{"693603":{"#nid":"693603","#data":{"type":"news","title":"U.S. Department of Commerce to Invest $7.4M  to Support Georgia Timber Manufacturing Industry","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EATLANTA \u2014 \u003C\/strong\u003EInitiated and overseen by Georgia Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/innovate.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEnterprise Innovation Institute\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(EI\u00b2), ReGEN Ag is a collaboration of Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/renewablebioproducts.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERenewable Bioproducts Institute\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(RBI) and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.scl.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESupply Chain and Logistics Institute\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(SCL). Together, the groups will help South Georgia\u0027s timber and agriculture producers recover from 2024\u2019s Hurricane Helene and strengthen the region\u2019s resilience to future disasters.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EU.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said, \u201cHurricane Helene left Georgia growers with damaged timber and exposed weaknesses in their supply chains. With this federal funding, backed by $24 million in private investment, Georgia Tech is exploring how to turn that timber into valuable ag-nutrients and testing ways to keep supply chains moving even when storms hit.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe ReGEN Ag project funding is part of a larger initiative, the EDA Fiscal Year 2025 Disaster Supplemental Grant Program. The ReGEN Ag award supports two initiatives that will be implemented over an 18-month period.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResilient Routes, headed by SCL, will incorporate modeling with live mapping of critical infrastructure and routes to create cooperative logistics hubs. \u201cFor decades, SCL has led applied supply chain research that solves real problems for industry,\u201d said SCL Managing Director Chris Gaffney. \u201cPartnering with RBI on ReGEN Ag lets us put that experience to work for Georgia\u0027s forestry sector, building cooperative logistics that connect South Georgia\u0027s timber to new, higher-value products and markets.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EReWOOD, led by the RBI-associated\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/renewablebioproducts.gatech.edu\/research\/center-for-renewables-based-economy-from-wood\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECenter for a Renewables-Based Economy From Wood\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(ReWOOD) aims to turn low-grade timber and wood waste into value-added chemicals and bioproducts. \u201cThe ReWOOD initiative builds on RBI\u2019s tremendous strength in wood-based products to create additional revenue sources for Georgia\u2019s forestry industry by developing processes and products to benefit human and animal health and well-being, including new materials, animal feed, care products, and many other applications,\u201d said Andreas Bommarius, ReWOOD co-director.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETimber and its related industries play a significant role in Georgia\u2019s economy. According to the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gfagrow.org\/about\/numberone\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Forestry Association\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, the sector contributes $41.3 billion a year to the state\u2019s economy and supports nearly 144,000 direct and indirect jobs.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEI\u00b2 Vice President David Bridges said the ReGEN Ag project complements the unit\u2019s broader commitment to supporting socioeconomic development across the entirety of Georgia. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen EI\u00b2 conducted a listening tour of the state, we heard specifically from timber industry owners and companies in South Georgia about the need for finding and developing value-added products,\u201d Bridges said. \u201cThis funding provides a chance to explore some of those pathways, while building resilience and boosting prosperity in the southern part of the state.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe award also allows Georgia Tech to work closely with two of its educational partners, South Georgia State College and Wiregrass Georgia Technical College, to build workforce opportunities in forestry, agriculture, biomanufacturing, and supply chain management.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEDA\u2019s investment, along with significant private industry and local partner commitments, gives us a real opportunity to help rural communities recover from storms and grow stronger,\u201d said Betsy McGriff, EI\u00b2 program manager. \u201cWe\u2019re grateful to EDA and to the partners across South Georgia who came together to make this possible, and we\u2019re excited to get started.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe U.S. Department of Commerce\u2019s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $7.4 million in disaster supplemental funding to the Resilient Growth Through Enabling Next Generation Agriculture (ReGEN Ag) coalition.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The award comes from the Economic Development Administration\u2019s (EDA)  Disaster supplemental funding and is supported by $24 million in private investment. "}],"uid":"28137","created_gmt":"2026-10-28 21:49:38","changed_gmt":"2026-10-30 15:36:35","author":"P\u00e9ralte Paul","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-10-29T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-10-29T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681601":{"id":"681601","type":"image","title":"ReGen Leads","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAndreas Bommarius (left) is co-director of Georgia Tech\u0027s Center for a Renewables-Based Economy From Wood and Chris Gaffney is managing director of the Supply Chain and Logistics Institute.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1793308293","gmt_created":"2026-10-29 21:11:33","changed":"1793373507","gmt_changed":"2026-10-30 15:18:27","alt":"Headshots of Andreas Bommarius and Chris Gaffney","file":{"fid":"266028","name":"Profs-3.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/29\/Profs-3.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/29\/Profs-3.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1815634,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/10\/29\/Profs-3.png?itok=uLJ9JsrU"}}},"media_ids":["681601"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"139","name":"Business"},{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"194609","name":"Industry"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"194836","name":"Sustainability"}],"keywords":[{"id":"195316","name":"timber"},{"id":"85491","name":"wood"},{"id":"3671","name":"Enterprise Innovation Institute"},{"id":"170912","name":"supply chain logistics institute"},{"id":"93791","name":"Renewable Bioproducts Institute"},{"id":"128391","name":"U.S. Department of Commerce"},{"id":"195317","name":"ReWood"},{"id":"171659","name":"EDA"},{"id":"195318","name":"ReGEN"},{"id":"9423","name":"Andreas Bommarius"},{"id":"12548","name":"Chris Gaffney"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"193654","name":"Enterprise Innovation Institute"},{"id":"39461","name":"Manufacturing, Trade, and Logistics"},{"id":"39491","name":"Renewable Bioproducts"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"106361","name":"Business and Economic Development"},{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEve Tolpa\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003Eeve.tolpa@innovate.gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["eve.tolpa@innovate.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"690903":{"#nid":"690903","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Mining New Possibilities for Critical Minerals: Mapping a Stronger U.S. Supply Chain","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECritical minerals power the technologies that define modern life, from batteries and semiconductors to advanced manufacturing systems and defense applications. They are also essential to the nation\u2019s energy future, manufacturing competitiveness, and national security.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThrough a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/cmei\/articles\/does-office-critical-minerals-and-energy-innovation-launches-regional-consortia\u0022\u003Emajor investment\u003C\/a\u003E from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Georgia Tech is helping accelerate the development of domestic critical minerals from unconventional and secondary resources. The $7.5 million award positions the Institute to advance supply chain solutions that span resource discovery, processing, recycling, and circular materials management.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESelected by DOE\u2019s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, Georgia Tech will lead the Critical Minerals in the Atlantic Seaboard Plain (CM-MAP) project. The regional effort builds on DOE\u2019s Carbon Ore, Rare Earth, and Critical Minerals (CORE-CM) initiative and will examine potential resources across the Atlantic coastal plain.