New Brook Byers Professor and Fellows Appointed

Through a process of peer review and subsequent approval by the Provost, Professor Marc Weissburg has been appointed Georgia Tech’s newest Brook Byers Professor. The Brook Byers Professorship is the highest title bestowed at Georgia Tech for distinguished faculty that are specifically engaged in sustainability related research and education. Dr. Weissburg is a Professor in the School of Biological Sciences, and co-Director of the Center for Biologically Inspired Design. He joined Georgia Tech in 1997 having earlier earned his B.S. degree in Biology from the University of California at Berkeley, and Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Within the biological sciences community, his research interests concern chemical signaling by marine animals, marine community ecology, and predator-prey dynamics. His recent efforts are concentrated in two areas: developing methods to suppress predation on juvenile oysters in farmed and natural communities, and examining the biological and fisheries consequences of climate change and ocean acidification. More broadly, Dr. Weissburg has a long-standing interest in comparative and interdisciplinary research and education for which he has collaborated with industry groups, professional designers, architects, scientists and engineers on the use of biologically inspired strategies to enhance human built systems. Using principles derived from the examination of energy and material flows in ecological systems, he has helped to develop methods for determining material and energy use efficiency and resilience, and applied them to systems at scales ranging from neighborhoods and industrial complexes up to large cities.

Concurrent to Weissburg’s appointment, five others were named Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems Faculty (BBISS) Fellows:

• Kate Pride Brown (School of History and Sociology),
• Emanuele Massetti (School of Public Policy),
• Yuanzhi Tang (School of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences),
• Cassandra Telenko (Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering), and
• Perry Yang (School of City & Regional Planning).

In addition to their own work, Brook Byers Professors and BBISS Fellows serve as a board of advisors to the BBISS, and help to advance its vision, mission, values, and objectives across the community of sustainability-minded researchers, educators, and students at Georgia Tech.

Additional Links:
http://sustainable.gatech.edu/profs_fellows

The Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems promotes comprehensive and innovative systems-based approaches to address the challenges and opportunities inherent in achieving a sustainable and prosperous future. The BBISS enhances Georgia Tech’s research, education, and service missions, and campus operations through leadership, communications, development, and decision making inspired and defined by the principles of sustainability. More information is available at the BBISS Website.