NEWS BRIEFS

IN THIS ISSUELife after Tech: Retirees’ Second Act | 3

Showcasing Faculty and Staff Talent | 4

September 18, 2017

Georgia Tech’s Faculty/Staff Newspaper • Vol. 42, No. 19 • whistle.gatech.edu

Employee Flu Shots Available at StampsBeginning Sept. 19, employees can receive flu shots at the Stamps Health Services Pharmacy on Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

c.gatech.edu/flushots

Fall into a New Health TrailHealth Trails, a campus walking challenge, is back for the fall and will incorporate a financial IQ challenge. Registration is open through Oct. 23, and the challenge will run from Oct. 2 to Nov. 12. Learn more and sign up at:

hwb.gatech.edu/healthtrails

KRISTEN BAILEY INSTITUTE COMMUNICATIONS

Some mornings, it can be tough to get going. Some people like to wake up with coffee; others might like a hearty breakfast before they tackle the day. For one group on campus, on Thursdays at 7:30 a.m., they give speeches.

The Toastmasters chapter at Georgia Tech — known as Techmasters — gives the campus community an outlet for improving public speaking skills, enjoying those of others, and sharing in the process of becoming better communicators.

The group, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, is open to all faculty, staff, undergraduates, and graduates. They meet weekly in Room 102 of the Pettit Microelectronics Research Center (MiRC).

Tierra Clemmons, a residence hall director in the Department of Housing, first heard about Techmasters in a conversa-tion with her supervisor about professional development goals. Though Clemmons studied broadcast journalism as an undergraduate, she wanted to improve her confidence in public speaking.

“I do a lot of presentations and

Mastering Communication, Leadership with Techmasters

MICHAEL BAXTERGEORGIA TECH ALUMNI MAGAZINE

Just who is the new dean of Georgia Tech’s College of Engineering?

He’s a world traveler with a sense of adventure. An entrepreneur who admits he’s more mathematical than mechanical. A believer in the potential of engineers to make life better for others – and a coffee enthusiast who might well be roasting java beans for a

living if he weren’t leading the nation’s largest engineering school.

He’s Steve McLaughlin, and he assumed the role of College of Engineering Dean and Southern Company Chair on Sept. 15. He spent a few minutes with the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine to share his thoughts about the College and its future.

What’s one thing readers might be surprised to learn about you?

I once spent three days on safari in the middle of

nowhere, in an area 50 miles by 50 miles. It was a totally transformational experience.

You’re no stranger to world travel. You were Georgia Tech’s first vice provost for international initiatives.

Georgia Tech got an early start in international education back in the 1980s. The mayor of Metz, France, wanted to turn that city into a knowledge-based economy. Next thing you know, they built Georgia Tech a building. So before study abroad became trendy in higher education, we had a strong program overseas.

New Engineering Dean: ‘I love complex problems’Steve McLaughlin Shares Goals, Challenges of Shaping Tomorrow’s Engineers

see MCLAUGHLIN, page 2 see TECHMASTERS, page 2

Tierra Clemmons, president of Techmasters, speaks at the group’s meeting on Sept. 14.

Photo by Rob Felt

Steve McLaughlin

President G.P. “Bud” Peterson disembarks an autonomous bus at Ponce City Market on Sept. 14. Georgia Tech has been working with the city of Atlanta since 2015 to design, implement, and study Smart Cities initiatives. “The North Avenue Smart Corridor represents a triumph of innovation and collaboration between the City of Atlanta, Georgia Tech, and numerous businesses,” Peterson said. “By collecting and analyzing data and traffic patterns in the area immediately adjacent to our campus, our students, faculty, and staff can partner with the city to create a safer and more efficient place to live, work, and play.” Tech is also partnering with the City of Atlanta on a Smart Cities Speaker Series at City Hall. Learn more at c.gatech.edu/smartcities.

Photo by Rob Felt

N0RTH AVENUE GETS SMART

EVENTS

PAGE 2 • September 18, 2017 whistle.gatech.edu • THE WHISTLE

EVENTS continued on page 3

Calendar submissions should be emailed to editor@comm.gatech.edu at least 10 days prior to desired publication date. For more information, call 404-385-7061.

Archives are posted at whistle.gatech.edu.