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe CM-MAP project will focus on sedimentary deposits, including kaolin, bauxite, heavy mineral sands, and phosphates, as well as legacy mining residues, coal combustion byproducts, and other unconventional and secondary resources that could support future recycling and circular economy opportunities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDrawing on existing infrastructure, regional assets, industry bases, and scientific expertise, CM-MAP will establish a regional innovation ecosystem that supports domestic critical mineral production, recycling, and advanced manufacturing, while fostering new economic opportunities throughout the Southeast.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is a powerful example of how Georgia Tech brings together leading research capabilities and partnerships from industry, government, nonprofits, and national labs to address complex national challenges,\u201d said\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/leadership\u0022\u003ETim Lieuwen\u003C\/a\u003E, executive vice president for Research. \u201cBy identifying and domestically sourcing critical minerals, we are helping secure essential supply chains, while enabling the next generation of energy and materials technologies.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe DOE award builds on a growing network of research, industry, regional, and international partnerships led by Georgia Tech to translate scientific discovery into real-world supply chain solutions, including:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022ea149f3a1369a08e50ecd550f254e4fc6\u0022\u003EResearch leadership \u2014 Founded in 2024, Georgia Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/minerals.research.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Critical Mineral Solutions\u003C\/a\u003E serves as a hub for interdisciplinary research and technology development across the Institute.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e3525757baf2e98febb34b5a40cf084bc\u0022\u003ERegional partnerships \u2014Through the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gems.research.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Partnership for Essential Materials\u003C\/a\u003E, a flagship regional collaboration platform, Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia, Georgia State University, and the Georgia Mining Association convene stakeholders from across the critical minerals sector. The partnership brings together industry, nonprofit organizations, regional economic development agencies, national labs, universities, and technical colleges to connect, collaborate, and stay engaged in the latest developments.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022ebccf1688cc8ca7d30f05f3e54fb5b005\u0022\u003EInternational engagement \u2014 A\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.research.gatech.edu\/2026\/04\/13\/georgia-universities-and-uk-partners-strengthen-collaboration-critical-minerals-gems-4\u0022\u003EU.K.-U.S. working group\u003C\/a\u003E extends partnerships across the Southeastern United States and Southwest United Kingdom, connecting researchers, industry leaders, and government agencies working to strengthen global supply chains.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e1647f02ab83f892d6c95813afcbe8a2e\u0022\u003EGeorgia Critical Mineral Supply Chain Manufacturing Demonstration Center \u2014 Supported through\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/buddycarter.house.gov\/news\/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=16085\u0022\u003Econgressional funding\u003C\/a\u003E, the center is developing capabilities and regional supply chain demonstrations that connect resource development, materials processing, recycling, and advanced manufacturing.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs part of CM-MAP, researchers will analyze materials collected from natural deposits and industrial sites throughout the Southeast to identify their critical mineral content. The resulting large datasets will be combined with artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches to better understand and predict where resources exist, optimize extraction pathways, and inform future recovery and recycling strategies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis project brings together a highly collaborative team from Georgia Tech, national labs, industry partners, and research institutions across the region,\u201d said\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/energy.gatech.edu\/people\/yuanzhi-tang\u0022\u003EYuanzhi Tang\u003C\/a\u003E, the principal investigator and Georgia Power Professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, with a courtesy appointment in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETang is also the founding director of the Center for Critical Mineral Solutions and executive director of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/energy.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EStrategic Energy Institute\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThrough this award, we are working to build secure and resilient critical materials supply chains, from resource discovery and characterization to processing, recovery, recycling, and advanced manufacturing, while also developing the skilled workforce needed to support these emerging industries,\u201d Tang said. \u201cOur vision is to create a regional innovation ecosystem that embraces both unconventional resources and circular economy approaches to maximize the value of materials already in use.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELearn more about critical materials research and workforce development efforts at Georgia Tech by visiting the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/minerals.research.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Critical Mineral Solutions\u003C\/a\u003E webpage.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESelected by DOE\u2019s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, Georgia Tech will lead the Critical Minerals in the Atlantic Seaboard Plain (CM-MAP) project. The regional effort builds on DOE\u2019s Carbon Ore, Rare Earth, and Critical Minerals (CORE-CM) initiative and will examine potential resources across the Atlantic coastal plain.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new Department of Energy award will help Georgia Tech lead a regional effort to identify, recover, and reuse materials essential to energy, manufacturing, and national security."}],"uid":"36413","created_gmt":"2026-06-24 17:37:05","changed_gmt":"2026-09-29 18:49:15","author":"pdevarajan3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-06-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-06-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680536":{"id":"680536","type":"image","title":"Picture-for-announcement-Final.png","body":"\u003Cp\u003EUnited States map showing the eight regions of the CORE-CM Initiative. Courtesy: \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/netl-exchange.energy.gov\/FileContent.aspx?FileID=fe48ff94-6a59-4df7-b490-54b66c8a22ad\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDepartment of Energy Core-CM Initiative\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1782837023","gmt_created":"2026-06-30 16:30:23","changed":"1782837023","gmt_changed":"2026-06-30 16:30:23","alt":"United States map showing the eight regions of the CORE-CM Initiative. Courtesy: Department of Energy Core-CM Initiative","file":{"fid":"264810","name":"Picture-for-announcement-Final.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/06\/30\/Picture-for-announcement-Final.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/06\/30\/Picture-for-announcement-Final.png","mime":"image\/png","size":709702,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/06\/30\/Picture-for-announcement-Final.png?itok=7Qcc14JW"}}},"media_ids":["680536"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"364801","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS)"}],"categories":[{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"194611","name":"State Impact"},{"id":"194612","name":"Workforce Development"}],"keywords":[{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"},{"id":"194701","name":"go-resarchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71911","name":"Earth and Environment"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMedia Contact: \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:shelley.wunder-smith@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EShelley Wunder-Smith\u003C\/a\u003E, Research Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["priya.devarajan@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"692776":{"#nid":"692776","#data":{"type":"news","title":"After the Storm: When Recovery Creates a Community Crisis","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe storm ends, the fire goes out, floodwaters recede.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd, for some, the rent rises.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELong after a natural disaster fades from the headlines, economic aftershocks can still push people out of their communities, not because their homes were destroyed, but because they can no longer afford to remain there.