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Dr. Lisa Yaszek and Sci Fi @ Tech

October 7, 2020

Lisa Yaszek, Regents Professor in the School of LIterature, Media, and Communication, was featured as a guest on episode 56 of the Hungry Trilobyte Podcast on October 7, 2020.

In the appearance, Yaszek discussed her work on the Sci Fi @ Tech collection, a robust repository of works in the genre that also includes an associated radio show and physical lounge.

Full episode here.

Published in: Hungry Trilobyte Podcast
Karen Head Named Fulton County's Inaugural Poet Laureate

October 5, 2020

Karen Head, associate professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication, was mentioned in Atlanta INtown for her accomplishment of being the inaugural Poet Laureate of Fulton County.

Head, who was confirmed for the post in late September by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, will work to promote poetry and literary activities in Fulton County through her term.

Excerpt:

“The establishment of the poet laureate for Fulton County assists in our efforts to reach diverse communities using poetry as a vehicle for literary competency and understanding,” says Lionell Thomas, FCAC Director, “The role of the Poet Laureate is to enrich Fulton County’s artistic community and foster an appreciation of poetry in all forms celebrating expressions of culture through the literary arts.”

“The enormous responsibility of originating this program and representing the nearly 1.1 million people in Fulton County is not lost on me. I am humbled and honored to have been selected,” says Head, “I’m excited about the good I know we can work together to affect. I am committed to all the people in our County, and I am passionate about the role of the arts, not only to help prepare people to have more successful and meaningful lives, but also to improve the communities in which we live.”

Read the full article here.

Published in: Atlanta INtown
During the Pandemic, Some Georgia Tech Students Are Gaming to Slow the Spread of Covid-19

September 29, 2020

The online games that students in the Digital Liberal Arts Center (DILAC) created for Indiecade's Jamming the Curve event were featured in an article in the new site Hypepotamus.

The two games, "Essential Workers" and "Dino-Store," were developed by an interdisciplinary team of students model behavioral patterns during the Covid-19 pandemic and show players how certain behaviors can affect the spread of the virus.

Excerpt:

“At its core, Essential Workers is about the dilemmas that this country and our communities are asking of its essential workers. These people have to go to work, and might be spreading COVID. What do you do when you put yourself in these people’s shoes?” said Colin Stricklin, one of the PhD students working on the project.

Stricklin, an English major whose research now focuses on collaborative gaming, built the initial logic for the game. He told Hypepotamus that the power of gaming is that it helps people understand their role in larger societal issues.

“We’re looking at how much impact an individual can have on a particular community – not necessarily on the entirety of the curve of COVID, but on the people that they know,” said Stricklin. “We built a cooperative experience that allows people to see where they fit into the system.”

Read the full article here.

Published in: Hypepotamus
‘Distributed Blackness: African American Cybercultures’

September 27, 2020

A talk by André Brock, associate professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication, was written up by Technique on Sept. 27, 2020.

Brock spoke on Sept. 14 via BlueJeans video call about his book Distributed Blackness: African American Cybercultures, which was published in February by New York University Press. He coverede topics such as the use of online spaces to "recover from brutality" and the expression of "Black joy" on social media.

Excerpt:

In describing Black techno-culture, Dr. Brock stresses that it needs to include the every-day, the mundane. The discussion of racism doesn’t make up all of Black culture, nor should Black culture reflect one subset of itself.

“Social justice activism isn’t all of Black discourse. We’re not all angry Black Lives Matter gangbangers,” he said. Instead, Black digital space is, or should be, a celebration of regular life. Explaining further, Brock said that the “white belief in rationalism and logic that excludes Black subjectivity objectifies the world they find themselves in.” These platforms should reflect the whole person each user was “before the police hailed them over.”

The medium of Twitter or the like affords a safe space to recover from brutality and to grow. Online, the space is not limited by in-person racism. Rather, it is a place where each user can freely express a point of view and “be a point that is viewed.”

Read the full article here.

Published in: Technique
Georgia Tech Creates New School Focused on Cybersecurity and Privacy

September 23, 2020

The School of Cybersecurity and Privacy, a new unit of the Georgia Institute of Technology that includes faculty and staff from the School of Public Policy and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, was mentioned in the article "Georgia Tech creates new school focused on cybersecurity and privacy," published Sept. 23, 2020 in Security magazine.

Excerpt:

“The new School of Cybersecurity is a reflection of Georgia Tech’s strengths and commitment to serving the needs of our society and our state,” said Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera.

