G e o r g i a I n s t i t u t e o f T e c h n o l o g y

September 2008

THE VIEW FROM HERE Change is in the air…and the furniture and the office and the residencehall and themembers of theHonors Program.We havewelcomed our thirdcohort of freshmen—115 energetic interesting new personalities—to thenewlyrenovatedFieldHallanditsenvirons,wheresomeof ourreceptionsandeventswillbeheldduring the academicyear.Manyof our returning studentshave changed, too, after recent internships, study and travel abroad, or justhardworkinsummerclasses.Checkoutsomephotosof theirexperiencesonpage 7.And check out our newoffice space, in Suite 103 of theA. FrenchBuilding. Though the timing of the move was a bit inconvenient (the firstweekof classes)andmayhaveleftsomeof youconfusedastowhatthedevilwas going on, it’s a wonderful space that we hope you will visit frequently. Of course,allournewspecialtopiccoursesareunderway,andwehopetohearhowthey’regoing.Infact,markyourcalendarsforapresentationbyDr.JoelSokol’sclasson“TheMathematicalModelingof ElectionIssues”theeveningof October30.Wehavealsoinvitedacoupleof veryspecialspeakerstoAtlantatomeetpersonallywithHPstudentsandgivepublictalks.ThefirstwillbeapresentationbyJonahLehrer,authorof “ProustwasaNeuroscientist.”Pleasemakeplanstoattendhistalktheeveningof October1intheLeCrawAuditoriumof theManagementBuilding. Notethattofindoutaboutanyof oureventsthisyear,youcancheckourfaithfullyupdatedcalendarwhichisfoundbygoingtotheHonorsProgramwebsitelink“News&Events.”(Youmayfindthattobethemostusefulchangeyet.)

by Dr. Monica Halka

The Honorsp r o g r a m

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2nd Annual Honors Program Retreatby Victor lesniewski

Soyouareacoupleof weeks intoyourfirstyearof college.Whatareyour impressions?Maybeyouhavehad enough already and need a break to clear yourmind. Or do you walk around Field, nodding to a familiar face without actually knowing who that kidis? Youmight not even knowwhy you are living inField, and you might be wondering what this whole HonorsProgram thing entails.Don’t youwish therewasaweekendretreatthatcouldfillthosevoids?Well,you’reinluck!

See Retreat pg. 2

JonahLehrerwillbespeakingonOct.1

New Advising Strategy

TheHonorsProgramwill open a satelliteofficeon the basement level in Field Residence Hall.The FieldHP office will be open twice a weekbeginning mid-September and will offer hoursthataccommodateastudent'sbusyschedule.

Photographer Needed

The HyPe is in search of a photographer.InterestedvolunteersshouldcontactDr.Halkaat

monica.halka@gatech.edu for more info.

It’s called the Honors Program Retreat and it’shappening September 20th - 21st at the beautifulIndian Springs State Park. Join us for aweekend of actionandinteraction.Fromsalsadancingandimprovto biking and hiking youwill finally get a chance tomeettheotherstudentsfromFieldandexchangemorethana“hello.”WanttogainsomeinsightintoGeorgiaTechandtheHonorsProgram?Professorswilljoin2ndand3rdyearstudentswhohavebeenthereanddonethat (trust us, we have) in answering your questionsandconcerns.Second-andthird-yearHPstudentsareplanning the entireweekend specifically for you, andwe know what’s worth your time and our own. Plus, we know how to have fun.

So join us September 20th and 21st and escape thehustleandbustleof Tech!

We’llbelookingforyou.GetmoreinformationandRSVPathttp://www.honorsprogram.gatech.edu/HPRetreat/Home_Page.html

Retreat (cont.)

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Letmetellyouaboutthetime$100,000wasdangledinfrontof myface, takenaway,andI left thewholesituationsmiling.AfewmonthsagoIwasapproachedtotakepartintheFordCollegeCommunityChallenge,a competition between schools to compete for oneof five $100,000 grants. As members of this teamthat included undergrads, grads, faculty and staff fromGeorgiaTech,our taskwas tocreateagreenercommunity,notonlyforGeorgiaTech itself,but thecityof Atlanta.Ourteamworkedformonthstocreateafinalproposalthatultimately“missedthefundingbyahair,”butourimpactwillsoonbeseenacrosscampus. After the Honors Program bike-share programgot underway in the fall of 2007,word got out andmoreseriousdiscussionsbeganaroundcampusaboutexpandingtheprogramtoalargerscale.Eventually,thisideaevolvedintoasignificantportionof Tech’sgrantproposal. Thebikesectionof theproposal includedsmartbikerackswithautomatedsolar-poweredkioskswhere students, faculty and staff could swipe theirBuzzcardsandcheckoutabike. The plan also involved modifying some of theCRC’s cardiovascular training equipment to recoversome of the energy expended during exercise. Notonlywouldthishelpraiserenewableenergyawareness,itwouldalsochargeyourcellphoneorMP3player. Sowhy am I talking about things thatwill neverhappen? Thoughwedidn’t get funding, themodifiedbikeenergyplanisnowapartof MechanicalEngineering’sCapstoneDesignprojectunderDr.BertBras.Throughdiscussions around campus with Facilities, CapitalProjects, Campus Police, Alternative Transportation,Student Affairs, the Manufacturing Research CenterandHousing,bikeusagehasbecomeapartof GT’sCampusMasterPlan,withmorebikelanes,racksandsafetymeasuresbecomingavailableforbikeriders. Meetings are still going on to further this kindof development on campus, so I encourage you tocontactKoji Intlekofer (kintlekofer3@gatech.edu) toget involved. Remember, it’s not about the number of wheels, it’s about the degree of freedom.

