8Seven8, Inc.:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cBy launching 8Seven8 as the first quantum hardware company in Georgia, we are creating high-tech jobs, building a skilled workforce pipeline, and seeding a quantum ecosystem in the Southeast that will see lasting economic benefits,\u201d explains Raman. \u201cWe seek to establish the region as a player in the rapidly expanding quantum technology economy.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EHe is the principal investigator for the\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ramanlab.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;Raman Lab\u003C\/a\u003E, a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a frequent invited speaker at international conferences, and an advisor to national and space-based quantum initiatives. Raman holds six patents, including three issued U.S. patents and two licensed patents. Through his research, mentorship, and entrepreneurial leadership, he is working to advance scientific discovery and the development of practical technologies with lasting impact.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThis award is the culmination of years of effort in developing innovative approaches to bringing quantum sensing out of the lab,\u201d says Raman. \u201cThe NAI is chock-full of wonderful inventors, and I am privileged to be among them. Through this award, I hope to bring useful inventions out of the lab and promote Georgia as a great place to be an entrepreneur.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERecognizing NAI Senior Member Jason Azoulay\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAzoulay is the Georgia Research Alliance Vasser-Woolley Distinguished Investigator in Optoelectronics and the principal investigator for the\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/azoulaygroup.org\/\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;Azoulay Group\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;His research has pioneered the development of new classes of functional materials and made field-leading advancements in core areas spanning:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u00b7 Homogeneous catalysis applied to polymer synthesis\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u00b7 Electronic, photonic, spin, magnetic, and quantum materials\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u00b7 Device fabrication and engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u00b7 Chemical sensing for environmental monitoring\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u00b7 Synthesis, application, and engineering of high-performance polymers across multiple technology platforms.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAzoulay has demonstrated new classes of organic semiconductors with infrared functionality by exploiting new light-matter interactions, analyzing emergent transport phenomena, and understanding device physics, functionality, and engineering considerations. His work has resulted in nine issued patents and many additional applications.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAdditionally, he is the principal investigator for two multi-million-dollar National Science Foundation (NSF) grants. The first grant harnesses an underused part of the electromagnetic spectrum for energy sensing, manufacturing, and more. His team creates organic polymers that can efficiently convert infrared radiation into electrical signals and develop the materials into functional devices. The initiative is the NSF\u2019s principal vehicle to continue the momentum of the decade-long Materials Genome Initiative and takes advantage of the power of machine learning and chemical synthesis to develop new functional materials.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe second NSF-funded program develops CP-based optical and electrical sensing platforms that operate in complex aqueous environments and enable the detection and discrimination of challenging analytes known to negatively impact human, biota, and ecosystem health.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAzoulay holds a joint appointment in the School of Materials Science and Engineering and leads Georgia Tech\u2019s Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics (COPE). COPE-affiliated faculty create flexible organic photonic and electronic materials and devices that serve the information technology, telecommunications, energy, and defense sectors.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERaman is being honored for advancing chip\u2011scale quantum sensing technologies, while Azoulay is recognized for pioneering functional materials that enable new capabilities across science and technology.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Raman is being honored for advancing chip\u2011scale quantum sensing technologies, while Azoulay is recognized for pioneering functional materials that enable new capabilities across science and technology."}],"uid":"36607","created_gmt":"2026-02-27 15:08:22","changed_gmt":"2026-02-27 18:38:45","author":"ls67","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-02-27T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2026-02-27T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679470":{"id":"679470","type":"image","title":"Chandra Raman","body":"\u003Cp\u003EChandra Raman\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1772204931","gmt_created":"2026-02-27 15:08:51","changed":"1772204931","gmt_changed":"2026-02-27 15:08:51","alt":"Headshot of a man","file":{"fid":"263637","name":"Raman-Headshot-cropped.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/27\/Raman-Headshot-cropped.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/27\/Raman-Headshot-cropped.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3692630,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/02\/27\/Raman-Headshot-cropped.jpg?itok=xdMKZTWF"}},"679471":{"id":"679471","type":"image","title":"Jason Azoulay","body":"\u003Cp\u003EJason Azoulay\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1772205492","gmt_created":"2026-02-27 15:18:12","changed":"1772205492","gmt_changed":"2026-02-27 15:18:12","alt":"Professional headshot of a man","file":{"fid":"263638","name":"azoulay.