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA new Georgia Tech-led study found that rents were 6.5% to 12.5% higher than expected four years after a disaster. Similar communities that weren\u2019t hit did not see the same jump.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/planning.gatech.edu\/people\/brian-an\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EBrian An, an associate professor in the\u0026nbsp;Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter\u0026nbsp;School of Public Policy within the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/a\u003E, and his team studied two decades of rental housing data and federal disaster records from California and Florida.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe often think of housing as a market that will sort itself out,\u201d An said. \u201cBut a natural disaster is not a normal market condition. Housing is destroyed. People are displaced. In those moments, renters can become especially vulnerable.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter a disaster, the housing market\u2019s usual rules no longer apply. Damaged apartment buildings mean reduced supply. Displaced homeowners enter the rental market while their homes are repaired or rebuilt. Construction, repairs, and insurance all get more expensive.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe largest rent increases followed hurricanes and wildfires more than earthquakes, flooding, and tornadoes. For communities hit repeatedly, each new storm or fire added more rent pressure.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMore Demand, Less Room\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen rents go up after a disaster, we\u0027re not talking about a small segment of housing,\u201d An said. \u201cWe\u0027re talking about the broader rental market. That means the effects reach far beyond the homes that were damaged.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor renters, the consequences extend beyond monthly housing costs. Higher rents can make it harder for families to remain close to support networks. Children may have to change schools. Workers may face longer commutes. Longtime residents can find themselves priced out of communities they helped build.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe findings point to a central tension in disaster recovery: Rebuilding homes is not the same as keeping communities intact.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA Different Path Home\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENot every community experienced the same outcome.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAreas that received federal support through Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds saw smaller rent increases than similar communities that did not. The money can be used to build and preserve affordable rental housing, giving residents more options as their communities recover.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAn said the study cannot prove that funding alone caused rents to rise more slowly. But the pattern suggests that recovery resources may shape who can afford to stay in a community once rebuilding begins.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERebuilding Lives, Not Just Homes\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs communities face repeated hurricanes, wildfires, and other disasters, An believes policymakers need to think differently about recovery. That could mean investing in more resilient housing, expanding affordable rental options, and strengthening protections for renters after disasters strike.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEveryone needs a place to live,\u201d An said. \u201cAs disasters become more frequent, housing can\u0027t be an afterthought in recovery.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAn\u2019s research is\u0026nbsp;published in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.rsfjournal.org\/content\/12\/4\/54\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"After hurricanes and wildfires, rebuilding homes is only part of recovery. Rising rents can decide who gets to come home, and who must leave."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENatural disasters can trigger \u003Cstrong\u003Elasting rent increases\u003C\/strong\u003E, pushing residents out even when their homes survive. A Georgia Tech-led study links disaster recovery to housing affordability and community stability. \u2022 Rents were \u003Cstrong\u003E6.5% to 12.5% higher\u003C\/strong\u003E than expected four years after disasters, especially following hurricanes and wildfires. \u2022 Communities receiving Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds saw smaller rent increases, suggesting affordable housing resources may help residents remain.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"After hurricanes and wildfires, rebuilding homes is only part of recovery. Rising rents can decide who gets to come home, and who must leave."}],"uid":"36410","created_gmt":"2026-09-23 14:12:47","changed_gmt":"2026-09-29 16:21:49","author":"mazriel3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-09-23T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-09-23T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681236":{"id":"681236","type":"image","title":"Hurricane Ian","body":"\u003Cp\u003EA Florida neighborhood destroyed in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, 2002.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1790171466","gmt_created":"2026-09-23 13:51:06","changed":"1790172479","gmt_changed":"2026-09-23 14:07:59","alt":"A Florida neighborhood destroyed in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, 2002.","file":{"fid":"265602","name":"Hurricane-Ian.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/23\/Hurricane-Ian.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/23\/Hurricane-Ian.png","mime":"image\/png","size":7741069,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/23\/Hurricane-Ian.png?itok=ZGnUGYDq"}}},"media_ids":["681236"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"}],"keywords":[{"id":"183592","name":"Andrew Young School of Public Policy Studies"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71911","name":"Earth and Environment"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e8513f020972d2925520c5ad9e9cb50ef\u0022\u003EMichelle Azriel\u003Cbr\u003ESenior Writer-Editor\u003Cbr\u003EResearch Communications\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:mazriel3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Emazriel3@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["mazriel3@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"692612":{"#nid":"692612","#data":{"type":"news","title":"The Hidden Cost of Segregation","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new study by EPIcenter affiliate \u003Cstrong\u003EMarilyn A. Brown\u003C\/strong\u003E and coauthor \u003Cstrong\u003EMajid Ahmadi\u003C\/strong\u003E examines how racial segregation affects what households pay for basic utilities. Using detailed data from Atlanta, Georgia, the authors investigate whether predominantly Black neighborhoods face higher energy burdens only because of income and housing differences, or whether segregation itself plays a direct role. Their analysis combines mortgage denial data, housing information, utility costs, and household income to show how long-standing discriminatory housing and lending practices continue to shape energy affordability today.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAhmadi and Brown find that neighborhoods with higher shares of Black residents experience \u003Cstrong\u003Ehigher energy burdens\u003C\/strong\u003E, even after accounting for factors such as income, renter status, and housing characteristics. In this study, energy burden refers mainly to the share of household income spent on electricity, gas, and water. The authors estimate that an \u003Cstrong\u003Eapproximately 11 percentage-point increase in a neighborhood\u2019s Black population share is associated with about a 1 percentage-point increase in household energy burden\u003C\/strong\u003E, equal to an \u003Cstrong\u003Eaverage annual increase of about $785\u003C\/strong\u003E in utility costs. These findings suggest that unequal energy burdens are tied not only to household finances, but also to the lasting effects of segregation and discrimination.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/epicenter.energy.gatech.edu\/2026\/09\/14\/the-hidden-cost-of-segregation\/\u0022\u003ERead Full Story on the EPIcenter Page\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new study by EPIcenter affiliate \u003Cstrong\u003EMarilyn A. Brown\u003C\/strong\u003E and coauthor \u003Cstrong\u003EMajid Ahmadi\u003C\/strong\u003E examines how racial segregation affects what households pay for basic utilities. Using detailed data from Atlanta, Georgia, the authors investigate whether predominantly Black neighborhoods face higher energy burdens only because of income and housing differences, or whether segregation itself plays a direct role. Their analysis combines mortgage denial data, housing information, utility costs, and household income to show how long-standing discriminatory housing and lending practices continue to shape energy affordability today.