Georgia Tech is a unit of the University System of Georgia.Georgia Tech’s Faculty/Staff Newspaper

Editor: Kristen BaileyPhotos: Rob Felt or Christopher Moore, unless noted

Published biweekly throughout the year by Georgia Tech Institute Communications.

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SEMINARS AND LECTURES

Sept. 29 Georgia Tech is hosting an inaugural Smart Cities Speaker Series at Atlanta City Hall. This session will focus on Developing a Robust

Archive of Environmental Data to

Support Smart Cities Initiatives, from noon to 1 p.m. at Atlanta City Hall, 55 Trinity Avenue, Suite 700-G. ipat.gatech.edu

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Sept. 20 Human Resources hosts a Be Well session on Understanding Mental Health and Important Triggers from 11 a.m. to noon in Room 320, Student Center. ohr.gatech.edu/bewell

Sept. 27 Human Resources hosts a Be Well session on Stamps Health benefits for employees from noon to 1 p.m. in Room 320, Student Center. ohr.gatech.edu/bewell

Sept. 28 The Counseling Center hosts a workshop on Creating Healthy

Relationships from 11 a.m. to noon in Room 115, Instructional Center. counseling.gatech.edu

WORKSHOPS AND TRAINING

Sept. 21 The Office of Campus Sustainability hosts a session on winter gardening from noon to 3 p.m. in Room 312, Student Center. Light refreshments will be provided. Register to attend: c.gatech.edu/wintergardening

Sept. 25 Graduate Studies and the Office of Scholarly Communications hosts a thesis information session from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Clary Theatre, Student Success Center. grad.gatech.edu

Sept. 26 Career Discovery and Development hosts a session for graduate students on negotiating industry job offers, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the Clary Theatre, Student Success Center. career.gatech.edu

We read that 5 percent of engineering students nationwide study abroad. But in the College of Engineering, it’s about 50 percent?

Yes, and I’d love for it to be 100 percent. International experience is one of the most profound experiences our students can have. Before joining our study abroad program, many students have not traveled much. It’s a little scary to them. Fifteen weeks later, they’re completely different people – so much more confident.

You’ve also championed student entrepre-neurship – you were key to starting the CREATE-X program to help students launch companies.

Students today know they need to take control of their own careers. They have to create their own jobs. So they come here, and they think maybe they can start a company. So we pour gas on any embers that are glowing.

As dean, do you plan to expand the program?

Absolutely. For fall semester, we had 185 student teams apply to be one of 30 new companies. Each selected team gets $20,000, free legal help, and mentorship. We’ll soon be able to expand to 100 student companies, and our 10-year goal is 300 student startups every year.

You spent some time in the private sector – how did you end up in education?

While I was working for Booz Allen in Washington in the 1980s, a friend brought

me to this after-school tutoring program for inner-city kids. That led me to take a year off to teach math in the district. I loved teaching, so I went and got a Ph.D., thinking I was going to be a teacher at a university. But then I discovered I also enjoyed research, and things took off from there.

What most prepared you to become dean?I see myself as a people person. I draw

energy from people. A perfect day is away from email, talking to people, hearing their story. So many people who have Georgia Tech in their past have such interesting stories. I also love complex problems.

So what’s the most complex problem in higher education today?

No question, it’s access and affordability. Think about those who don’t have access to what students have at Georgia Tech. Our students are already technologically literate when they arrive. They come out technolog-ical superstars. But what about the other 99.99 percent who don’t have immediate access to Georgia Tech? Do we play a role in helping them become more technologically skilled? I would say yes.

Where do you see the College of Engineering a few years from now?

In the last eight or 10 years, we’ve made a lot of progress in areas where we’re no longer the fast followers, in many areas we’re the leader. We’ll continue to build on our strengths, especially basic research. There are some big things on the horizon we’re involved in, like stem cell manufacturing, cyber-security, and others. We’ll also continue to

develop our relationship with Emory.

New adventures ahead, then?The unexpected is what’s next. I’m incred-

ibly lucky. I get paid to do something for a living that I would do for free.