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/27\/azoulay.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/27\/azoulay.png","mime":"image\/png","size":102970,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/02\/27\/azoulay.png?itok=xvt3dwh9"}}},"media_ids":["679470","679471"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/26\/five-georgia-tech-faculty-named-nai-senior-members-class-2026?utm_source=newsletter\u0026utm_medium=email\u0026utm_content=5%20Georgia%20Tech%20Professors%20Named%20NAI%20Senior%20Members\u0026utm_campaign=Daily%20Digest%20-%20Feb.%2026%2C%202026%20","title":"Five Georgia Tech Faculty Named to NAI Senior Members Class of 2026"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"},{"id":"194611","name":"State Impact"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"194631","name":"cos-georgia"},{"id":"192251","name":"cos-quantum"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELaura S. Smith\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["laura.smith@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"688132":{"#nid":"688132","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Obstacle or Accelerator? How Imperfections Affect Material Strength","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EImagine a material cracking \u2014 now imagine what happens if there are small inclusions in the material. Do they create an obstacle course for the crack to navigate, slowing it down? Or do they act as weak points, helping the crack spread faster?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EHistorically, most engineers believed the former, using heterogeneities, or differences, in materials to make materials stronger and more resilient. However, research from Georgia Tech is showing that, in some cases, heterogeneities make materials weaker and can even accelerate cracks.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ELed by\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E Assistant Professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/itamar-kolvin\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EItamar Kolvin\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, the study, \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/journals.aps.org\/prl\/abstract\/10.1103\/j4vb-y1ng\u0022\u003EDual Role for Heterogeneity in Dynamic Fracture\u003C\/a\u003E,\u201d was published in\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EPhysical Review Letters\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003Ethis fall.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EWhile Kolvin\u2019s work is theoretical, the results of the research are widely applicable. \u201cPredicting this type of toughening effect helps engineers decide how much reinforcement to add to a material, and the best way to do so,\u201d he says. \u201cCracks are complex \u2014 they interact with the material, change shape, and respond dynamically. All of this affects the overall toughness, which impacts safety.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EBuilding Strong Materials\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe study found that the key to crack behavior starts at the microscopic level where the material\u2019s microscopic structure influences how it resists cracks running at different speeds.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cCracks propagate by breaking bonds, and that costs energy,\u201d he explains. \u201cOn top of this, materials experience extreme deformations close to where the crack runs, which costs additional energy. In some materials, the amount of this energy cost can depend on the crack\u2019s speed because of microscopic friction between molecules.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EOther materials, like window glass, are mostly indifferent to the crack speed. These materials are made of simple molecules, allowing a crack to propagate slowly or quickly using the same amount of energy. The researchers found that including heterogeneities can help strengthen these materials.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EMaterials made of more complex molecules, like polymer plastics and gels, on the other hand,\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003Eare\u003C\/em\u003E velocity dependent: it takes more energy for a crack to propagate faster. In these materials, heterogeneities are less effective at toughening, and if the crack is fast enough, heterogeneities could help it advance. \u201cThat\u2019s something we didn\u2019t expect when we started,\u201d Kolvin says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EDisorder Versus Design\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAfter discovering which types of materials can benefit from heterogeneities, Kolvin wanted to investigate the best way to add them. \u201cNatural materials like rocks are usually very messy and disordered,\u201d he explains, \u201cbut in engineering, heterogenous materials tend to be patterned.\u201d For example, imagine a manufactured material: heterogeneities may be added in a grid-like or other patterned way. Now, contrast that with the irregular freckles and inclusions you might see in a rock found in a streambed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EKolvin\u2019s question was simple: which material was stronger? The results, again, were surprising. The disordered case \u2014 similar to what is found in nature \u2014 created the toughest material.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAmong the patterned materials the team tested, only one was as tough as the disordered case \u2014 and every other pattern tested made the material weaker.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EFrom Lab to Landscape\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAt Georgia Tech, Kolvin\u2019s lab focuses on the mechanics of materials \u2014 both solid and fluid. \u201cWe are using our expertise in physics to explore questions across different fields,\u201d he says. \u201cA common concept is treating materials as continua \u2014 zooming out from molecular detail to look at how materials deform and flow at the large scale.