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new study by EPIcenter affiliate Marilyn A. Brown and coauthor Majid Ahmadi examines how racial segregation affects what households pay for basic utilities. "}],"uid":"36413","created_gmt":"2026-09-16 13:13:04","changed_gmt":"2026-09-16 13:16:17","author":"pdevarajan3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-09-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-09-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681162":{"id":"681162","type":"image","title":"hiddencostAdobeStock_669231771-1536x1023.jpeg","body":null,"created":"1789564394","gmt_created":"2026-09-16 13:13:14","changed":"1789564394","gmt_changed":"2026-09-16 13:13:14","alt":"View of downtown Atlanta from surrounding neighborhoods","file":{"fid":"265524","name":"hiddencostAdobeStock_669231771-1536x1023.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/16\/hiddencostAdobeStock_669231771-1536x1023.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/16\/hiddencostAdobeStock_669231771-1536x1023.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":234674,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/16\/hiddencostAdobeStock_669231771-1536x1023.jpeg?itok=aHc3ftw3"}}},"media_ids":["681162"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/epicenter.energy.gatech.edu\/2026\/09\/14\/the-hidden-cost-of-segregation\/","title":"Full Story on the EPIcenter Webpage"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"151","name":"Policy, Social Sciences, and Liberal Arts"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"}],"core_research_areas":[{"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\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ggonzalez68@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EGil Gonzalez\u003C\/a\u003E, Program Coordinator,\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EEnergy Policy and Innovation Center\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"692611":{"#nid":"692611","#data":{"type":"news","title":"As Oil Profits Skyrocket, Calls for Windfall Taxes Rise","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBy \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/tibor-besedes-2656327\u0022 rel=\u0022author\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETibor Besede\u0161\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E, Professor of Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen Chevron reported its \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/chevron-records-highest-quarterly-profit-six-years-beating-analyst-estimates-2026-07-31\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003Ehighest quarterly profit in six years\u003C\/a\u003E on July 31, 2026, it was just one detail in a larger picture: Analyst firm Wood Mackenzie estimates the global oil and gas industry is on course for a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.woodmac.com\/press-releases\/wood-mackenzie-mid-year-outlook-oil-and-gas-industry-cash-rich-but-capital-cautious-as-nearly-half-a-trillion-dollar-windfall-fails-to-trigger-a-spending-surge\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003Ecash windfall of US$495 billion in 2026\u003C\/a\u003E. That\u2019s profit above and beyond what the industry expected before the U.S.-Israel war with Iran began.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThree separate bills seeking to tax those profits are now in Congress, and President Donald Trump has even said the oil companies are \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/aug\/07\/trump-windfall-tax-big-oil-iran-war\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003Emaking too much money\u003C\/a\u003E.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=p4hJf78AAAAJ\u0026amp;hl=en\u0026amp;oi=ao\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003Eapplied microeconomist\u003C\/a\u003E, I am often asked how taxes affect economic activity. Economists have long held a more nuanced view of windfall taxes than either side of the current debate suggests. Advocates often make overly optimistic revenue projections, and opponents often overstate how much such a tax might discourage investment. A 1980s U.S. windfall-tax experiment is instructive on both counts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/as-oil-profits-skyrocket-calls-for-windfall-taxes-rise-288990\u0022\u003ERead Full Story on The Conversation\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen Chevron reported its \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/chevron-records-highest-quarterly-profit-six-years-beating-analyst-estimates-2026-07-31\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003Ehighest quarterly profit in six years\u003C\/a\u003E on July 31, 2026, it was just one detail in a larger picture: Analyst firm Wood Mackenzie estimates the global oil and gas industry is on course for a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.woodmac.com\/press-releases\/wood-mackenzie-mid-year-outlook-oil-and-gas-industry-cash-rich-but-capital-cautious-as-nearly-half-a-trillion-dollar-windfall-fails-to-trigger-a-spending-surge\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003Ecash windfall of US$495 billion in 2026\u003C\/a\u003E. That\u2019s profit above and beyond what the industry expected before the U.S.-Israel war with Iran began.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThree separate bills seeking to tax those profits are now in Congress, and President Donald Trump has even said the oil companies are \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/aug\/07\/trump-windfall-tax-big-oil-iran-war\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003Emaking too much money\u003C\/a\u003E.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=p4hJf78AAAAJ\u0026amp;hl=en\u0026amp;oi=ao\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003Eapplied microeconomist\u003C\/a\u003E, I am often asked how taxes affect economic activity. Economists have long held a more nuanced view of windfall taxes than either side of the current debate suggests. Advocates often make overly optimistic revenue projections, and opponents often overstate how much such a tax might discourage investment. A 1980s U.S. windfall-tax experiment is instructive on both counts.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"As an applied microeconomist, I am often asked how taxes affect economic activity. Economists have long held a more nuanced view of windfall taxes than either side of the current debate suggests. "}],"uid":"36413","created_gmt":"2026-09-16 13:10:02","changed_gmt":"2026-09-16 13:10:02","author":"pdevarajan3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-08-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-08-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/as-oil-profits-skyrocket-calls-for-windfall-taxes-rise-288990","title":"Read Full Story on The Conversation"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"151","name":"Policy, Social Sciences, and Liberal Arts"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"}],"core_research_areas":[{"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":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"691762":{"#nid":"691762","#data":{"type":"news","title":"EPIcenter Summer Research Program Helps Doctoral Students Advance Energy Research ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFour Georgia Tech doctoral students spent the summer working on their dissertation research through the Energy Policy and Innovation Center\u0027s (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/epicenter.energy.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EEPIcenter\u003C\/a\u003E) Summer Research Program. The competitive program provides a full summer-semester stipend, along with mentorship and professional development opportunities, to support emerging energy scholars.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022One of the goals of the program is to give students the time and support needed to make meaningful progress on their dissertation research while helping them understand the broader policy, economic, and societal implications of their work,\u0022 said\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/energy.gatech.edu\/people\/laura-taylor\u0022\u003ELaura Taylor\u003C\/a\u003E, director of EPIcenter.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe stipends enable participants to focus exclusively on clearly defined research goals. The program also supports peer discussions, communication training, and interdisciplinary learning opportunities designed to strengthen both their research and professional development.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis year\u0027s cohort explored topics ranging from electricity markets and air pollution to critical mineral supply chains and grid modernization, highlighting the breadth of energy-related research taking place across Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EExploring Complex Energy Challenges\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/anamazmishvili\/\u0022\u003EAna Mazmishvili\u003C\/a\u003E, who studies environmental and energy economics, used the summer to examine how climate policies affect communities across state lines.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022My research measures who is actually exposed to pollution from power plants when some states adopt climate regulations to cut emissions while neighboring regions do not,\u0022 Mazmishvili said. \u0022Because air doesn\u0027t stop at state borders, the key question is what happens once the pollution is emitted, and who ends up breathing it.