{"648847":{"#nid":"648847","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Fiscal Year 2021 Roundup: College of Sciences Continues Research in Pandemic Year","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn a fiscal year indelibly marked by the pandemic, College of Sciences researchers and students maintained high research standards despite the obstacles and restrictions of Covid-19. The result was a high rate of research study submissions during FY21 (July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021) at Georgia Tech \u0026mdash; with some significant funding wins for the College of Sciences.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Students used their creativity to imagine new experiments, data analyses, and modeling studies that were feasible despite our facilities being shut down fully last spring and partially throughout summer, fall, winter, and spring of 2021,\u0026rdquo; says\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/julia-kubanek\u0022\u003EJulia Kubanek\u003C\/a\u003E, vice president for Interdisciplinary Research (VPIR) at Georgia Tech. \u0026ldquo;Because of the safety and effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines, we are now in a position to return more fully to lab- and field-based research. It\u0026rsquo;s energizing to once again learn from each other in collaborative research settings and to meet in person to discuss results and plan new projects.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKubanek, a professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemistry and Biochemistry\u003C\/a\u003E, who served as \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/laura-cadonati-named-associate-dean-research\u0022\u003Eassociate dean of Research for the College of Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E until \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/julia-kubanek-named-vice-president-interdisciplinary-research\u0022\u003Eassuming her new role as VPIR on July 1, 2021\u003C\/a\u003E, says Georgia Tech faculty have been \u0026ldquo;heroic\u0026rdquo; in juggling remote and hybrid teaching, and remote student mentorship, while protecting health and safety in their labs. \u0026ldquo;Each faculty-led team of trainees and researchers has had to decide what works for their own projects, deferring some collaborative field and lab experiments that were unsafe during the year because we couldn\u0026rsquo;t work shoulder-to-shoulder,\u0026rdquo; she says. Faculty remained in close contact with sponsors like the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/\u0022\u003ENational Science Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nih.gov\/\u0022\u003ENational Institutes of Health\u003C\/a\u003E, which made accommodations for project timelines and experimental design.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFaculty and students were also involved in quick pivots of their research so they could study the pandemic. Research teams launched entirely new initiatives focusing on pandemic response, vaccine development, antiviral drug discovery, Covid-19-related testing, and modeling of disease transmission.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Students and postdoctoral researchers in the College of Sciences got to play critical roles in these projects, which brought new meaning to us regarding Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s mission to improve the human condition,\u0026rdquo; Kubanek says.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHere are some major research funding grants approved for the schools during FY21 in the College of Sciences, along with coordinating principal investigators and funding sources:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EModeling SARS-CoV-2, Interventions, and Impacts on Healthcare Resources \u003C\/strong\u003E(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/joshua-weitz\u0022\u003EJoshua Weitz\u003C\/a\u003E, Patton Distinguished Chair in the School of Biological Sciences and co-director of the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Quantitative Biosciences, is a key researcher in Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s response to the novel coronavirus. Weitz co-led development of a modeling tool early in the pandemic for estimating risk to those attending events of various sizes in all U.S. counties.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/news\/exploring-reservoir-within-greenland-glacier-and-plumbing-uncertainties-sea-level-rise\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EExploring a Reservoir Within a Greenland Glacier, and Plumbing the Uncertainties of Sea Level Rise\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(Heising-Simons Foundation)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/people\/chu-dr-wing-winnie\u0022\u003EWinnie Chu\u003C\/a\u003E, an assistant professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, is studying the Helheim Glacier, which could lead to more clues about climate change\u0026rsquo;s impact on losses to Greenland\u0026rsquo;s ice mass.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/neha-garg-receives-nsf-career-award-fight-coral-reef-disease\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENeha Garg Receives NSF CAREER Award to Fight Coral Reef Disease\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E (NSF)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/people\/garg\/neha\u0022\u003EGarg\u003C\/a\u003E, an assistant professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has won an NSF CAREER award to study Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, which has already infected more than 20 species of corals off Florida\u0026rsquo;s coast.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETopology Between Dimensions Three and Four \u003C\/strong\u003E(NSF)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nLed by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/people.math.gatech.edu\/~jhom6\/\u0022\u003EJennifer Hom\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor in the School of Mathematics\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EProgram of Research on Multimodal Human-Machine Interfaces \u003C\/strong\u003E(\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.toyota.com\/usa#!