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThis current research follows suit with applications ranging from investigating the smallest material microstructures to predicting earthquake fractures. \u201cEarthquake faults are highly disordered, and simulating these ruptures is a major challenge, usually requiring supercomputers to solve crack propagation in three dimensions,\u201d Kolvin says. \u201cBut with the tools our study has developed, we can simulate similar conditions and large systems using just a desktop computer.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThis opens the doors for scientists, engineers, physicists, and geologists to explore problems right from their own computer, allowing more researchers access to more tools,\u201d he adds. \u201cAnd new tools often lead to new discoveries.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDOI:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1103\/j4vb-y1ng\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/doi.org\/10.1103\/j4vb-y1ng\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearch from Georgia Tech is showing how cracks occur and spread through materials \u2014 and how best to prevent them.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Research from Georgia Tech is showing how cracks occur and spread through materials \u2014 and how best to prevent them. "}],"uid":"35599","created_gmt":"2026-02-09 17:14:44","changed_gmt":"2026-02-19 17:33:17","author":"sperrin6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-02-16T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2026-02-16T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679225":{"id":"679225","type":"image","title":"\u201cCracks are complex \u2014 they interact with the material, change shape, and respond dynamically,\u0022 says Kolvin. \u0022All of this affects the overall toughness, and that impacts safety.\u201d (Adobe Stock)","body":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cCracks are complex \u2014 they interact with the material, change shape, and respond dynamically,\u0022 says Kolvin. \u0022All of this affects the overall toughness, and that impacts safety.\u201d (Adobe Stock)\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1770657667","gmt_created":"2026-02-09 17:21:07","changed":"1770657667","gmt_changed":"2026-02-09 17:21:07","alt":"A crack in a building wall.","file":{"fid":"263358","name":"AdobeStock_494169649.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/09\/AdobeStock_494169649.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/09\/AdobeStock_494169649.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2360933,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/02\/09\/AdobeStock_494169649.jpeg?itok=Q7lTZSc8"}},"679224":{"id":"679224","type":"image","title":"Itamar Kolvin","body":"\u003Cp\u003EItamar Kolvin\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1770657296","gmt_created":"2026-02-09 17:14:56","changed":"1770657296","gmt_changed":"2026-02-09 17:14:56","alt":"Itamar Kolvin","file":{"fid":"263357","name":"Itamar-Kolvin.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/09\/Itamar-Kolvin_0.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/09\/Itamar-Kolvin_0.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":154592,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/02\/09\/Itamar-Kolvin_0.jpeg?itok=e0T6C0ih"}}},"media_ids":["679225","679224"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"660369","name":"Matter and Systems"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"},{"id":"193652","name":"Matter and Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWritten by \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto: sperrin6@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESelena Langner\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ECollege of Sciences\u003Cbr\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"688133":{"#nid":"688133","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Biophysicist Lynn Kamerlin Becomes Institute of Physics Fellow","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E Professor and Georgia Research Alliance Vasser Woolley Chair in Molecular Design\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/lynn-kamerlin\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELynn Kamerlin\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E has become an\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.iop.org\/\u0022\u003EInstitute of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E (IOP) Fellow. It is the highest degree of membership awarded by the society.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u0022The IOP has a long and distinguished history as the primary learned society and professional body for physicists in the U.K., Ireland, and beyond,\u201d says Kamerlin, who completed both a Master of Natural Sciences and a Ph.D. in Theoretical Organic Chemistry\u0026nbsp;from the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.birmingham.ac.uk\/\u0022\u003EUniversity of Birmingham\u003C\/a\u003E in the United Kingdom. \u201cAs a society, it plays an important role in building community, promoting science, advancing advocacy for our discipline, and supporting the next generation of physicists.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EKamerlin joins a list of distinguished Fellows that includes legendary physicists such as\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.iop.org\/about\/support-grants\/bell-burnell-fund\/woman-behind-fund\u0022\u003EDame\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EJocelyn Bell Burnell\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, a preeminent astrophysicist responsible for the discovery of pulsars (a previously unknown type of star) and the first female president of the IOP.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cIt is a great honor to be awarded Fellowship of the IOP, particularly as women more broadly remain vastly underrepresented in physics,\u201d Kamerlin says. \u201cI look forward to giving back to the physics community, supporting the mission of the society, and working to remind the next generation that physics is for everyone.