{"690442":{"#nid":"690442","#data":{"type":"news","title":"College Recognizes 8 Faculty Members with Excellence Awards","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEight faculty members have been honored by the College of Engineering (CoE) for their excellence in research, service, teaching, inventorship, and commercialization.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECandidates for the fifth annual CoE Faculty Excellence Awards were nominated by their peers or submitted self-nominations. Materials were reviewed by a committee of academic and research faculty members within the College.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETwo of these faculty award winners, Hong Yeo and Omar Inan, are members of the Institute for People and Technology. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/coe.gatech.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/college-recognizes-8-faculty-members-excellence-awards\u0022\u003ERead the full CoE article \u0026gt;\u0026gt;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Honorees have demonstrated outstanding service, teaching, inventorship, and commercialization."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEight faculty members have been honored by the College of Engineering (CoE) for their excellence in research, service, teaching, inventorship, and commercialization.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECandidates for the fifth annual CoE Faculty Excellence Awards were nominated by their peers or submitted self-nominations. Materials were reviewed by a committee of academic and research faculty members within the College.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETwo of these faculty are members of the Institute for People and Technology. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/coe.gatech.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/college-recognizes-8-faculty-members-excellence-awards\u0022\u003ERead more \u0026gt;\u0026gt;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Honorees have demonstrated outstanding service, teaching, inventorship, and commercialization."}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2026-05-22 14:25:55","changed_gmt":"2026-05-22 14:34:00","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-05-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-05-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680334":{"id":"680334","type":"image","title":"College Recognizes 8 Faculty Members with Excellence Awards","body":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECollege of Engineering Faculty Members with Excellence Awards \u003C\/strong\u003E(Akanksha Menon, Hong Yeo, Kinsey Herrin, Lauren Steimle, Kevin Haas, Omer Inan, Scott Hollister, and Kim Paige).\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\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp;\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\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1779459864","gmt_created":"2026-05-22 14:24:24","changed":"1779460276","gmt_changed":"2026-05-22 14:31:16","alt":"College Recognizes 8 Faculty Members with Excellence Awards","file":{"fid":"264582","name":"8CoE-Faculty-copy.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/22\/8CoE-Faculty-copy.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/22\/8CoE-Faculty-copy.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1443077,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/05\/22\/8CoE-Faculty-copy.png?itok=SfWxCAxs"}}},"media_ids":["680334"],"groups":[{"id":"69599","name":"IPaT"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"188084","name":"go-ipat"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"690037":{"#nid":"690037","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Workshop Explores Policy Needs as Data Centers Surge in Georgia","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech hosted an event on April 21 examining the rapid expansion of data centers and the social and policy issues emerging alongside the growth of AI infrastructure. The program, The Future of Data Centers: Shaping the Social and Policy Landscape of Our AI Infrastructure, was held at the Alumni House and co-sponsored by the Institute for People and Technology and the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems (BBISS).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia has become the world\u2019s second-largest data center market, a shift that has brought economic opportunity as well as concerns about water use, energy demand, land development, and impacts on host communities. One recurring theme throughout the event was the tendency for environmental and resource issues to overshadow other important policy questions about community impact, transparency, and long-term governan\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIntroductory remarks were made by Beril Toktay, executive director of the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems, and Michael Best, executive director of the \u0026nbsp;Institute for People and Technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EVerghese Jacob, senior vice president of technology at the DayOne corporation, delivered the keynote address. Jacob discussed how DayOne works with governments in Asia to plan data centers and said early policy development and consistent communication can help communities better understand the impact and manage growth for long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships between governments and communities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe event also included a BBISS Connect Workshop, led by Kristin Janacek, a senior extension professional with BBISS. The workshop built on BBISS\u2019s Sustainability for Data Centers Insights Series and asked participants to contribute to a collaborative \u201cblue paper\u201d intended to guide future research partnerships and responses to funding opportunities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETwo panel discussions explored the social and political dimensions of data center development. The first, moderated by Cindy Lin, an assistant professor in the School of Interactive Computing, focused on international perspectives. Panelists included Celine Benoit of the Atlanta Regional Commission, Matthew Wesley Williams of Groundswell, Kahlil Bostick of Ryan Companies, and Ding Wang of Google Research. They discussed global examples of community-centered planning and the need for transparency in negotiations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA second panel, moderated by Allen Hyde, an associate professor in the School of History and Sociology, examined collaboration between communities and government agencies. Panelists were Georgia Public Service Commissioner Peter Hubbard; Donnie Beamer, senior technology advisor for the City of Atlanta; \u003Cem\u003EAtlanta Journal-Constitution\u003C\/em\u003E reporter Zachary Hansen; and Michael Czajkowski, director of advocacy for Science for Georgia. The group highlighted the importance of proactive regulation and clear communication with residents as data center development accelerates.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESpeakers throughout the day emphasized that Atlanta\u2019s continued growth in the data center sector will require coordinated planning and meaningful engagement with affected communities. The event closed with a call for all stakeholders to be proactive about creating policies that balance the technological and economic promise of the data center building boom with environmental and community concerns.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech hosted an event on April 21 examining the rapid expansion of data centers and the social and policy issues emerging alongside the growth of AI infrastructure.