From high school to his third year at Tech, aerospace engineering major, Jonathan Walker has contributed to his community in the name of science, and his deeds have recently been rewarded by a $10,000 scholarship from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF).
Astronaut Charlie Duke visited campus on Sept. 22 to present Walker with the scholarship on behalf of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.
Since 1987, the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation has awarded scholarships to science and engineering students exhibiting leadership, creativity and excellence in their field.
Walker has accomplished just that, researching spacecraft propulsion systems and tutoring grade-school children through the Center for Pan Asian Community Services.
The center is a nonprofit organization that contributes social and health services to immigrants, refugees and racial-ethnic minorities in Georgia facing difficulties. He says that a majority of his students and after-school program participants are Hispanic, Vietnamese,and Burmese immigrants.
Walker’s research focuses on improving efficiency and speed of propulsion systems by accelerating ionized gases that could move the projectile at speeds tens of kilometers per second. His current project in this area is developing carbon nanotube cathodes, which could obviate the use of extremely hazardous and limited, in the context of spacecraft applications, chemicals currently used in propulsion systems and greatly improve efficiency.
Out of school, Walker tutors and teaches a science-enrichment after-school program for children in middle and high schools. Meetings are often based around a cool science demonstration or hands-on activity.
“In one experiment, I put enough rockets on a sled to accelerate it to about 40mph, and I gave the kids very simple materials to protect an egg that is transported by the sled,” Walker said, “I like doing things for the kids that they wouldn’t be able to do or see otherwise because of the district they’re in or their economic status.”
Though the State of Georgia and other private contributors finance the general tutoring, Walker most often pays for his after-school programs out of his own pocket, which he is happy to do in the name of science education.
Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Dr. Mitchell Walker, who also heads the High-Power Electric Propulsion Laboratory where Jonathan Walker works on research, nominated him for the scholarship.
For the future, Walker is interested in NASA, and with the Space Shuttle Program phasing out by 2010 and the Constellation program taking over, preference for military-trained astronauts has decreased as openings for civilian engineers and scientists has increased.
In fact, only four of the eight crew members of the last manned mission were current or former members of the military.
With a larger window opening for him, Walker feels that he could be on a space program crew in the future.
“You see actors as astronauts on television, and you think they’re really cool and wish you could be like them, but at the end of the day they’re just actors. But then I met Charlie Duke (a former astronaut who walked on the moon), who’s the real deal and furthered space exploration, and there was just no way to describe that kind of experience,” Walker said.
Should NASA not be his calling, he would consider working for private spacecraft technology companies like SpaceX.
Walker plans to start on his Masters degree next year at Tech and eventually work on a Doctorate. He hopes to continue working in the same lab, working on his propulsion system projects, but with his Masters and Doctorate programs, he looks forward to learning and seeing what it’s like working in a lab everyday.
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Since the 1970s, the Student Center’s Music Listening Room (MLR) served students as a place for relaxation, a cool atmosphere and often for mid-day naps. However, by Spring 2010 the Student Center will convert the MLR into a new location for Under the Couch (UtC).
“For some people, relaxing means lying down on a couch and listening to music with their eyes closed. For others it means strumming away at a guitar or meeting a group of people to jam,” said Evan Seguin, president of the Musicians Network, which runs UtC. “It’s hard to say exactly what a day at the new Under the Couch will be like because it all depends on what Tech students actually want to use the space for.”
With its recently decreasing utilization and the expansion of the music department, the Student Center decided last year to combine MLR with UtC, which has been in its current location (the ground-level space under the Couch Building) for over 15 years.
Weekly live concerts and recording services currently hosted at UtC will be moved to the new lounge. In addition, the daily music library offered by the MLR will be still there as well. It will operate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
“The goal for the daytime operations of the space is to have a livelier version of the MLR. It’s ultimately a place for people to go to relax in between classes,” Seguin said, “Some people may want to eat their lunch and see Tech students perform. We want to provide a space where people can go and enjoy music in whichever way they enjoy it most.”
The new space will largely be fitted to meet the needs of the Musicians Network, which will retain control of the UtC lounge. It will feature two sound-proof recording studios with a live mixing booth, locker storage space for instruments, and a stage for performances.