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout Lynn Kamerlin\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EKamerlin\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/kamerlinlab.com\/\u0022\u003Eresearch in computational biophysics\u003C\/a\u003E is at the intersection of chemistry and biology, where she focuses on investigating fundamental physical chemistry and using computational tools to understand complex biomolecular problems. Currently, she is interested in leveraging machine learning tools to design new enzymes and in predicting protein structures and behaviors using large language models.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EIn addition to her roles at Georgia Tech, Kamerlin\u0026nbsp;is a senior editor of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/journal\/1469896x\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EProtein Science\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, the editor-in-chief of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/publishingsupport.iopscience.iop.org\/journals\/electronic-structure\/about-electronic-structure\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EElectronic Structure\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, and was named a 2025-27 visiting professor at\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/portal.research.lu.se\/en\/persons\/lynn-kamerlin\/\u0022\u003ELund University\u003C\/a\u003E. She\u0026nbsp;was also named a\u0026nbsp;Fellow of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.rsc.org\/\u0022\u003ERoyal Society of Chemistry\u003C\/a\u003E, received the 2026\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/lynn-kamerlin-receives-biochemical-society-honor\u0022\u003EInspiration and Resilience Award\u003C\/a\u003E from the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.biochemistry.org\/\u0022\u003EBiochemical Society\u003C\/a\u003E, and was the 2023\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.biophysics.org\/\u0022\u003EBiophysical Society\u003C\/a\u003E Theory \u0026amp; Computation Subgroup Mid-Career Award Winner.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003EIt is the highest degree of membership awarded by the society. \u0022I look forward to giving back to the physics community, supporting the mission of the society, and working to remind the next generation that physics is for everyone,\u0022 says Kamerlin.\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":" It is the highest degree of membership awarded by the society. "}],"uid":"35599","created_gmt":"2026-02-09 17:30:13","changed_gmt":"2026-02-19 17:32:36","author":"sperrin6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-02-18T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2026-02-18T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677019":{"id":"677019","type":"image","title":"Lynn Kamerlin","body":null,"created":"1746193435","gmt_created":"2025-05-02 13:43:55","changed":"1746193435","gmt_changed":"2025-05-02 13:43:55","alt":"Lynn Kamerlin headshot","file":{"fid":"260878","name":"lynn-kamerlin_portrait.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/02\/lynn-kamerlin_portrait.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/02\/lynn-kamerlin_portrait.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":104455,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/05\/02\/lynn-kamerlin_portrait.jpg?itok=UCfaKKYb"}}},"media_ids":["677019"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"192250","name":"cos-microbial"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWritten by \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto: sperrin6@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESelena Langner\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"688310":{"#nid":"688310","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Mapping Mountain Birds in a Changing World: Benjamin Freeman Awarded Sloan Fellowship For Mountain Bird Ecology Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/benjamin%20freeman\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;Assistant Professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/benjamingfreeman.com\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBenjamin Freeman\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E has been named a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sloan.org\/fellowships\/2026-Fellows\u0022\u003E2026 Sloan Research Fellow\u003C\/a\u003E by the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sloan.org\/\u0022\u003EAlfred P. Sloan Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E. Regarded as one of the\u0026nbsp;most competitive and prestigious awards available to early-career scholars, the Fellowship recognizes researchers\u0026nbsp;\u201cwhose creativity, innovation, and research accomplishments make them stand out as the next generation of leaders.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThe Sloan Research Fellows are among the most promising early-career researchers in the U.S. and Canada, already driving meaningful progress in their respective disciplines,\u201d \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sloan.org\/storage\/app\/media\/files\/press_releases\/2026_Sloan%20Research%20Fellowship_Announcement.pdf\u0022\u003Esays\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EStacie Bloom\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, president and chief executive officer of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. \u201cWe look forward to seeing how these exceptional scholars continue to unlock new scientific advancements, redefine their fields, and foster the wellbeing and knowledge of all.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u0022This is a wonderful and welcome surprise that will support my ongoing research on mountains across the globe,\u201d says Freeman. \u201cIt\u0027s a vote of confidence and will let me get out there and get to work.