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHer work focuses on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a cap-and-trade program in the Northeast, and investigates whether the benefits and burdens of emissions reductions are distributed equitably between regulated and neighboring states.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMazmishvili said the program provided valuable time to focus on her job-market paper, a central component of her dissertation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022The regular meetings with the program director and other fellows create useful accountability checkpoints and let me hear perspectives from people in very different fields,\u0022 she said. \u0022We\u0027re also learning how to make academic research understandable to a general audience, a skill I expect to use well past this summer.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIndustrial and systems engineering doctoral student\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/faezeh-fahimy-8ba9a81b9\/\u0022\u003EFaeze Fahimi Aghda\u003C\/a\u003E spent the summer developing an optimization model for the U.S. gallium supply chain, a critical component of many advanced technologies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHer research uses mathematical modeling to examine where and when domestic gallium processing facilities should be established under the threat of supply disruptions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Working on my research through EPIcenter has taught me to look at my problem from a policy point of view rather than focusing only on the math,\u0022 Fahimi Aghda said. \u0022The feedback within the meetings helped me improve my model.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/ryan-anthony-17239b13b\/\u0022\u003ERyan Anthony\u003C\/a\u003E, in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy, explored how one of the largest oil shocks in U.S. history affected electricity customers and whether utility ownership influenced the impact on consumers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022So far, my research suggests that it mattered a lot,\u201d Anthony said. \u201cMunicipal utilities held rates down and absorbed many of the costs, while private, investor-owned utilities passed more costs through to their customers.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnthony said the program provided critical support for the archival research required for the project.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022My project depends on data that only exists in old government reports, and that kind of archival work is difficult to fund,\u0022 he said. \u0022EPIcenter gave me the time and space to do it properly.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EConnecting Research to Real-World Impact\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor Samin Alipour, the summer provided an opportunity to explore how electric grids can adapt to growing numbers of distributed energy resources.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Most electric distribution systems were built like one-way roads, carrying power from a substation to homes and businesses,\u0022 Alipour said. \u0022Rooftop solar, batteries, and electric vehicles are turning those roads into two-way systems.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHer research examines how these emerging technologies can be coordinated to increase grid flexibility and clean energy adoption while maintaining safety and reliability and ensuring that costs and benefits are distributed fairly.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith support from EPIcenter, Alipour focused on the economic and policy dimensions of those challenges. \u0022I did not want my research to remain only a technical model,\u0022 she said. \u0022The program has helped me connect the technical results of my dissertation to economic value, reliability, equity and compensation policy.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne study developed during the summer was accepted for presentation at a specialized power systems conference, an achievement Alipour credits in part to the opportunity to focus on the broader implications of her work.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBuilding the Next Generation of Energy Scholars\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeyond advancing individual research projects, the Summer Research Program encourages students to engage with colleagues from different disciplines and develop skills for communicating complex ideas to broader audiences.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThrough regular cohort meetings, participants build a community of accountability, discuss research challenges, explore interdisciplinary energy topics, and develop communication skills,\u201d said\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/energy.gatech.edu\/people\/gilbert-x-gonzalez\u0022\u003EGil Gonzalez\u003C\/a\u003E, program support coordinator for EPIcenter. \u201cStudents also write a research-focused blog post for EPIcenter and present their work at the program\u0027s fall workshop, which allows them to share their research with the broader Georgia Tech energy community.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs EPIcenter continues to support interdisciplinary energy scholarship at Georgia Tech, the Summer Research Program equips future leaders with the tools to address complex energy challenges through technological innovation, informed policy, and economic analysis.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFour Georgia Tech doctoral students spent the summer working on their dissertation research through the Energy Policy and Innovation Center\u0027s (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/epicenter.energy.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EEPIcenter\u003C\/a\u003E) Summer Research Program. The competitive program provides a full summer-semester stipend, along with mentorship and professional development opportunities, to support emerging energy scholars.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022One of the goals of the program is to give students the time and support needed to make meaningful progress on their dissertation research while helping them understand the broader policy, economic, and societal implications of their work,\u0022 said\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/energy.gatech.edu\/people\/laura-taylor\u0022\u003ELaura Taylor\u003C\/a\u003E, director of EPIcenter.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe stipends enable participants to focus exclusively on clearly defined research goals. The program also supports peer discussions, communication training, and interdisciplinary learning opportunities designed to strengthen both their research and professional development.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis year\u0027s cohort explored topics ranging from electricity markets and air pollution to critical mineral supply chains and grid modernization, highlighting the breadth of energy-related research taking place across Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Four Georgia Tech doctoral students spent the summer working on their dissertation research through the Energy Policy and Innovation Center\u0027s (EPIcenter) Summer Research Program. "}],"uid":"36413","created_gmt":"2026-08-18 17:15:39","changed_gmt":"2026-08-18 17:21:43","author":"pdevarajan3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-08-18T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-08-18T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680906":{"id":"680906","type":"image","title":"Students-PhotoCollage.png","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFrom Top Left (Clockwise): \u003C\/em\u003EAna Mazmishvili, Ryan Anthony, Samin Alipour, Faeze Fahimi Aghda\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1787073357","gmt_created":"2026-08-18 17:15:57","changed":"1787073357","gmt_changed":"2026-08-18 17:15:57","alt":"From Top Left (clockwise): Ana Mazmishvili, Ryan Anthony, Samin Alipour, Faeze Fahimi Aghda","file":{"fid":"265239","name":"Students-PhotoCollage.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/08\/18\/Students-PhotoCollage.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/08\/18\/Students-PhotoCollage.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1664395,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/08\/18\/Students-PhotoCollage.png?itok=F9-gHuBL"}}},"media_ids":["680906"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"},{"id":"194612","name":"Workforce Development"}],"keywords":[{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"188776","name":"go-research"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"},{"id":"39511","name":"Public Service, Leadership, and Policy"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:priya.devarajan@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EPriya Devarajan\u003C\/a\u003E | SEI Communications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["priya.devarajan@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"691631":{"#nid":"691631","#data":{"type":"news","title":"How Does Wildfire Smoke Affect the Economy?","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWildfires in the United States are getting bigger and the season is getting longer, fueled by hotter and drier weather from climate change. Even when fires are hundreds of miles away, the wildfire smoke can still harm people\u0027s health and create economic costs through air pollution, said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.caseyjwichman.com\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003ECasey Wichman,\u003C\/a\u003E an associate professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Economics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Air Quality Index (AQI) measures how clean or polluted the air is. A healthy AQI is between zero and 50, but when wildfire smoke blows in and settles over cities, the AQI can reach levels of 500 or more. Poor air quality changes where and how people spend their time and money, reduces productivity (even for those working indoors), and increases healthcare costs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEnvironmental regulations like the Clean Air Act dramatically improved our air quality over the past 40 years, but as wildfire season becomes the new normal, wildfire smoke is eroding those gains,\u201d Wichman said. According to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-023-06522-6\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003Erecent research,\u003C\/a\u003E wildfire smoke has erased about a quarter of the progress made over previous decades, and more than half in many western states.