\/awards\u0022\u003EToyota Corp\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nLed by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/psychology.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty\/431\u0022\u003EBruce Walker\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the School of Psychology and School of Interactive Computing\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/challenge-predicting-rainfall-changing-climate\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Challenge of Predicting Rainfall in a Changing Climate\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E \u003C\/strong\u003E(NSF)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/people\/he-dr-jie\u0022\u003EJie He\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, has received an NSF CAREER award to unlock the uncertainty in rainfall predictions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/2020\/01\/13\/leviathan-polymer-brush-made-e-coli-holds-bacteria-bay\u0022\u003EGiant Polymer Brushes: How Fluid-Like Hyaluronan Brushes Minimize Biofilms Adhesion\u003C\/a\u003E \u003C\/strong\u003E(NSF)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nLed by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/user\/jennifer-curtis\u0022\u003EJennifer Curtis\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor in the School of Physics\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECharacterization and Recovery of Critical Metals from Municipal Solid Waste \u003C\/strong\u003E(U.S. Department of Energy)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nLed by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/people\/tang-dr-yuanzhi\u0022\u003EYuanzhi Tang\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/awardsearch\/showAward?AWD_ID=2025795\u0026amp;HistoricalAwards=false\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGLACIOME\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/awardsearch\/showAward?AWD_ID=2025795\u0026amp;HistoricalAwards=false\u0022\u003E: Developing a Comprehensive Model of the Coupled Glacier-Ocean-Melange System\u003C\/a\u003E \u003C\/strong\u003E(NSF)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nLed by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/people\/robel-dr-alexander\u0022\u003EAlex Robel\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences; learn more about Robel\u0026#39;s recent research \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/exploring-reservoir-within-greenland-glacier-and-plumbing-uncertainties-sea-level-rise\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EReposition and Optimization of Deferiprone for Breast Center Therapy \u003C\/strong\u003E(NSF)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nLed by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chemistry.gatech.edu\/faculty\/oyelere\/\u0022\u003EAdegboyega \u0026quot;Yomi\u0026quot; Oyelere\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/yuhong-fan\u0022\u003EYuhong Fan\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences and Georgia Research Alliance Distinguished Scholar\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBreaking the Chain: Disrupting Guinea Worm Disease Transmission \u003C\/strong\u003E(\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cartercenter.org\/health\/guinea_worm\/index.html\u0022\u003EThe Carter Center\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nLed by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/jeannette-yen\u0022\u003EJeannette Yen\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the School of Biological Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Big grant news for Georgia Tech\u2019s Covid-19 researchers, climate scientists, chemistry detectives looking to solve mystery of coral disease"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn a fiscal year indelibly marked by the pandemic, College of Sciences researchers kept busy with projects and teaching, grant applications, and a number of significant funding wins.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Big grant news for Georgia Tech\u2019s Covid-19 researchers, climate scientists, chemistry detectives looking to solve mystery of coral disease"}],"uid":"34434","created_gmt":"2021-07-16 17:55:56","changed_gmt":"2021-07-20 16:57:41","author":"Renay San Miguel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-07-16T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-07-16T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"648846":{"id":"648846","type":"image","title":"Ford Environmental Science Technology Building ","body":null,"created":"1626457310","gmt_created":"2021-07-16 17:41:50","changed":"1626457393","gmt_changed":"2021-07-16 17:43:13","alt":"","file":{"fid":"246308","name":"Ford Building.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Ford%20Building.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Ford%20Building.png","mime":"image\/png","size":450398,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Ford%20Building.png?itok=vhkqQ-JY"}}},"media_ids":["648846"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/college-sciences-research-busy-year-grants-fy20","title":"College of Sciences Research: A Busy Year for Grants in FY20"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/external-research-funding-fy2019-ends-high-note","title":"External Research Funding for FY2019 Ends on a High Note"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"},{"id":"1279","name":"School of Mathematics"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"},{"id":"443951","name":"School of Psychology"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"188292","name":"fiscal year 2021"},{"id":"188293","name":"sponsored funding"},{"id":"1186","name":"Research funding"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"173647","name":"_for_math_site_"}],"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\u003ERenay San Miguel\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Officer II\/Science Writer\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404-894-5209\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["renay.san@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}