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EFreeman is one of 126 scientists selected this year for the honor and will receive a two-year $75,000 grant of flexible funding to support his research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EHe joins the ranks of nearly 50 faculty from Georgia Tech who have received Sloan Research Fellowships, including School of Mathematics\u2019\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EAlex Blumenthal\u003C\/strong\u003E in 2024,\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EHannah Choi\u003C\/strong\u003E in 2022,\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EYao Yao\u003C\/strong\u003E in 2020,\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EKonstantin Tikhomirov\u003C\/strong\u003E in 2019,\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003ELutz Warnke\u003C\/strong\u003E in 2018,\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EZaher Hani\u003C\/strong\u003E in 2016,\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EJen Hom\u003C\/strong\u003E in 2015, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EGreg Blekherman\u003C\/strong\u003E in 2012; School of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u0027s\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EVinayak Agarwal\u003C\/strong\u003E in 2018; School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u0027\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EChristopher Reinhard\u003C\/strong\u003E in 2015; and School of Physics\u2019\u003Cstrong\u003E Chunhui (Rita) Du\u003C\/strong\u003E in 2024 and\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003ETamara Bogdanovi\u0107\u003C\/strong\u003E in 2013.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EFreeman joined the Institute in 2023 and\u0026nbsp;was also recently named a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/research-takes-flight-benjamin-freeman-named-2024-packard-fellow\u0022\u003E2024 Packard Fellow\u003C\/a\u003E by the\u0026nbsp;David and Lucile Packard Foundation and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/benjamin-freeman-named-early-career-fellow-ecological-society-america\u0022\u003E2025 Early Career Fellow\u003C\/a\u003E by the Ecological Society of America.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EUnderstanding the \u2018escalator to extinction\u2019\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EKnown for his groundbreaking research in climate change and bird ecology, Freeman studies birds worldwide from Appalachia to Ecuador. He specializes in tropical populations where his work is centered on understanding how mountain species respond to a changing climate \u2014 and how to facilitate their survival.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cTropical mountains are some of Earth\u2019s largest biodiversity hotspots; they harbor an extraordinary number of species,\u201d shares Freeman. \u201cAdditionally, tropical mountain birds are particularly sensitive to environmental change, so they can serve as an early warning system for global conservation efforts.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EPreviously, his research has shown that some species are on an \u2018escalator to extinction\u2019 with vulnerable groups moving to higher elevations to escape warming temperatures. At the top of the escalator, some summit-dwelling species are disappearing.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cWe know that many species are on this escalator,\u201d Freeman says. \u201cThe next step is to figure out which species are most vulnerable and why. In order to direct conservation efforts, we need to know who\u003Cem\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003Eis vulnerable, why\u003Cem\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003Esmall increases in temperature have dramatic effects, and what\u003Cem\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003Ecan be done to help.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EA worldwide early warning system\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ETo uncover those answers, Freeman is taking two approaches: mapping global patterns with big picture data and conducting on-the-ground research in the tropics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ETo target the former, he created the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/benjamingfreeman.com\/mountainbirdnetwork\u0022\u003EMountain Bird Network\u003C\/a\u003E, which supports community scientists in conducting bird surveys on their local mountains. The goal is to create a system that allows researchers to diagnose vulnerable species before they are too sparse to save.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u201c\u003C\/strong\u003EWhen a species is in trouble, we need to know as soon as possible,\u201d Freeman says. \u201cOnce a population is small enough to be at risk of extinction, it\u2019s very hard to reverse that process. The Mountain Bird Network collects data on mountain bird abundances and distributions across the globe, which, when used with data from a global citizen science program called eBird, can be leveraged to build models to identify which species might be vulnerable before those populations become critically small.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EA living lab on Tech Mountain\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EFreeman\u2019s other avenue of research involves building an ambitious living laboratory in Pinchincha, Ecuador. The research site will span thousands of meters along the flanks of a local mountain, spanning lowland rainforest, foothill rainforest, and cloud forest ecosystems.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThe mountain is home to thousands of birds from hundreds of species,\u201d Freeman says. \u201cMy goal is to track and understand their daily lives \u2014 and how climate changes impact them.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EUsing cutting-edge tracking technology, he will tag and monitor their daily movements, mapping those against microclimate sensors placed at different elevations along the mountain\u2019s slopes. The challenge of placing and maintaining thousands of tiny sensors in rugged conditions means that it has never been done before.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cWe\u2019ll track these birds for at least five years \u2013- but hopefully for decades,\u201d Freeman says. \u201cThe data we gather at Tech Mountain will be the first of its kind, and my hope is that it makes a real difference in conservation efforts worldwide.