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/featured-news\/2026\/08\/wildfire-smoke-affect-economy\u0022\u003ERead Full Story on the IAC News Page\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWildfires in the United States are getting bigger and the season is getting longer, fueled by hotter and drier weather from climate change. Even when fires are hundreds of miles away, the wildfire smoke can still harm people\u0027s health and create economic costs through air pollution, said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.caseyjwichman.com\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003ECasey Wichman,\u003C\/a\u003E an associate professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Economics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Air Quality Index (AQI) measures how clean or polluted the air is. A healthy AQI is between zero and 50, but when wildfire smoke blows in and settles over cities, the AQI can reach levels of 500 or more. Poor air quality changes where and how people spend their time and money, reduces productivity (even for those working indoors), and increases healthcare costs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEnvironmental regulations like the Clean Air Act dramatically improved our air quality over the past 40 years, but as wildfire season becomes the new normal, wildfire smoke is eroding those gains,\u201d Wichman said. According to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-023-06522-6\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003Erecent research,\u003C\/a\u003E wildfire smoke has erased about a quarter of the progress made over previous decades, and more than half in many western states.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech economist Casey Wichman explains how increased wildfire smoke from climate change affects spending, productivity, and healthcare costs."}],"uid":"36413","created_gmt":"2026-08-12 19:02:31","changed_gmt":"2026-08-12 19:06:07","author":"pdevarajan3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-08-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-08-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680847":{"id":"680847","type":"image","title":"CaseyWichmanSQUARE--40-.png","body":"\u003Cp\u003ECasey Wichman, Associate Professor, Georgia Tech School of Economics.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1786561359","gmt_created":"2026-08-12 19:02:39","changed":"1786561359","gmt_changed":"2026-08-12 19:02:39","alt":"Casey Wichman, Associate Professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Economics.","file":{"fid":"265174","name":"CaseyWichmanSQUARE--40-.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/08\/12\/CaseyWichmanSQUARE--40-.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/08\/12\/CaseyWichmanSQUARE--40-.png","mime":"image\/png","size":448644,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/08\/12\/CaseyWichmanSQUARE--40-.png?itok=GxjiNJf0"}}},"media_ids":["680847"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/featured-news\/2026\/08\/wildfire-smoke-affect-economy","title":"Read Full Story on IAC News Page"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"42901","name":"Community"},{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"151","name":"Policy, Social Sciences, and Liberal Arts"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"}],"core_research_areas":[{"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":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"691059":{"#nid":"691059","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Meet the Expert: Brian An","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEnergy resilience broadens the scope of urban policy\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHousing and transportation are top priorities for many city mayors, policymakers and public policy researchers\u2014including \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/spp.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/c9f0cadc-5bb4-5b6f-9eca-bd38a9233993\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBrian An\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, an assistant professor at Georgia Tech\u2019s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy. But in February 2021, soon after Winter Storm Uri wreaked havoc in Texas, an eight-hour power outage at his Atlanta home became an epiphany.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhile housing stability had long been on my mind, losing power drove home the importance of another piece of urban infrastructure: reliable access to electricity,\u201d says An, an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/epicenter.energy.gatech.edu\/people-faculty-affiliates\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEPIcenter faculty affiliate\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E and co-director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/urbanresearch.iac.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECenter for Urban Research\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cIt sparked my interest in studying the intersection of energy and urban policy to help make cities and communities not only socially equitable but also resilient to extreme weather.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/epicenter.energy.gatech.edu\/2026\/06\/30\/meet-the-expert-brian-an\/\u0022\u003ERead Full Story on the EPIcenter News Page\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEnergy resilience broadens the scope of urban policy\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHousing and transportation are top priorities for many city mayors, policymakers and public policy researchers\u2014including \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/spp.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/c9f0cadc-5bb4-5b6f-9eca-bd38a9233993\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBrian An\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, an assistant professor at Georgia Tech\u2019s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy. But in February 2021, soon after Winter Storm Uri wreaked havoc in Texas, an eight-hour power outage at his Atlanta home became an epiphany.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhile housing stability had long been on my mind, losing power drove home the importance of another piece of urban infrastructure: reliable access to electricity,\u201d says An, an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/epicenter.energy.gatech.edu\/people-faculty-affiliates\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEPIcenter faculty affiliate\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E and co-director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/urbanresearch.iac.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECenter for Urban Research\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cIt sparked my interest in studying the intersection of energy and urban policy to help make cities and communities not only socially equitable but also resilient to extreme weather.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"In this EPIcenter Expert series, meet Brian An, EPIcenter Affiliate, studying the intersection of energy resilience and urban policy to improve grid equity during extreme weather."}],"uid":"36413","created_gmt":"2026-07-07 16:26:49","changed_gmt":"2026-07-07 16:31:03","author":"pdevarajan3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-06-30T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-06-30T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680569":{"id":"680569","type":"image","title":"Brian-An_IAC-faculty-profile-732x1024.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EBrian An, EPIcenter Faculty Affiliate and Assistant Professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1783441679","gmt_created":"2026-07-07 16:27:59","changed":"1783441679","gmt_changed":"2026-07-07 16:27:59","alt":"Brian An, EPIcenter Faculty Affiliate and Assistant Professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy ","file":{"fid":"264847","name":"Brian-An_IAC-faculty-profile-732x1024.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/07\/07\/Brian-An_IAC-faculty-profile-732x1024.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/07\/07\/Brian-An_IAC-faculty-profile-732x1024.