During the day, the lounge will operate similar to the MLR. It will feature comfortable furniture to relax and nap, possible open mic hours during lunch, occasional live bands, magazines, board games, increased desk space and a massive music library.
One major change to this music library is the fact that the 40-year collection of CDs and 4000 vinyls – including many limited and original editions – will no longer be available. Those collections will all be digitized and available for use via the room’s music server.
The Student Center is still looking for the best option of where the vinyls and CDs should be stored. Officials are considering offering it to students at a discount.
Moving weekly live concerts to the new space will alleviate noise and parking problems experienced at its former residential location on West Campus.
The Student Center will sound-proof the floor and ceiling to prevent noise problems between the MLR and the study areas on the second floor of the Student Center. The room is specifically designed to be a performance venue, and it will be optimally outfitted for acoustic performance.
Seguin has also collaborated with Tech’s radio station WREK to allow evening shows and events at UtC to be broadcast live.
“This is something we’ve always wanted to be able to do. I think that our organizations have very similar goals and can provide a lot to Tech students as a whole if we work together more often,” Seguin said.
Musicians Network and WREK have not finalized any details on this possible musical partnership, but representatives from both organizations have expressed excitement to work together in the same building.
The Musicians Network will retain control of the current UtC location until the end of the Spring 2010 semester. After that, campus officials and the music department will decide what to do with that space, which will most likely be used as offices for music faculty or storage.
“The move is really great for our organization, and, more importantly, to students to experience, create and share music,” Seguin said, “We are all very excited that this will be a huge step in bringing that to everyone on campus.”
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What used to only be found in instrument panels and holiday lightbulb strings, LED (light-emitting diode) technology shows great promise in lighting the way for Tech to a more economic and environmentally-friendly direction.
Facilities faculty has completed several lighting renovations already on campus, including converting all the lighting in the Tennenbaum Auditorium to LED lamps. This project alone reduced electricity consumption by 39.2%, and light per square foot more than doubled. They also installed LED can lights on the second floor of the Price Gilbert Library.
“We are currently working on several projects in the IBB building to convert high ceiling fixtures to LED and will eventually expand this to other buildings. The architecture building is next on the list,” said Sanford Fong, Facilities department Electrical Engineer I.
Heat, output and energy usage are the greatest factors in LEDs’ benefits. Since the lights do not rely on a filament, they don’t burn out as quickly and less of the energy emitted is heat (very beneficial for stage work, which is often under extremely hot rows of lights). Since less energy is emitted as heat, it does not require as much energy to produce the light, saving money.
Thanks to a recent cost drop in semiconductor material, they are now a viable option for widespread use. This has opened a window for mass-emplacement of LEDs, like in department stores.
Walmart is pursuing improvements to energy and cost savings by installing LED lighting in their refrigerated cases. The new fixtures and dimming capabilities could net 66% in energy savings. If 500 Wal-mart stores were to use these, it would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 35 million pounds and save the company $2.6 million per year. The lights could add over three years to the refrigerated cases’ lighting lifetime.
LED lighting can also be applied to large parking lot lights, medium hallway and stairwell lights and small classroom lights. They can last over 50,000 hours (over five years) and the lower power consumption with equal or greater luminosity than conventional lighting could save big money for Tech.
“LEDs save a great deal over incandescent lamps. For example, the can light we are installing in the Petit building is a 12-Watt fixture comparable to an 80-Watt incandescent in lighting output,” Fong said. Such a fixture could save 85% in energy.
Facilities will soon procure a street light test unit to evaluate more demanding applications on campus like streetlights, emergency lights and shop lights. Thanks to the higher power output and longevity, any light fixture that is on a great deal of time or is too hard to reach is a good candidate for an LED application.
Indoor lighting sees a change for the better as well. The pervasive use of fluorescent lighting in classrooms has garnered criticism for eye strain and headaches from the (though too fast to notice) lights’ high-frequency flickering; however, LED lighting is flicker-free. Fluorescent lamps are also less efficient, less longevous, and less environmentally friendly (they contain mercury). In this sense, changing the lights may actually directly improve student and faculty health and performance.