“Georgia Tech’s new School of Cybersecurity and Privacy will focus on applied research collaborations with the fast-growing cybersecurity industry in Georgia and meeting a critical workforce need,” Cabrera said. “It will bring together Georgia Tech’s expertise across disciplines to advance technology and find new solutions to protect our personal privacy and support our national security.”

There are more than 500 cybersecurity researchers spread across Georgia Tech who bring in more than $180 million in research awards annually and aims to address a critical shortage of cybersecurity professionals in the United States and around the globe.

Read the full article here.

Published in: Security Magazine
The Shows Must Go On. But They Aren’t the Same Without You.

September 8, 2020

Philip Auslander, Professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication, was quoted in the piece "The Shows Must Go On. But They Aren't the Same Without You," on September 4, 2020 in The New York Times.

The article by Amanda Hess unpacks the effects and implications of the lack of in-person audience presence at entertainment events this year, from sports to television. Auslander, whose book "Liveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture" examines the meaning ane execution of live performance in today's media environment, spoke about how the concept of an audience has influenced television production, even if the vast majority of those audience members are watching from their couches.

Excerpt:

The classic three-camera setup mimicked the movement of the audience’s roving eye, perhaps aided with a pair of opera glasses. And even as TV absorbed more cinematic elements, playing with shifting perspectives and transpositions of time, it also built up conventions that simulate the feeling of liveness: recorded laugh tracks and cuts to the “live studio audience,” where the crowd of spectators is vetted for entrance, warmed up by producers and cued to applaud. And all that prompts the home audience to feel invested in the show. “Maybe even more than the performance, we identify with the audience,” Auslander said.

Read the full article here.

Published in: The New York Times
Sudan’s government seems to be shifting away from Islamic law. Not everyone supports these moves.

August 27, 2020

Lawrence Rubin, associate professor in the Sam Nunn School has co-authored "Sudan’s government seems to be shifting away from Islamic law. Not everyone supports these moves." The article written with Michael Robbins, researcher at Princeton University and serves as director of Arab Barometer, was published in the Washington Post's Monkey Cage.

Excerpt:

Some observers in the West might see this as Sudan taking a step toward liberal democracy, recognizing that the transition remains delicate. But survey data from Arab Barometer — a nonpartisan research network providing insights on the views of citizens across the Arab world — suggest that Sudan’s population may not widely support these moves.

Read the article on the Washington Post.

Published in: Washington Post
'UUV city:' Keyport leads the way on underwater drones

August 24, 2020

Margaret E. Kosal, associate professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, was quoted in “'UUV city:' Keyport leads the way on underwater drones,” a Kitsap Sun article.

Read an excerpt:

“The Navy is pursuing UUV for two main reasons: first, it has become strategically important as the so-called great power competition in Asia continues to heat up in the Pacific, the largest ocean in the world, according to Dr. Margaret E. Kosal, a professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Second, advancements in robotics and machine learning make possible the autonomous systems that go beyond your standard seek-and-destroy unmanned torpedo, she said.

“But what will the Navy use them for? It's still an open question but Kosal cites the "three Ds" — work that is dirty, dangerous or dull. A UUV trolling the sea for radioactive material, or through minefields, for instance, takes the dirty and dangerous work out of human hands.”

The article can be found on the Kitsap Sun.

Published in: Kitsap Sun
How YouTube Reaction Videos Are Changing the Way We Listen

August 24, 2020

André Brock, associate professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication, was interviewed for the article "How YouTube Reaction Videos Are Changing the Way We Listen," published August 24 in Rolling Stone.

In the article, author Jonathan Bernstein explores the subgenre of reaction videos in which creators who are often young Black people react to classic rock hits from the 1970s and 1980s. Brock, whose research and scholarship at Georgia Tech focuses in part on how Black communities are formed and function on the internet, spoke about the meaning and cultural implications of the trend.

Excerpt:

“The internet, particularly YouTube, allows young black folks to rediscover music on their own terms,” says André Brock, a professor at Georgia Tech, whose book Distributed Blackness centers blackness in internet culture. “But it also allows them to rediscover a joy in music that wasn’t necessarily labeled as for them or which they understood to not be for them.”

...

For some, that implied genre commentary is as much of a draw as the reactions themselves. “Reaction videos are really interesting to me because they tap into the archival capacity of the internet,” says professor Brock. “When I was growing up in the Seventies, a lot of the songs these kids are hearing now were on black radio. Black radio stations played Steely Dan, Hall and Oates, Fleetwood Mac. We move into the Eighties, Phil Collins, Chicago, and Toto were still all over black radio. So, in some ways, the internet is allowing this revisiting of an earlier generation where music genres weren’t as segregated as they are now.”

