{"647346":{"#nid":"647346","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Valerie Thomas Appointed to Anderson-Interface Chair","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/users\/valerie-thomas\u0022\u003EValerie Thomas\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE), has been appointed to the Anderson-Interface Chair of Natural Systems. The Anderson-Interface Chair was created to enhance the Stewart School\u0026rsquo;s ability to attract and retain eminent teacher-scholars who provide academic leadership in the research area of natural systems, sustainability, energy, and climate. Prior to this appointment, Thomas held the Anderson-Interface Professorship in ISyE.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThomas\u0026rsquo; research focuses on energy and materials efficiency, sustainability, industrial ecology, technology assessment, international security, and science and technology policy. Current research projects include the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/greenbuzz.gatech.edu\/news\/promise-blue-green-algae-environmentally-friendly-source-producing-biofuels-and-other-products\u0022\u003Eenvironmental impacts of biofuels\u003C\/a\u003E and electricity system development; assessment of renewable electricity options; and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/news\/powering-valerie-thomas-featured-gt-research-horizons\u0022\u003Eevaluation of alternative vehicle technologies\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Congratulations to Valerie on this very well-deserved honor and recognition of her outstanding contributions to ISyE, Georgia Tech, and her field,\u0026rdquo; said ISyE School Chair Edwin Romeijn. \u0026ldquo;The additional funding will help further her current research on the environmental impacts of biofuels and electricity system development, which includes her recent work on \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.scl.gatech.edu\/news\/future-energy-rwanda\u0022\u003Eenergy development in Rwanda\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;Ray C. Anderson saw natural systems as the touchstone for industry. He was a radical industrialist who believed and showed that it is possible to do business by respecting the Earth,\u0026rdquo; Thomas noted. \u0026ldquo;Inspired by Ray Anderson\u0026rsquo;s example, I will focus on higher profile projects that examine the role of land and forests in the combined systems of industry, energy, climate, nature, and people.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThomas is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the American Physical Society. From 2003-09, she was a member of the U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board, and from 2014-19, she was a member of the DOE\/USDA Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThomas has a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/spp.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/valerie-thomas\u0022\u003Ejoint appointment\u003C\/a\u003E in Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s School of Public Policy. In 2018, she was honored with the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/news\/valerie-thomas-honored-class-1934-outstanding-interdisciplinary-activities-award\u0022\u003EClass of 1934 Outstanding Interdisciplinary Activities Award\u003C\/a\u003E by Georgia Tech\u0026#39;s Faculty Honors Committee.\u0026nbsp;The award was established to recognize Georgia Tech faculty who have made significant interdisciplinary contributions to teaching and research.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThomas will use the chair\u0026#39;s funds to focus on higher profile projects examing\u0026nbsp;the role of land and forests in the combined systems of industry, energy, climate, nature, and people.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The chair was created to attract and retain eminent teacher-scholars who provide academic leadership in the research area of natural systems, sustainability, energy, and climate."}],"uid":"35757","created_gmt":"2021-05-11 14:27:33","changed_gmt":"2021-05-14 15:37:09","author":"goberst3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-05-11T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-05-11T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"581862":{"id":"581862","type":"image","title":"Valerie Thomas","body":null,"created":"1475155087","gmt_created":"2016-09-29 13:18:07","changed":"1475155087","gmt_changed":"2016-09-29 13:18:07","alt":"Valerie Thomas","file":{"fid":"221789","name":"valerie082b.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/valerie082b.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/valerie082b.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":973860,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/valerie082b.jpg?itok=WR8vjege"}}},"media_ids":["581862"],"groups":[{"id":"1242","name":"School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE)"},{"id":"1243","name":"The Supply Chain and Logistics Institute (SCL)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39541","name":"Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:swundersmith3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EShelley Wunder-Smith\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EH. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}