Tech has been a leading institution in LED technology. In 2002, ECE professor Russell Dupuis earned the highest national honor in science, the National Medal of Technology, for his work in developing and commercializing LEDs in applications like traffic lights and automotive lighting.
More recently, a top international chemical company, Solvay, has worked with and funded our Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics (COPE) in organic applications of LEDs.
The Enterprise Innovation Institute at Georgia Tech–Savannah recently helped the city of Savannah evaluate its environmental impact. Savannah accepted the Institute’s energy strategy, and it now uses a revolving loan to fund its energy renovation projects, which will ultimately repay the city through energy savings.
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The Jackets’ volleyball team begins conference play in earnest this weekend, and the team’s 7-4 record through four early-season invitational tournaments has generated confidence and enthusiasm among the coaches and players.
Tech got off to an exciting start with a five-set victory over Georgia in the season opener and has seen success throughout the first four weeks of the season. The team has swept both of its home invitational tournaments, and the Jackets’ 1-4 record so far on the road has come against very talented competition.
The Jackets have also had a number of notable individual performances along the way, with two players earning ACC Volleyball Player of the Week awards so far: one for freshman rightside hitter Monique Mead and one for senior middle blocker Brittany Roderick. Mead earned the recognition after posting 37 kills and 30 digs in the season-opening Georgia Tech Regency Suites Invitational, including 20 kills in the win over Georgia, as she powered Tech’s attack in the three-game sweep. Roderick earned the honor after leading Tech to a 3-0 sweep in the Courtyard Classic with an average of 2.54 kills and 0.77 blocks per set for the weekend.
This is Head Coach Tonya Johnson’s first season with the Jackets after 11 years of collegiate volleyball coaching at LSU and Texas. She left the latter after the Longhorns posted a 31-3 record last season and reached the NCAA Final Four.
Johnson’s success has continued early on as the Jackets won their opener and have picked up six more early-season wins.
“I think we’ve been pretty successful so far, and hopefully some day we can be in the top ten,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s initial goals include executing fundamentals well, an especially important task for the six freshmen on the team. She has changed the training style slightly, running drills and working on techniques for blocking and defense during practice.
“[The drills] really break [the game] down for every aspect, and every drill has a purpose,” said senior outside hitter Chrissy DeMichelis.
During the weekend games, Johnson noticed several areas for the team to improve upon, including improving their transition game, keeping the outside hitters in rhythm and playing the ball a little higher. Still, the team was facing top competition in No. 9 Minnesota and a Denver team that went 25-7 last season, and even though the Jackets lost both matches at the Denver Pioneer Classic, Mead was happy to have the chance to play against a team in the national top ten.
As the team heads into the ACC schedule in earnest, returning players are meshing well with the large group of six freshmen, who have replaced five departed seniors. Johnson says the team has been very receptive to the newcomers, many of whom have been able to contribute significantly already. Mead has earned a starting spot at rightside hitter, while defensive specialist Hannah Tucci and outside hitter Susan Carlson have become reliable reserves.
The freshmen are making the transition from high school to collegiate volleyball well. “[College coaching] is definitely more rough, and you know they’ll call you out on and fix all your mistakes. But I really enjoy it; it makes me a better player, and they tell you how to do better because they’re there to make the team better,” Mead said.
The team has also meshed well with Johnson, who replaced Bond Shymansky as Tech’s head coach. Shymansky coached the Jackets since 2002 and averaged 24.6 victories per season, the highest among active ACC coaches prior to his departure. Early indications are that Johnson has earned the players’ trust and is well-equipped to continue the recent success.
“At first it was hard, like with anyone else, to understand who [Johnson] is as a coach and to understand who we are as players…But we’re really happy with the coaching staff,” senior outside hitter Chrissy DeMichelis said.
DeMichelis finds that the team can have fun while still being competitive, understanding and tight together. The players and coaches are also appreciative of the support of Tech fans at every game, which likely has factored into the team’s 6-0 home record.
“I love that crowd. It’s electric, and the players feed off it,” Johnson said.
The Jackets will look to draw on the home-court advantage this weekend as the team plays in a pair of home games against North Carolina State tonight and North Carolina on Sunday. Tech opened ACC play in the Courtyard Classic opener with a five-set victory over Clemson and will look to move to 3-0 against ACC opponents after this weekend.
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