Twenty-three Georgia Tech undergraduate students have been selected for the second class of Sustainable Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF). Among them are Kathryn McCarthy, School of Biological Sciences; Shivan Mittal, School of Physics; and Gigi Pavur, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.  

McCarthy and Mittal are among the 20 new fellows. Pavur is among the three who are returning from the previous year of the program.

The fellows represent all six colleges at Georgia Tech and were selected from a highly qualified and competitive field of students.

• William Abdallah, Industrial Engineering
• Joseph Buehler, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
• Leo Chen (returning), Computer Science
• Anielle Duritza, Environmental Engineering
• Kian Halim (returning), Computational Media
• Kyte Harvey, Mechanical Engineering
• Connor Hawley, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
• Chloe Kiernicki, Architecture
• Elizabeth Krakovski, Public Policy
• Micah Landwermeyer, Materials Science and Engineering
• Matthew Lim, Computer Engineering
• Farouk Marhaba, Computer Science
• Kat Matthews, Business
• Kathryn McCarthy, Biological Sciences
• Shivan Mittal, Physics
• Christi Nakajima, Public Policy
• Gigi Pavur (returning), Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
• Leah Claire Nofsinger, Materials Science and Engineering
• Ashlyn Sasser, Industrial Design
• Alexandra Schultz, Chemical Engineering
• Ranal Apeksha Tudawe, Mechanical Engineering
• Jeniveve Vaia, Material Science and Engineering
• Eliya Olivia Wagner, Environmental Engineering

The research fellows, who are paid, are developing prototypes of interactive building-monitoring systems that convey the unique elements, qualities, and performance of the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design, which is under construction. The systems will also monitor the behaviors that the buiding engenders among its occupants and visitors.

Through SURF, the students will learn about sustainability, systems thinking, and how to apply these principles to the Georgia Tech Living Building. Their work is facilitated by Michael Chang, deputy director of the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems.