New form of carbon created
Physics World, Aug 7  Edward Conrad from Georgia Tech and colleagues have now grown graphene layers from a silicon carbide substrate in such a way that each layer is rotated by 30 degrees with respect to the lower layers. This  differs from naturally occurring graphite where each layer is rotated by 60 degrees with respect to the lower layers. “With the stacking we see in natural graphite, which results in a special coupling between the layers, it seems like nature has managed to stack graphene sheets in a way that is not useful for electronics at all,” says Conrad...  full story

Earth science from the sky: the next generation
NPR, Aug 12  Recent Earth & Atmospheric Sciences  BS recipient Daniel Tkacik was featured in an NPR story about SARP (the Student Airborne Research Program), which NASA developed   to  help encourage a new generation of scientists to study the earth.  The program includes research aboard a DC-8 flying laboratory...  full story | podcast

SURE program 'graduates' its largest class yet
Whistle, Aug 10  While Tech's summer semester may be more quiet in regards to enrolled students, each year qualified underrepresented minority  students from around the country participate in graduate level research here. The overall goal is to attract more minority students into science and engineering graduate schools.  This year's program consisted of 33 rising Junior and Senior students across nine areas of study...   full story

William "Bill" Ames
School of Math News, Aug 12  The School of Mathematics lost a part of its legacy last week on August 3rd. Professor Bill Ames, a previous director of the school, passed away. He was a Navy veteran of WWII and the Korean War.  In 1975 he joined Georgia Institute of Technology and became the director of the School of Mathematics in 1982 and chairman of the University Center of Mathematics in 1988. He was a Regents' Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Georgia Tech. A celebration of Bill's life was held on Thursday, August 13. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Habitat for Humanity.. full story | AJC Article