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech hosted an event on April 21 examining the rapid expansion of data centers and the social and policy issues emerging alongside the growth of AI infrastructure. "}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2026-04-29 14:37:48","changed_gmt":"2026-04-29 15:09:40","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-04-29T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-04-29T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680095":{"id":"680095","type":"image","title":"Data Center Event April 21","body":"\u003Cp\u003ELeft: panelists Cindy Lin, Celine Benoit, Matthew Williams, Ding Wang, and Kahil Bostick. Center: Michael Best and Verghese Jacob. Right: panelists Allen Hyde, Michael Czajkowski, Zachary Hansen, and Donnie Beamer. Not pictured: Peter Hubbard who joined virtually.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1777472884","gmt_created":"2026-04-29 14:28:04","changed":"1777473166","gmt_changed":"2026-04-29 14:32:46","alt":"Left: panelists Cindy Lin, Celine Benoit, Matthew Williams, Ding Wang, and Kahil Bostick. Center: Michael Best and Verghese Jacob. Right: panelists Allen Hyde, Michael Czajkowski, Zachary Hansen, and Donnie Beamer. Not pictured: Peter Hubbard who joined virtually.","file":{"fid":"264334","name":"3-picsvz.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/29\/3-picsvz.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/29\/3-picsvz.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":676457,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/04\/29\/3-picsvz.jpg?itok=6Gg1IwE9"}},"680096":{"id":"680096","type":"image","title":"Beril Toktay","body":"\u003Cp\u003EBeril Toktay delivering the welcome and introductory remarks to the attendees.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1777473185","gmt_created":"2026-04-29 14:33:05","changed":"1777473423","gmt_changed":"2026-04-29 14:37:03","alt":"Beril Toktay delivering the welcome and introductory remarks to the attendees. ","file":{"fid":"264335","name":"55223655864_8a2763107c_b.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/29\/55223655864_8a2763107c_b.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/29\/55223655864_8a2763107c_b.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":244664,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/04\/29\/55223655864_8a2763107c_b.jpg?itok=x_7ZW6mN"}}},"media_ids":["680095","680096"],"groups":[{"id":"69599","name":"IPaT"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"188084","name":"go-ipat"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"},{"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\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"689267":{"#nid":"689267","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Institute for People and Technology Announces Five Faculty Promotions","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Institute for People and Technology (IPaT) at Georgia Tech is proud to announce the promotion of five research faculty whose work continues to advance the institute\u2019s mission of shaping people\u2011centered innovation across disciplines.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKala Jordan\u003C\/strong\u003E has been promoted to \u003Cem\u003EResearch Scientist II\u003C\/em\u003E. With a background spanning biology, health informatics, and STEM education, Jordan brings a multidisciplinary approach to her work. She plays a key role in AI\u2011CARING, leading studies that support the development of personalized collaborative AI systems designed to improve quality of life for older adults.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENoah Posner\u003C\/strong\u003E has been promoted to \u003Cem\u003ESenior Research Scientist\u003C\/em\u003E. As manager of the Interactive Product Design Lab, Posner focuses on interactive experiences grounded in physical interaction. His research spans CAD\u2011based prototyping, rapid fabrication, and STEAM education, and he teaches courses in physical prototyping and industrial design.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPeter Presti\u003C\/strong\u003E has been promoted to \u003Cem\u003EPrincipal Research Scientist\u003C\/em\u003E. Over his 22\u2011year career at Georgia Tech, Presti has collaborated with major industry partners and federal agencies. His research spans sensor systems, biometrics, wearable computing, signal processing, embedded systems, and integrated hardware\u2011software prototyping.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERichard Starr\u003C\/strong\u003E has been promoted to \u003Cem\u003ESenior Research Scientist\u003C\/em\u003E. Starr oversees the IPaT Secure Data Enclave, developing and managing the institute\u2019s secure infrastructure for healthcare data. His work ensures campus\u2011wide compliance with HIPAA, IRB requirements, and partnership agreements.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAndrew Zhao\u003C\/strong\u003E has been promoted to \u003Cem\u003EResearch Scientist II\u003C\/em\u003E. Zhao, a Georgia Tech alumnus with bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees in Computer Science, specializes in social computing. His work examines how social media facilitates information flow and connection, particularly around mental health and elections. He supports the CANDOR Portal and AI\u2011CARING projects, contributing full\u2011stack development, data pipelines, LLM fine\u2011tuning, and infrastructure management.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThese promotions are wonderful and well deserved. Hearty congratulations to Andrew, Kala, Richard, Noah, and Peter!\u201d said Michael Best, executive director of IPaT.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThese promotions are a testament to the outstanding capabilities and contributions of IPaT\u2019s research faculty community,\u201d added Maribeth Gandy Coleman, director of research for IPaT.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Institute for People and Technology (IPaT) at Georgia Tech is proud to announce the promotion of five research faculty whose work continues to advance the institute\u2019s mission of shaping people\u2011centered innovation across disciplines.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The Institute for People and Technology (IPaT) at Georgia Tech is proud to announce the promotion of five research faculty whose work continues to advance the institute\u2019s mission of shaping people centered innovation across disciplines."}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2026-03-31 17:35:58","changed_gmt":"2026-03-31 17:36:30","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-03-31T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-03-31T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679802":{"id":"679802","type":"image","title":"Five IPaT research faculty","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPictured: Kala Jordan, Noah Posner, Peter Presti, Richard Starr, and Andrew Zhao.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1774978414","gmt_created":"2026-03-31 17:33:34","changed":"1774978496","gmt_changed":"2026-03-31 17:34:56","alt":"Pictured: Kala Jordan, Noah Posner, Peter Presti, Richard Starr, and Andrew Zhao.","file":{"fid":"264006","name":"5-people-v1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/31\/5-people-v1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/31\/5-people-v1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":284111,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/03\/31\/5-people-v1.jpg?itok=4nz7w0ba"}}},"media_ids":["679802"],"groups":[{"id":"69599","name":"IPaT"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"188084","name":"go-ipat"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["walter.rich@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}