Meet the DeanHometowns: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Rochester, New York

Higher education: BSEE, Northwestern; MSE, Princeton; Ph.D., Michigan

Private sector: Eastman Kodak, Bell Labs, Booz Allen Hamilton

Research: Coding/signal processing for wireless communications, data storage; 36 U.S. patents

Entrepreneurship: Three startup companies

Most admires: Roberto Clemente (Pittsburgh Pirates), Claude Shannon (mathematician)

Family: Wife (Mary), Son (Will)

Academic Leadership:

• Faculty, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Tech (1996 – present)

• Vice Provost, International Initiatives, Georgia Tech (2007-12)

• Recipient, Chevalier National Order of Merit (France, 2011)

• Chair, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Tech (2012-17)

MCLAUGHLIN, from page 1

impromptu speaking in my job, and I wanted to feel more comfortable and have that come through in my presentation style,” said Clemmons, who now serves as president of Techmasters. Clemmons also uses her speaking skills outside of work by leading a running club, giving motivational speeches, and hosting a noncom-mercial radio show. “I wanted a place to get more comfortable in front of crowds and where I could practice putting together speeches.”

Toastmasters is an interna-tional organization with materials, guides, and resources related to public speaking. Participants can work through the curriculum, which gives certain types of speeches on certain topics, at their own pace.

The 90-minute meetings begin with table topics, where a subject prompt is given and attendees can give short extemporaneous talks about the topic, usually around 45-60 seconds. The meetings then move to prepared speeches, where club members give speeches of around 5 to 10 minutes.

For Clemmons, who first attended a meeting in 2015, the welcoming environment kept her

coming back almost immediately. “That’s what got me to join so

quickly,” she said. “Even though it’s early in the morning, you feel productive and are accomplishing something in a fun way. I always tell people, since you can win trophies for prepared speeches, you could win a trophy before a lot of people are even up in the morning.”

Toastmasters International provides a manual of 10 speeches to work through, each building off the previous. The manual has members learn speaking skills such as how to cut to the chase, manage body language, and use

vocal variety.“It’s very informal and

self-paced,” said Molly Croft, executive director of development for the College of Engineering and a longtime Techmasters member.

An evaluation period at the end of each meeting lets those who presented prepared speeches get feedback on their delivery. A collective vote also gives recogni-tion — and possibly a trophy — to the standouts of the week.

“It’s a fun and supportive environment,” Croft said. “You’re getting feedback, but it’s not criticism.” Croft added

that they’ve had international students and non-native English speakers participate to improve their language skills. There have also been participants who are involved in startups and want to get better at giving an elevator speech or investor pitch.

All meetings open with an explanation of the format so guests will know what to expect. Guests can also expect to be greeted by others at the meeting and encouraged (but not required) to participate in table topics.

“A lot of people join to become better communicators and to grow their leadership skills, which go hand in hand — good leaders are good communicators,” Clemmons said.

Members can work with a mentor for one-on-one support during their first three speeches. Techmasters dues are $57 biannu-ally, with a one-time $20 fee for new members. Fees are dictated by Toastmasters International and include manuals and meeting materials.

The group will mark its 30th anniversary at its weekly meeting on Thursday, Oct. 5, at 7:30 a.m. Techmasters is also open to those outside the Tech community. To learn more, attend a meeting or visit techmasters.gatech.edu.

TECHMASTERS, from page 1

Tianyu Chang, graduate student in electrical and computer engineering, delivers a speech at the Techmasters meeting on Sept. 14.

Photo by Rob Felt

EVENTS

For a more comprehensive listing of events, or to add your own, visit calendar.gatech.edu.

THE WHISTLE • whistle.gatech.edu September 18, 2017 • PAGE 3

VICTOR ROGERS INSTITUTE COMMUNICATIONS

As the Institute prepares to celebrate retiring employees with the annual retirement dinner at the end of the month, The Whistle caught up with a few former employees to see how they are adjusting to life after Tech.

Maggie and Frank Lamia worked at Georgia Tech for 17 and 16 years, respectively, before retiring last spring. Maggie was a financial manager for CEISMC, then for OIT, and was with the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at retirement. Frank was in Facilities Design and Construction the whole time, and retired as associate director of construction administration. They left Atlanta for the beautiful sunsets of Fairhope, Alabama, a city on the bay across from Mobile and 45 minutes from Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.

And they’re loving every minute of it.“Every day is Saturday. It does kind of

diminish the importance of Friday night,” Maggie said. “But, I’ll take it.”

