Experts in the News

One of those "comets" named to Forbes' 2023 30 Under 30 For Science list is Emma Xu, who graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a B.S. in Physics in 2015. While at UTD, Xu's research advisor pointed her towards a summer National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at Georgia Tech. Xu credits that experience with helping her win an NSF graduate research fellowship. Xu is now the co-founder and CEO of her own science startup, and she is working on her Ph.D. at Columbia University. 

Atlantic staff writer Katherine J. Wu wanted to find out if she could fix the air quality in her New England apartment. That led her to discover carbon dioxide-monitoring devices with varying degrees of success. Wu turned to climate and air quality experts for some advice, and learned that other pollutants besides CO2, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and ozone, can be even more harmful to health and environments. There's also the matter of, well, particulate matter, and whether the devices pick those up on their monitors. One of the experts Wu consulted is Nga Lee (Sally) Ng, Love Family Professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

A pressing quest in the field of nanoelectronics is the search for a material that could replace silicon. Graphene has seemed promising for decades. But, its potential faltered along the way, due to damaging processing methods and the lack of a new electronics paradigm to embrace it. With silicon nearly maxed out in its ability to accommodate faster computing, the next big nanoelectronics platform is needed now more than ever. Walter de Heer, Regents’ Professor in the School of Physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has taken a critical step forward in making the case for a successor to silicon. De Heer and his collaborators, including Claire Berger, fellow School of Physics professor, developed a new nanoelectronics platform based on graphene — a single sheet of carbon atoms.

Susan Lozier, Dean of the College of Sciences, Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair, and a professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, will appear on a panel examining climate change and the Earth's oceans at the 2023 South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference in Austin, Texas, March 10. Lozier, who also serves as president of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), will join leading ocean experts to discuss the ocean’s role in climate, the potential for ocean-based carbon dioxide removal, and a code of conduct for CO2 removal that could maximize collective societal and environmental benefit for our ocean planet. 

Over 60 years ago, Ralph Fox posed a problem about knots that haunts mathematicians to this day. His question is now often formulated as the “slice-ribbon conjecture,” which posits that two seemingly distinct groups of mathematical knots are actually the same. With its suggestion of elegant simplicity within the world of knots, it’s become one of the most high-profile problems in knot theory. For decades, one particular knot was suspected to be a possible route to settling the conjecture. Yet in a paper posted last summer, five mathematicians found that this knot isn’t going to work after all. While the arguments they introduced will provide new insights into a broader class of knots, the work as a whole leaves mathematicians uncertain about the conjecture. Jen Hom, associate professor in the School of Mathematics, has previously collaborated with two of the new paper's authors, and she weighs in on the results. 

Susan Lozier, Dean of the College of Sciences, Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair, and a professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, will appear on a panel examining climate change and the Earth's oceans at the 2023 South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference in Austin, Texas, March 10. Lozier, who also serves as president of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), will join leading ocean experts to discuss the ocean’s role in climate, the potential for ocean-based carbon dioxide removal, and a code of conduct for CO2 removal that could maximize collective societal and environmental benefit for our ocean planet. 

A pressing quest in the field of nanoelectronics is the search for a material that could replace silicon. Graphene has seemed promising for decades. But, its potential faltered along the way, due to damaging processing methods and the lack of a new electronics paradigm to embrace it. With silicon nearly maxed out in its ability to accommodate faster computing, the next big nanoelectronics platform is needed now more than ever. Walter de Heer, Regents’ Professor in the School of Physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has taken a critical step forward in making the case for a successor to silicon. De Heer and his collaborators, including Claire Berger, fellow School of Physics professor, developed a new nanoelectronics platform based on graphene — a single sheet of carbon atoms.

Over 60 years ago, Ralph Fox posed a problem about knots that haunts mathematicians to this day. His question is now often formulated as the “slice-ribbon conjecture,” which posits that two seemingly distinct groups of mathematical knots are actually the same. With its suggestion of elegant simplicity within the world of knots, it’s become one of the most high-profile problems in knot theory. For decades, one particular knot was suspected to be a possible route to settling the conjecture. Yet in a paper posted last summer, five mathematicians found that this knot isn’t going to work after all. While the arguments they introduced will provide new insights into a broader class of knots, the work as a whole leaves mathematicians uncertain about the conjecture. Jen Hom, associate professor in the School of Mathematics, has previously collaborated with two of the new paper's authors, and she weighs in on the results. 

Comet Lulin, a rare green comet discovered in 2007, is set to make its closest approach to the Earth around Feb. 24. The comet's green color comes from the gases that make up its atmosphere. Its closest approach to Earth will be 38 million miles. James Sowell, principal academic professional in the School of Physics and director of the Georgia Tech Observatory, joins Atlanta News First to talk about the best times to view the comet, where it may have originated, and how rare green comets are in the universe.  

Comet Lulin, a rare green comet discovered in 2007, is set to make its closest approach to the Earth around Feb. 24. The comet's green color comes from the gases that make up its atmosphere. Its closest approach to Earth will be 38 million miles. James Sowell, principal academic professional in the School of Physics and director of the Georgia Tech Observatory, joins Atlanta News First to talk about the best times to view the comet, where it may have originated, and how rare green comets are in the universe.  

Elisabetta Matsumoto, an associate professor in the School of Physics, will present “Knotty Knits: A Chat about Math and Crafts” beginning at 3 p.m. March 3, at Southern Illinois University's Guyon Auditorium. Matsumoto, whose research interests include soft condensed matter physics and the geometry of materials, uses knitting to illustrate the math and mechanics within the craft, and how studying the physics of knitting could lead to applications such as wearable electronics. 

Georgia Tech has announced its commitment to addressing climate change by launching a Climate Action Plan. Its development began in 2022 and the plan will be put into place this year.  According to a press release from the Institute, the plan “will include developing a greenhouse gas inventory, modeling potential mitigation strategies and engaging with faculty, students and staff from across campus.” Some of those students, including Rachel Chin, a fifth-year student in the School of Biological Sciences, are anxious to know more about carbon neutrality goals and other aspects of the plan.