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003EThe fellowship is one of the\u0026nbsp;most competitive and prestigious awards available to early-career scholars, and will support Freeman as he studies birds worldwide from Appalachia to Ecuador, investigating how mountain species respond to a changing climate \u2014 and how to facilitate their survival.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The fellowship is one of the\u00a0most competitive and prestigious awards available to early-career scholars."}],"uid":"35599","created_gmt":"2026-02-17 14:36:04","changed_gmt":"2026-02-19 14:23:25","author":"sperrin6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-02-17T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2026-02-17T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"675323":{"id":"675323","type":"image","title":"Benjamin Freeman","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;Benjamin Freeman\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1729016793","gmt_created":"2024-10-15 18:26:33","changed":"1729016793","gmt_changed":"2024-10-15 18:26:33","alt":"Benjamin Freeman","file":{"fid":"258934","name":"BenjaminFreeman.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/10\/15\/BenjaminFreeman.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/10\/15\/BenjaminFreeman.png","mime":"image\/png","size":2771976,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/10\/15\/BenjaminFreeman.png?itok=fugaKOaT"}}},"media_ids":["675323"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/sloan.org\/storage\/app\/media\/files\/press_releases\/2026_Sloan%20Research%20Fellowship_Announcement.pdf","title":"2026 Sloan Research Fellows Announced"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/30-year-snapshot-pacific-northwestern-birds-shows-their-surprising-resilience","title":"A 30-Year \u201cSnapshot\u201d of Pacific Northwestern Birds Shows Their Surprising Resilience"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/research-takes-flight-benjamin-freeman-named-2024-packard-fellow","title":"Research Takes Flight: Benjamin Freeman Named 2024 Packard Fellow"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/benjamin-freeman-named-early-career-fellow-ecological-society-america","title":"Benjamin Freeman Named Early Career Fellow by Ecological Society of America"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"194836","name":"Sustainability"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"192254","name":"cos-climate"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"193653","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"},{"id":"194566","name":"Sustainable Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWritten by \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto: sperrin6@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESelena Langner\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"687390":{"#nid":"687390","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Researchers Discover How Worms Clean Their Environment Without a Brain","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen centimeter-long aquatic worms, such as \u003Cem\u003ET. tubifex\u003C\/em\u003E or \u003Cem\u003ELumbriculus variegatus\u003C\/em\u003E, are placed in a Petri dish filled with sub-millimeter sized sand particles, something surprising happens. Over time, the worms begin to spontaneously clean up their surroundings. They sweep particles into compact clusters, gradually reshaping and organizing their environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/journals.aps.org\/prx\/abstract\/10.1103\/yxp1-t43g\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Estudy\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E recently published in \u003Cem\u003EPhysical Review X,\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003Ea team of researchers show that this remarkable sweeping behavior does not require a brain, or any kind of complex interaction between the worms and the particles. Instead, it emerges from the natural undulating motion and flexibility that the worms possess.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe study was co-led by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bhamla.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESaad Bhamla\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Antoine Deblais of the University of Amsterdam.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDeblais said: \u201cIt is fascinating to see how living worms can organize their surroundings just by moving.\u201d Bhamla added: \u201cTheir activity and flexibility alone are enough to collect particles and reshape their environment.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy building simple robotic and computer models that mimic the living worms, the researchers discovered that only these two ingredients \u2013 activity and flexibility \u2013 are sufficient to reproduce the sweeping and collecting effects. The result is a self-organized, dynamic form of environmental restructuring driven purely by motion and shape.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOrder emerges\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe results do not just teach us a surprising lesson about worms. Understanding how these organisms spontaneously collect particles has much broader implications. On the technological side, what the researchers have learned could inspire the design of soft robots that clean or sort materials without needing sensors or pre-programmed intelligence.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESuch robots, like the worms, would simply move and let order emerge from motion. \u201cBrainless\u201d machines of this sort could perhaps one day help remove microplastics or sediments from aquatic environments, or perform complex tasks in unpredictable terrains.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFrom a biological perspective, the results also offer insights into how elongated living organisms \u2013 not just worms, but also filamentous bacteria, or cytoskeletal filaments \u2013 can structure and modify their own habitats through simple physical interactions. Understanding this structuring and modifying behaviour has been a central question for, e.g., earthworms in their role in soil aeration.