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":69638,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/07\/07\/Brian-An_IAC-faculty-profile-732x1024.jpg?itok=wcUA_U3y"}}},"media_ids":["680569"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"142","name":"City Planning, Transportation, and Urban Growth"},{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"151","name":"Policy, Social Sciences, and Liberal Arts"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"194611","name":"State Impact"}],"keywords":[{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"},{"id":"194566","name":"Sustainable Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EStory Written by: Silke Schmidt\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENews Contact: \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:priya.devarajan@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EPriya Devarajan\u003C\/a\u003E, Research Communications Program Manager\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["priya.devarajan@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"691032":{"#nid":"691032","#data":{"type":"news","title":"EPIcenter Experts in the News: AI, Prices, and the War","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEPIcenter Faculty Affiliates\u003C\/strong\u003E have recently contributed to more than a dozen news broadcasts, public radio interviews, and national media conversations on energy price trends, the war in Iran, and what these mean for everyday Americans.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECommunities across Georgia and the nation are navigating a range of economic and energy-related pressures. Gas prices, inflation, and the rapid growth of data centers are shaping the cost of goods and services, influencing everyday household financial decisions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt the same time, ongoing geopolitical tensions are driving fluctuations in global oil markets and fuel prices. The expansion of AI data centers is also increasing demand for land, power, and water resources. And conflicts involving energy infrastructure in parts of the Middle East and Europe have affected supply stability.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResponding to these challenges requires careful analysis of emerging trends, supported by strong research in policy and economics. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/epicenter.energy.gatech.edu\/people-faculty-affiliates\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFaculty Affiliates\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E of Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/epicenter.energy.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEnergy Policy and Innovation Center\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E study these complex, interconnected issues affecting energy systems, costs, and access. They analyze emerging trends, evaluate policy options, and identify practical pathways forward.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/epicenter.energy.gatech.edu\/2026\/07\/01\/epicenter-affiliated-experts-inform-public-understanding-of-energy-systems-and-their-economic-impacts\/\u0022\u003ERead Full Story on the EPIcenter News Page\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEPIcenter Faculty Affiliates\u003C\/strong\u003E have recently contributed to more than a dozen news broadcasts, public radio interviews, and national media conversations on energy price trends, the war in Iran, and what these mean for everyday Americans.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECommunities across Georgia and the nation are navigating a range of economic and energy-related pressures. Gas prices, inflation, and the rapid growth of data centers are shaping the cost of goods and services, influencing everyday household financial decisions.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"EPIcenter Faculty Affiliates have recently contributed to more than a dozen news broadcasts, public radio interviews, and national media conversations on energy price trends, the war in Iran, and what these mean for everyday Americans."}],"uid":"36413","created_gmt":"2026-07-02 19:36:58","changed_gmt":"2026-07-02 19:40:46","author":"pdevarajan3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-07-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-07-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680549":{"id":"680549","type":"image","title":"Adobe-Stock-Image-Collage-600x400.png","body":null,"created":"1783021099","gmt_created":"2026-07-02 19:38:19","changed":"1783021099","gmt_changed":"2026-07-02 19:38:19","alt":"4 panel image: clockwise from upper left - solar panels in field, data center and cooling complex, Hormuz Island, gas pump in a car\u0027s fuel port","file":{"fid":"264825","name":"Adobe-Stock-Image-Collage-600x400.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/07\/02\/Adobe-Stock-Image-Collage-600x400.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/07\/02\/Adobe-Stock-Image-Collage-600x400.png","mime":"image\/png","size":103965,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/07\/02\/Adobe-Stock-Image-Collage-600x400.png?itok=GVkV7SSC"}}},"media_ids":["680549"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"151","name":"Policy, Social Sciences, and Liberal Arts"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"},{"id":"39511","name":"Public Service, Leadership, and Policy"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:priya.devarajan@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EPriya Devarajan\u003C\/a\u003E | SEI Communications Program Manager\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["priya.devarajan@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"690735":{"#nid":"690735","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Atlanta\u2019s World Cup Beyond the Hype","body":[{"value":"\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe four things to know:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e92b51cd2ec612499b756351e5480bb27\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIt\u2019s not about exposure anymore.\u003C\/strong\u003E Atlanta is already a global city, so the focus is on whether the World Cup delivers lasting value for residents.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e95a356753ccab3041b43cd0aee75e0c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEconomic impact is uneven.\u003C\/strong\u003E Big headline numbers do not show who actually benefits, and much of the spending may not reach local communities.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e192ee39142326916d971c3083b6337b3\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInfrastructure will be tested.\u003C\/strong\u003E Transportation and downtown systems will face heavy strain, raising concerns about what improvements last beyond the event.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022ec674ae8213efc1dbf5cad605f912e402\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe hidden story is food and logistics.\u003C\/strong\u003E Behind the scenes, Georgia Tech researchers are working to reduce food waste and strengthen systems that could outlast the tournament.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESee a curated list of Georgia Tech experts available to comment on the World Cup \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/world-cup-experts\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA Global Stage and Familiar Promises\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs Atlanta welcomes the world for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the promises are familiar: millions of visitors, global attention, economic growth, and a chance to showcase the city on one of the biggest stages in sports.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut Georgia Tech experts say the real question is not whether the tournament will generate activity \u2014 it is who benefits from it and what remains after the final match is played.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFrom Visibility to Value\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMega-events have long been sold as catalysts for transformation. The 1996 Olympics reshaped Atlanta\u2019s physical landscape and helped position the city as a global destination. Thirty years later, the World Cup arrives at a very different moment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere are similarities,\u201d said\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/planning.gatech.edu\/people\/emily-barrett\u0022\u003EEmily Barrett\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant professor in the School of City and Regional Planning. \u201cLike the Olympics, the World Cup is an accelerator for infrastructure upgrades and public and private investment alike.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAtlanta is seeing significant public investment in transportation improvements and billions of dollars in private development downtown. But today\u2019s Atlanta is very different from Atlanta in the 1990s.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAtlanta is no longer a city seeking recognition on the world stage,\u201d Barrett said. \u201cWe are a thriving and growing city.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat shifts the conversation from visibility to value.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe open question is whether hosting mega-events makes the city work better for the people who live here,\u201d Barrett added.