Green Buzz

Daniel Castro Appointed to Chair of the Georgia Tech School of Building Construction

Georgia Tech today announced that Associate Professor Daniel Castro has been appointed to chair of the School of Building Construction in the College of Architecture. An expert in material procurement, automation protocols and sustainable energy alternatives for buildings, he is tasked with advancing Building Construction education and research and with expanding its international outreach.

Solar Sanitation System Awarded $40,000 in Startup Chile Funding

While much of campus melts in the heat and humidity of July, five researchers will migrate south to winter in Santiago, Chile, to develop a startup venture aimed at providing sanitation to remote and low-income communities.

Sanivation was one of 110 companies awarded $40,000 from Startup Chile, a six-month Chilean government program encouraging entrepreneurial activity in the South American country.

Zelnak Basketball Center Deemed LEED Gold

The Zelnak Center recently became the Institute’s fourth building to earn LEED gold certification.

The basketball practice facility, which opened in October 2009, is named for alumnus and donor Steven Zelnak and is used by both the Georgia Tech men’s and women’s basketball teams. It includes a full-size court, six baskets, weight room, the Robert A. Anclien Strength & Conditioning Center and a theater.

Subhrajit Guhathakurta Appointed Director of Georgia Tech Center for Geographic Information Systems

Subhrajit “Subhro” Guhathakurtahas been appointed as Director of the Georgia Tech Center for Geographic Information Systems, a leading producer of research in geo-spatial technologies housed within the College of Architecture. He will also serve as Professor in the School of City and Regional Planning, continuing a distinguished academic career of 18 years.

Bicycle Improvements Enhance Commuter Culture on Campus

Whether you use four wheels, two wheels or two feet to get to Tech each day, you may start to notice some changes for bicycles around campus. It’s not the ghost of Sideways installing bike racks or painting bike lanes; it’s the collaboration of students and staff on the Bicycle Infrastructure Improvement Committee (BIIC).

Formed in January, the group plans to improve the quality of bicycle infrastructure for the Georgia Tech community to make it safer and easier to bike for pleasure, health and commute.

Georgia Tech and Ford collaborate on "Green Eco School Bus"

The Georgia Institute of Technology and the Ford Motor Company Fund are partnering on the nation’s first conversion of a school bus to a hydraulic hybrid vehicle that runs on recycled biofuel. Atlanta Public Schools donated the bus for the project. 

On May 13, students at Mary Lin Elementary School painted the "Green Eco School Bus”  and organized a drive to collect used cooking oil for processing into biodiesel, a renewable energy source.

Installations Reflect Tragedy of Consumption Behavior

Georgia Tech School of Architecture students are testing their abilities to imagine, design and construct in an international competition intended to increase awareness of consumption behavior and the power of recycling.  An 11-member team has constructed a tower made out of plastic bottles along with a hanging tower constructed of plastic hangers.

Green Building Outlook with Baabak Ashuri in the School of Building Construction

At the recent Greenprints conference on sustainability, Georgia Tech’s Baabak Ashuri joined thought leaders to pinpoint key trends in green building in the year ahead. With Ken Edelstein, author of Greenbuilding Chronicle, Steve O'Day, partner in Smith, Gambrell & Russell and Anita Anand, senior associate at Reznick Group, Ashuri provided expertise in what growth trends, financing options and the competitive environment for companies operating in the green building sector.

Students Organize First Georgia Tech Bike Week

Though Monday will begin five days of celebration for the use of two-wheeled transportation on campus, you need not own a bicycle to enjoy the offerings of Bike Week.

The Bicycle Infrastructure Improvement Committee (BIIC) crafted events with both current and potential cyclists in mind throughout the week of Sept. 26–30:

Solar Jackets Win Electric Vehicle Case Competition for Idea to 'ChargeATL'

Each day, many students cross the Fifth Street Bridge not thinking much of the downtown connector that exhales exhaust below; but a few are working to electrify the cars that pass beneath.

In a competition hosted by the City of Atlanta and Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, a team of Georgia Tech students earned first prize and a monetary award for proposing a system for electric vehicle adoption in Atlanta.