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFrom a biological perspective, the results also offer insights into how elongated living organisms \u2013 not just worms, but also filamentous bacteria, or cytoskeletal filaments \u2013 can structure and modify their own habitats through simple physical interactions. Understanding this structuring and modifying behaviour has been a central question for, e.g., earthworms in their role in soil aeration.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETeam effort\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis project grew out of curiosity about how living systems shape their environment without centralized control. Initial experiments with worms, conducted by Harry Tuazon (Bioengineering PhD 2024) at Georgia Tech, showed the unexpected particle collection patterns. This led the team to attempt to reproduce the behavior using robotic and simulated counterparts \u2013 something that worked surprisingly well. In the project, experimentalists and theorists worked side by side, allowing the team to uncover the physical principles behind this seemingly purposeful behavior.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECo-first author Rosa Sinaasappel conducted the robot experiments at the University of Amsterdam. \u201cBy mimicking the worms\u2019 motion with simple brainless robots connected by flexible rubber links, we could pinpoint the two ingredients that are essential for the sweeping mechanism,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECo-first author Prathyusha Kokkoorakunnel Ramankutty, a research scientist in the Bhamla Lab at Georgia Tech, performed the computer simulations of the behavior. \u201cOur computational model, built on simple ingredients like propulsion and flexibility, shows that this principle works across different scales and can be adapted for new designs, as demonstrated by a soft robotic sweeper that autonomously \u2018cleans\u2019 and reorganizes particles without programmed intelligence,\u201d she explained.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers will continue to investigate this type of behaviour in the future. While a mathematical model of active sweeping is now presented in a simple form, many challenging questions raised by this complex system remain open for theoreticians.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMultiple groups of students helped greatly with the robot experiments, doing projects in the lab. Their efforts ranged from performing the experiments to replacing the in total about 200 batteries, after perhaps one of the most difficult tasks: wrestling them free from the child-proof packaging.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECITATION:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/journals.aps.org\/prx\/abstract\/10.1103\/yxp1-t43g\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EParticle Sweeping and Collection by Active and Living Filaments\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, Sinaasappel, R., Prathyusha, K. R., Tuazon, Harry, Mirzahossein, E., Illien, P., Bhamla, Saad, and A. Deblais.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EPhysical Review X\u003C\/em\u003E (2026)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETiny worms, big surprises! When placed in sand-filled Petri dishes, centimeter-long aquatic worms like T. tubifex spontaneously sweep up particles and reorganize their environment \u2014 all without a brain. Researchers discovered that this surprising behavior emerges purely from the worms\u2019 motion and flexibility.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":" When placed in sand-filled Petri dishes, centimeter-long aquatic worms like T. tubifex spontaneously sweep up particles and reorganize their environment \u2014 all without a brain."}],"uid":"27271","created_gmt":"2026-01-16 17:53:26","changed_gmt":"2026-01-30 16:43:16","author":"Brad Dixon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-01-16T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2026-01-16T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679027":{"id":"679027","type":"image","title":"worms1.png","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EA real worm in a Petri dish (top left) and a robot worm (bottom right) clean their environments of tiny particles in a very similar manner.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1768586012","gmt_created":"2026-01-16 17:53:32","changed":"1768586012","gmt_changed":"2026-01-16 17:53:32","alt":"A real worm in a Petri dish (top left) and a robot worm (bottom right) clean their environments of tiny particles in a very similar manner.","file":{"fid":"263138","name":"worms1.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/01\/16\/worms1.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/01\/16\/worms1.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1129149,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/01\/16\/worms1.png?itok=xCfPAW8e"}},"679028":{"id":"679028","type":"video","title":" Two types of worms clean and organize their environment","body":"\u003Cp\u003ETwo types of worms clean and organize their environment\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1768586293","gmt_created":"2026-01-16 17:58:13","changed":"1768586293","gmt_changed":"2026-01-16 17:58:13","video":{"youtube_id":"H2I8IxNG4vA","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=H2I8IxNG4vA"}},"679029":{"id":"679029","type":"video","title":"Different types of robots lead to different types of cleaning behavior","body":"\u003Cp\u003EDifferent types of robots lead to different types of cleaning behavior\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1768586384","gmt_created":"2026-01-16 17:59:44","changed":"1768586384","gmt_changed":"2026-01-16 17:59:44","video":{"youtube_id":"h2k9pcmZ_ck","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=h2k9pcmZ_ck\u0026t=2s"}}},"media_ids":["679027","679028","679029"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. 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