She describes their new home of Fairhope as “Decatur on steroids.”

“It’s a small town, larger than downtown Decatur, and has everything Decatur has to offer – just more of it,” she said.

Frank said, “The people here are very friendly, and there’s a nice vibe,” with Maggie adding, “They’re even nice at the DMV.”

They play golf once a week, and Maggie has scored a hole-in-one. When asked about her skill level as a golfer she said, “I have the equipment to play golf, and sometimes I get lucky.”

They also volunteer at St. Vincent De Paul’s food pantry, and they have time to do their own housekeeping and yard work now.

“That’s different,” said Maggie, remembering how they paid others to handle their household chores in Atlanta. “It was nice coming home to a clean house and the lawn already cut. Now we do all of that ourselves, and we find it therapeutic.”

They also have time for Frank to focus more on painting watercolors, something he has done as a hobby for many years, quietly stashing away paintings here and there. Now, his hobby has become a new job, of sorts, for the couple. Frank paints, and Maggie helps support the endeavor.

“I’m a toter,” she joked. “I help load stuff.” Joking aside, the new venture is working. “We’ve got some paintings in a gallery in

downtown Fairhope, and we’ve sold some pieces there,” Frank said. “We’re going to be in an arts festival in Daphne, Alabama, next weekend.”

Remembering Georgia Tech During their years at Georgia Tech, Maggie

and Frank each worked on a variety of projects. But, certain jobs immediately come to mind. For Maggie, as a financial manager, it is end of year close-out.

“Budget amendments were always an interesting time,” she said. “You basically use your pool of money to cover your expenses. With everything so fluid, it gets kind of hairy at the end of the year. You’re trying to close out the books, but the Institute is still moving forward.”

For Frank, the project he recalls is the construction of the Fifth Street Bridge over the Downtown Connector, linking Tech Square to

the main campus. “That project stands out because of the

logistical challenges,” Frank said. “We had to keep the bridge open the whole time. We couldn’t shut down the existing bridge because that would have choked off [access to] Tech Square, and we had classes over there. Everyone would have had to detour all the way around to 10th Street or North Avenue to get there, and that wasn’t going to work.”

The bridge had to be built in halves. They demolished one half of the bridge at a time, keeping the other half open to both pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The freeway beneath never closed the entire time, as a park-like setting was being constructed above.

“It was just an amazing project, logistically speaking, to be able to do that over such a busy interstate highway,” he said. “The end product is fabulous.”

Frank and Maggie keep in touch with friends from Atlanta, and their children come to visit. Maggie’s son and daughter have been to see them in Fairhope. Frank’s son, who is in the military, just returned to the states; they’re looking forward to a visit from him.

“We miss the Georgia Tech community and the wonderful people we got to work with,” Frank said. “We both had nice careers at Tech, love everybody there, and made really good friends.”

Working after Retirement For some, retirement means having time for

family, travel, hobbies, and more work. That’s certainly the case for Marie Thursby.

Thursby, Regents Professor Emeritus in the Scheller College of Business, retired last fall after 15 years at Georgia Tech. But retirement doesn’t mean she has slowed down.

At the moment, she is in Passau, Germany, working on a research paper with a co-author. She also recently presented another paper at a conference of scientists and social scientists in Geneva, and she made a research stop in Amsterdam.

After retiring, she left Atlanta to be closer to family.

“My husband and I moved to Nashville, Tennessee, for our grandchildren,” Thursby said. “It is great to be close to the younger part of the family. I also introduced a small version of my TI:GER program (Technological Innovation: Generating Economic Results) to Vanderbilt University.”

In addition to traveling and continuing to work, Thursby’s retirement includes indulging in hobbies.

“We’ve met lots of new friends, and I am exploring taking up painting, which I did before economics,” she said. “Love and miss Tech, but life is great after retirement.”