Read the full article here.

Published in: Rolling Stone
New U.S. Basing Decisions in Europe

August 19, 2020

General Phil Breedlove (ret.), USAF, a distinguished professor in the Sam Nunn School, participated the Jamestown Foundation event on "Making Sense of New US Basing Decisions in Europe.” General Breedlove was joined by Lt Gen Ben Hodges (ret.), former commanding general for for the U.S. Army Europe Pershing Chair in Stretegic Studies, CEPA.

Watch the video on the Jamestown Foundation Youtube Page.

Published in: The Jamestown Foundation
Has China’s annual Beidaihe leaders’ retreat already happened in secret?

August 18, 2020

Fei-Ling Wang, professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, was cited in South China Morning Post article, “Has China’s annual Beidaihe leaders’ retreat already happened in secret?," an article.

Find an excerpt:

But Fei-Ling Wang, a professor of international affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the US, said that among Chinese leaders, even informal meetings were traditionally restricted and monitored.

Wang said “socialising” at Beidaihe was usually an exception but still not totally “unmonitored”.

Read the article on South China Morning Post.

Published in: South China Morning Post
Who Put All These Banjos In My Sci-Fi Game?

August 6, 2020

Lisa Yaszek, Regents Professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication, was interviewed for Polygon's video "Who Put All These Banjos in My Sci-Fi Game?", which was posted Aug. 6, 2020 on YouTube.

Yaszek, who was promoted to Regents Professor this past spring, focuses on the intersection and representation of social issues in science fiction media. In this video, posted to a popular video game blog and channel, she discusses the common thematic elements of Westerns and science fiction.

Excerpt:

"Going forward unto the frontier becomes a way to really reinvent yourself – to invent a new future ... You see that translate so easily into science fiction, where you go out into the space frontier, the galactic frontier, and you get to meet people from all different kinds of planets."

Watch the full video here.

Published in: Polygon
Georgia Tech to Offer Hebrew, Swahili Courses to Deepen Africa, Middle East Ties

August 6, 2020

Anna Westerstahl Stenport (ModLangs) was quoted in the article “Georgia Tech to Offer Hebrew, Swahili Courses to Deepen Africa, Middle East Ties” in Global Atlanta on August 6.

Excerpt:

“Enhancing global competence and cross-cultural understanding are core priorities of the School of Modern Languages. By adding Hebrew and Swahili, we are strengthening our efforts in Middle Eastern and North African Studies and applied language learning to serve all Georgia Tech students, regardless of major,” said Anna Westerstahl Stenport, professor of Global Studies and chair in Georgia Tech’s School of Modern Languages and founding co-director of the Atlanta Global Studies Center (AGSC).

Read full article.

Published in: Global Atlanta
Georgia Tech New Georgia Smart Communities Challenge Winners

August 6, 2020

Omar Asensio (PubPol) and his Georgia Smart Community Project “Civic Data Science for Equitable Development” with Clio Andris (CRP) for the city of Savannah were highlighted in an article in Atlanta Daily World August 6 presenting Georgia Tech’s news release on all of its project awards. Doug Hooker (MS TSP (PUBP)1985), Executive Director of the Atlanta Regional Commission was quoted.

Excerpt:

Georgia Tech’s Georgia Smart Communities Challenge (Georgia Smart) empowers local governments to think outside of the box and use innovation to improve their communities...

Civic Data Science for Equitable Development, Savannah – The city of Savannah plans to build new decision-making tools using a city data hub and analytics platform for programmatic outcomes for vacant and blighted properties. The project will build on work started through the 2018 Georgia Smart Albany project. Georgia Tech researchers Clio Andris and Omar Isaac Asensio will assist with the project. They will work with a number of partner agencies including the City of Savannah Housing and Neighborhood Services Department, City of Savannah Information Technology Department, Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition, Chatham County/City of Savannah Land Bank Authority Inc., Community Housing Services Agency Inc., the Center for Community Progress, and the civic data technology company Tolemi.

Read full announcement.

Published in: Atlanta Daily World
Georgia Smart Announces Innovation Awards to Four Communities in the State

August 6, 2020

Omar Asensio (PubPol) and his Georgia Smart Community Project “Civic Data Science for Equitable Development” with Clio Andris (CRP) for the city of Savannah were highlighted in an article in Saporta Report August 6 presenting Georgia Tech’s news release on all of its project awards. Doug Hooker (MS TSP (PUBP)1985), Executive Director of the Atlanta Regional Commission was quoted.