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Economics Behind the Headlines\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAssessing that value becomes more complicated when economic forecasts enter the conversation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELarge projections often dominate headlines, but\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hsoc.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/8e6ac738-7497-5f94-ab1a-0c3fd32d15a7\u0022\u003EDeclan Abernethy\u003C\/a\u003E, lecturer in the School of History and Sociology, cautions that economic impact estimates rarely tell the whole story.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt is far easier to put out an economic impact projection compared to the difficulty of measuring impact,\u201d Abernethy said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile visitors will spend money on hotels, restaurants, transportation, and entertainment, he notes that much of that spending may not reach the community.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen we look closely at that spending, we can see that much of the profit will be taken in by large corporations or FIFA in the immediate vicinity of Mercedes-Benz Stadium and not as much by Atlanta residents or small businesses,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Barrett, economic studies often overlook a critical question: What could alternative investments have accomplished?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEconomic studies rarely account for displacement costs, or whether the same public dollars could have generated similar or better outcomes if invested elsewhere,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPressure Points Across the City\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe World Cup\u2019s impact extends beyond economics; it will also test Atlanta\u2019s infrastructure at a scale few events can match.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ce.gatech.edu\/directory\/person\/michael-p-hunter\u0022\u003EMichael Hunter\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, says the biggest challenge may be the volume of people moving through the city.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere will be a number of pressure points. However, one of the most significant will be just the number of people,\u201d Hunter said. \u201cThis event will attract significant crowds.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAtlanta\u2019s transportation agencies have spent years preparing, drawing on lessons learned from events including the Super Bowl, World Series, and major concerts. Still, capacity limits are unavoidable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere is only so much traffic that MARTA or any transit agency can handle,\u201d Hunter said. \u201cPeople need to understand that there will be congestion and longer wait times. The key is to be patient.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe concern is whether those investments result in lasting improvements or merely support a few weeks of activity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAbernethy argues that the World Cup should be viewed as part of a broader vision for Atlanta rather than a standalone catalyst.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe are seeing the World Cup as a part of a longer-running and more cohesive vision for sport and economic development downtown,\u201d he said. \u201cAtlanta may not be repeating the same cycle nor cracking downtown\u2019s development problem with the World Cup itself.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBehind the Scenes: Food and Logistics\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInfrastructure challenges extend beyond transportation. Feeding hundreds of thousands of visitors while minimizing waste requires its own network of logistics, coordination, and planning.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/people\/nicole-kennard\u0022\u003ENicole Kennard\u003C\/a\u003E, a research scientist at Georgia Tech\u2019s Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems, views the tournament as an opportunity to strengthen how food moves throughout the city.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThese large events are a really big opportunity for us to coordinate and test our infrastructure,\u201d Kennard said. \u201cWe have to think critically about how to improve the infrastructure and ensure its resilience and efficiency.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWorking with organizations such as Second Helpings Atlanta,\u0026nbsp;the official food rescue partner for the World Cup, Georgia Tech researchers\u0026nbsp;are building technologies and tools to improve coordination among food rescue groups.\u0026nbsp;The effort aims to\u0026nbsp;keep surplus food out of landfills by quickly moving it from stadiums and vendors to local food organizations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s really a logistics problem, a data problem, and a coordination problem,\u201d Kennard said. \u201cThe faster you can move food from the point of surplus directly to a pantry, the more likely it is to reach people who need it.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat Legacy Looks Like\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUltimately, Atlanta\u2019s World Cup legacy may not be measured by attendance figures or visitor spending alone.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cHow we evaluate success depends on what we choose to measure, and too often we focus on headline numbers instead of who actually benefits,\u201d said Abernethy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKennard sees the tournament as a chance to build systems that outlast the event itself. \u201cWhat we build for the World Cup could become critical infrastructure for future emergencies and disasters,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAtlanta already knows how to host a global event. Whether the investments, partnerships, and infrastructure created for the World Cup leave the city stronger after the crowds leave remains to be seen.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAtlanta already has global credibility, so the real question surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup is not exposure but lasting impact. Georgia Tech experts warn that big economic projections often obscure who actually benefits, with much of the revenue likely flowing to large corporations and FIFA rather than local businesses and residents. Transportation infrastructure will face significant strain, and whether World Cup investments produce permanent improvements or simply support a few weeks of activity remains uncertain. One bright spot is a Georgia Tech partnership with Second Helpings Atlanta to build food rescue systems that could outlast the tournament and serve the city for years to come.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech experts say the 2026 World Cup will bring global attention and economic activity, but the real measure of success is who benefits and what lasting impact the tournament leaves behind."}],"uid":"35798","created_gmt":"2026-06-12 00:15:09","changed_gmt":"2026-06-15 19:24:31","author":"Ayana Isles","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-06-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-06-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680455":{"id":"680455","type":"image","title":"World Cup in Atlanta","body":null,"created":"1781232926","gmt_created":"2026-06-12 02:55:26","changed":"1781233217","gmt_changed":"2026-06-12 03:00:17","alt":"Drone photo of FIFA decorated Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta Georgia","file":{"fid":"264717","name":"AdobeStock_2038968132_Editorial_Use_Only.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/06\/11\/AdobeStock_2038968132_Editorial_Use_Only.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/06\/11\/AdobeStock_2038968132_Editorial_Use_Only.png","mime":"image\/png","size":29696386,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/06\/11\/AdobeStock_2038968132_Editorial_Use_Only.png?itok=PGdi97nU"}}},"media_ids":["680455"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/world-cup-experts","title":"World Cup Experts"},{"url":"https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/features\/2026\/06\/how-world-cup-reshaping-downtown-atlanta","title":"Generating Buzz: How the World Cup Is Reshaping Downtown Atlanta"},{"url":"https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/features\/2026\/05\/world-cup-puts-atlanta-back-global-spotlight","title":"Generating Buzz: World Cup Puts Atlanta Back in Global Spotlight"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"142","name":"City Planning, Transportation, and Urban Growth"},{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"}],"keywords":[{"id":"195176","name":"World Cup economic impact"},{"id":"195177","name":"World Cup Atlanta"},{"id":"174223","name":"food waste"},{"id":"172","name":"infrastructure"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[],"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":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:aisles3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAyana Isles\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ESenior Media Relations Representative\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}