Life after Tech: Retirees’ Second Act MISCELLANEOUS

Sept. 20 The IMPACT Speaker Series hosts Jenny Levison, founder of Atlanta’s Souper Jenny restaurants, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in Room 100, Scheller College of Business. scheller.gatech.edu/impact

Sept. 20 The Staff Council hosts a general meeting from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the Crescent Room, Student Center. staffcouncil.gatech.edu

Sept. 20 The Georgia Tech Faculty Women’s Club hosts an open house from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 5Church (1197 Peachtree Street). Wives and partners of faculty and administrators and all women faculty and administrators are invited to learn more about the group. gtfwc.gatech.edu

Sept. 21 Postdoctoral fellows present their research at the 4th annual Postdoctoral Research Symposium from noon to 5:30 p.m. at the Petit Institute. postdocs.gatech.edu

Sept. 27 The Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology is preparing for National Nano Day on Oct. 9 and invites the campus to watch and cheer for Buzz and fellow students as they run 100 billion nanometers at Tech Green from 11 to 11:30 a.m. nano.gov

Sept. 27 The Institute for Information Security and Privacy hosts the 15th annual Cybersecurity Summit from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Georgia Tech Research Institute Conference Center. cyber.gatech.edu

Sept. 27 The IMPACT Speaker Series hosts Adam Zimmerman, vice president of marketing for the Atlanta Braves, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in LeCraw Auditorium, Scheller College of Business. scheller.gatech.edu/impact

Sept. 30 Georgia Tech Football hosts the University of North Carolina at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Game time is TBA, but discounts are available with code FACSTAFF at: ramblinwreck.com/promo

Frank and Maggie Lamia enjoy an afternoon at The Gulf in Orange Beach, Alabama.Photo by Liz Punch

Marie Thursby hikes in Joshua Tree National Park in 2016.

Photo courtesy of Marie Thursby

Attend Retirement DinnerThe campus community is invited to support 2017 fiscal year retirees by attending this year’s retirement dinner on Thursday, Sept. 28.

This year’s retirees will be honored at 6 p.m. at the Historic Academy of Medicine at Georgia Tech. Guest tickets are $25 and professional attire is encouraged. For more information or to register to attend, visit specialevents.gatech.edu/retirement-dinner.

CLASSIFIEDS

PAGE 4 • September 18, 2017 whistle.gatech.edu • THE WHISTLE

Ads run for at least three issues in the order in which they are received. Submit your 35-word-or-less ad to editor@comm.gatech.edu.

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MISCELLANEOUSFor sale. Round dining room table and four chairs. Like new. $200 OBO. proberts@ce.gatech.edu.

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VICTOR ROGERS INSTITUTE COMMUNICATIONS

It comes as no surprise that Georgia Tech faculty and staff have a wide range of interests and talents that include creating art. To showcase some of that artistry, the Office of the Arts is presenting the first Arts@

Tech Faculty and Staff Art Exhibit, on display through Oct. 2 in the Ferst Center for the Arts.

The Office of the Arts received 86 entries from active faculty and staff campuswide. All submissions were reviewed and juried, and 56 were selected for the show. Now, visitors can vote for their favorite, and the winner will receive the People’s Choice Award.

The idea for a faculty and staff art show stemmed from the popularity of the Clough Art Crawl, an annual student art showcase.

“As the Office of the Arts, we try to promote and provide opportunities for the entire campus to get involved in the arts,” said Blake Buford, marketing specialist with the Office of the Arts.

See some of the works below, and visit the Ferst Center for the Arts Gallery during regular business hours to see the full exhibit.

Talents of Tech On Display at Ferst CenterThomas Ames, operations manager of the Ferst Center for the Arts, installs the exhibit pieces, including his own digital drawing, which he describes as “an exercise in color, pattern, and texture.”

Photos by Rob Felt

(Left) Bill Georgia, estimator and production planner in OIT’s Printing and Copying Services, created Tangerine Isometric, mixed media and acrylic on canvas, 48-inches x 48-inches, 2017. The piece is one part of a triptych of three planes based on respective isometric views, according to Georgia. “In this series, I’m having fun with the exploded view of isometric views that come in the boxes of model planes that are provided to illustrate how to put it together,” said Georgia, who graduated from the University of Georgia’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences with a BFA in drawing, painting, and printmaking. (Right) Madolyn Penuel, executive assistant to the dean, Scheller College of Business, primarily works in the medium of photography, but she has started exploring the process of adding hand-painted details to canvas prints. Her piece in the Georgia Tech show combines photographs (the lighthouse and everything it is sitting on, as well as the ship’s exhaust, the sky, and the swirl in the clouds), with digital images of an angel and ship, and painted clouds in front of the floating mountain.