Excerpt:

Georgia Tech’s Georgia Smart Communities Challenge (Georgia Smart) empowers local governments to think outside of the box and use innovation to improve their communities...

Civic Data Science for Equitable Development, Savannah – The city of Savannah plans to build new decision-making tools using a city data hub and analytics platform for programmatic outcomes for vacant and blighted properties. The project will build on work started through the 2018 Georgia Smart Albany project. Georgia Tech researchers Clio Andris and Omar Isaac Asensio will assist with the project. They will work with a number of partner agencies including the City of Savannah Housing and Neighborhood Services Department, City of Savannah Information Technology Department, Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition, Chatham County/City of Savannah Land Bank Authority Inc., Community Housing Services Agency Inc., the Center for Community Progress, and the civic data technology company Tolemi.

Read full announcement.

Published in: Saporta Report
It’s Time to Rethink Our Russia Policy

August 5, 2020

Distinguished Professor and School Namesake, Senator Sam Nunn and Chair and Professor, Adam Stulberg are signatories in the open letter to rethink the current U.S.-Russia relations.

Read an excerpt:

We must first find a way to deal effectively with Russian interference in U.S. elections and, most important, block any effort to corrupt the voting process. Hardening our electoral infrastructure, sanctioning Russians who weaponize stolen information and countering Russia’s capacity to hack our systems are all necessary measures.

Find the article on Politico.

Published in: Politico
There’s No Such Thing As a Tech Expert Anymore

August 4, 2020

Ian Bogost, professor of digital media in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication, was mentioned in “There’s No Such Thing As a Tech Expert Anymore.” Wired, August 4.

Excerpt:

Am I really an expert on Google and Facebook? Or, more appropriately, who is an expert on these companies? Is anyone?

I have some nominees…

The best candidates are scholars like danah boyd of Data and Society, Zeynep Tufekci of the University of North Carolina, and Ian Bogost of Georgia Tech. They all have deep backgrounds in coding and working for technology companies, and have deployed academic expertise and writing skills to influence public understanding of these industries.

Read full article.

Published in: Wired
“This 'actions-speak-louder-than-words' student puts public policy studies to work

August 3, 2020

Public policy student Alana Barr was featured in “This 'actions-speak-louder-than-words' student puts public policy studies to work.” Albany Times Union, August 3.

Excerpt:

Alana Barr had just started college at Georgia Tech in Atlanta when health advocate Cornelia King came to her class.

"After she started talking about health care disparities among minorities in Atlanta and all the adverse outcomes, like diabetes and high cholesterol, I knew I wanted to do something about it," Barr said. "I already knew about food insecurity issues and trying to get people to eat healthier, but I'd never seen the wider problem defined like that."

As soon as the talk in her Scientific Foundations of Health class was over, Barr ran up to King, chairperson of the nonprofit Fulton County Healthy Heart Coalition, and asked how she could help.

Read full article.

Published in: Albany Times Union
The War that Never Was?

August 3, 2020

Admiral Sandy Winnefeld (ret.), USN, wrote “The War that Never Was?” For the U.S. Naval Institute. The essay written by Michael J. Morell, who served as acting director and deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, is part of a series that from frequent contributor about how the next conflict may begin.

Find an excerpt:

Regarding “fear” as a source of the conflict, we always knew the Chinese Communist Party, as an authoritarian regime, harbored as its principal concern a loss of control over its own population. As the roller coaster year of 2020 dragged into its second half, a resurgence of COVID-19—this time scattered throughout the country and again initially covered up by the regime—began to cast real doubt among the Chinese population of the competence of the Party and its leader Xi Jinping.

Read the article on the U.S. Naval Institute website.

Published in: U.S. Naval Institute
New Book Sheds Light on Scot Who Tried to Topple Lenin

August 2, 2020

The Lockhart Plot (Oxford University Press) by Jonathan Schneer (HSOC Emeritus) was highlighted in "New Book Sheds Light on Scot Who Tried to Topple Lenin" in The Scotsman, August 2.

Excerpt:

Instead, ‘The Lockhart Plot’ argues that the Scot’s efforts to sow the seeds of counter revolution helped shape the tense relations between Britain and Russia which persist to this day.

Its publication is timely, given it coincides with the release of a redacted version of the Intelligence and Security Committee's long-awaited report into Russian activity in the UK.

Read full article

Published in: The Scotsman