Georgia Institute of Technology

The South could pay less for its electricity in 20 years than is currently projected if strong public policies are enacted to spur renewable energy production and use, according to a report released today by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Duke University. The 190-page report, “Renewable Energy in the South,” builds on a short policy brief released last summer and provides an in-depth assessment of the scope of renewable energy resources in the South and their economic impacts on electricity rates and utility bills in the region.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) awarded nearly $2 million to Georgia Tech to develop better simulation models for predicting building efficiency. The research team is led by associate professor Fried Augenbroe with colleagues Christiaan Paredis, John Peponis and C. F. Jeff Wu, also of Georgia Tech, and Ali Malkawi of the University of Pennsylvania.

For its commitment to the development and maintenance of a healthy campus landscape, Georgia Tech has been selected by the Arbor Day Foundation as one of six universities to receive a recognition gift of 75 new trees. Student organizations, staff and university leadership will be on hand to assist with the planting during a November 6 ceremony, from 9 a.m. - noon at the Campanile.

The Georgia Institute of Technology was honored by the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (UCR) at the organization’s 16th Annual Patron Appreciation Dinner held on Sept. 24. Georgia Tech alumnus Ray Anderson also received UCR’s River Guardian Award.

Georgia Tech received UCR’s first River Sustainability Award for the university’s significant investment in and leadership on behalf of water and energy efficiency as exemplified by campus sustainability programs.

Sarah Miracle and Chris Shearer have been selected to receive fellowships as part of a new U.S. Department of Energy Graduate Fellowship program.

Both are pursuing Ph.D.s at Georgia Tech. Miracle is studying randomized algorithms and Markov chains in the School of Computer Science in the College of Computing, while Shearer is investigating sustainable concrete materials technology in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering.

The Green Cleaning program at Georgia Tech has released a new website, to provide information about the program's history, the products and methods Georgia Tech facilities use to keep the campus green.

The Green Cleaning program was implemented in 2003. A grass roots effort aimed at providing an environmental preferred method to cleaning American Schools. Green cleaning is defined as “cleaning that protects health without harming the environment.”

Long neglected as a significant area of supply chain analysis and exploration, the efficient transport of agricultural and food products is now receiving a high-profile platform for research and development at Georgia Tech.

In May, the Georgia Tech Integrated Food Chain Center (IFC) launched as an international research hub focused on designing, analyzing and improving the food chain for cold and perishable products.

Researchers from Georgia Tech, Carnegie Mellon University and the California Institute of Technology are collaborating to study the effects of soot on global warming.

Soot, tiny airborne particles that billow out of diesel trucks and industrial smokestacks, is not only harmful to humans, but may be causing harmful warming effects that could create more severe weather patterns and hotter temperatures worldwide. Other major sources of black carbon soot include use of biofuels for cooking and heating in developing countries and forest fires.

The Arbor Day Foundation today honored Georgia Tech as a 2009 Tree Campus USA University for its dedication to campus forestry management and environmental stewardship.

This is the second consecutive year Georgia Tech has been named a Tree Campus USA University.