It’s Not About The Moneyby eMily weigel

MonaLisacapturedhidingbehindatypicalelectricitypole in Ho Chi Minh (Photo: Santiago Hässig)

San

tia

go

Hä

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Photo of the Month

105 A. French Bldg

It’sofficial:Americahasfalleninlovewithavampire.Thefangedheroof StephanieMeyer’sridiculouslypopularTwilight series,EdwardCullen has captured the heartsof women everywhere and set even more impossiblestandardsformentonotliveupto.HurricaneEdwardhitoverthesummer,whileI(likemanyotherHPkids)wasstudying abroad. I hadn’t heard of the book series, but I waskeepinganeyeonFacebook,andwhenmorepeoplestartedtohave“EdwardCullenismyboyfriend”bumperstickersthan“NickJonas”ones,Iknewsomethinghugehadhappened. At its most basic level, Twilight is essentially a lovestorybetweenanordinaryteenagegirlandavampire.Of course,given thedietof vampires, the relationshiphascertaincomplications.Thenthereare“trackervampires,”those who hunt mortals merely for fun. While it all may sound like the sort of thing only teenage girls read, the audience is surprisinglywide: this story is appealing tojustaboutanyagerange,andmanyguysfindthemselves“sucked” into the plot (sorry, I had to). Given thispopularity, I’m not going to delve any deeper into thestoryforfearof spoilingit. Currently,therearefourbooksintheseries:Twilight,NewMoon,EclipseandBreakingDawn.Controversyhasalsoswirledaroundtherecentlyleakeddraftof MidnightSun, an unfinishedmanuscript. Meyer has spoken outquiteharshlyagainstthosewhocausedtheleakandhasstated that the actual work (and by consequence thewholeTwilight universe) is now“onhold indefinitely.”However, she has made the controversial transcriptavailable on her website for fans to view. Naturally, there’s amovie in theworks: look for thefilmversionof thefirstnoveltocomeoutonNovember21of this year, replacing the spot traditionallyheldbyeveryone’sfavoriteteenagewizard(HarryPotter’sreleasedatehasbeenpushedbacktosummerof 2009).TrailerscanalreadybeenseenonApple’swebsite,andtheMTVmovieblogisrunningcontinuousnewsonthefilm,alongwithspecial“TwilightTuesdays.”If thepopularityof thebooksisanyindication,themovieissuretobeahit.

Penelope'stumblinglockslost their lusterasshecouldfindnosolacefrom the grease of the suitors.Her eyes turned grey,herlipsnowaknife,foritwasallshecoulddotokeeptheirbeardsfromscrapinghercheekandtheirknucklesfrominvadingher.EventheboyTelemachuswas sooty from toil,hisearsbleedingfromthearrowsthatflewfromtheslimyjowlsof theswine...Penelopehidherbruisesandescapedtotheseanightly,lyingonthebeachso that the wavescaressedherbreasts,keptthesecretsbetweenherlegs...ShemoanedforherOdysseus...

Andhismoansweredifferentcompletelyinthearmsof Calypso,atthefeetof Circe.

But in the end, Odysseus returnedandforgotCalypso,forgotCirce,PrayedtoAthena,slaughtered the suitorsclappedhissononthebackand made lovetodear,sweetPenelope.

Bitten and Smitten: Vampire Loveby saraH gilbreatH

My Odysseyby Diana kerckHof

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If you’re like most viewers, you probably mainly tuned into Olympiccoverageof swimming,gymnastics,andtrackandfield.JohnWatson,anHonors Program third-year student, was interested in the lesser-known sportof kayaking.Johndedicatedeightyearstothesport,andgottowatchhisfriendandformertrainingpartner,BennFraker,racetoafifthplacefinishinthemen’ssinglecanoeslalomeventinBeijing.

Johnbegankayakingattheageof nine,whenhisdadintroducedhimtothesport.HebegantrainingandracingwiththeAtlantaCenterof Excellence,alocalslalomracingclub.Asheprogressedtoanelitelevel,histrainingunderformerOlympicTeamcoachMikeLarimerconsistedof aboutsixvariedstrengthandenduranceworkoutseachweek.HetravelledwidelythroughtheU.S. andalso spent two summerscompetingand training inPoland,Slovakia,Slovenia,theCzechRepublic,Austria,Italy,andGermany.

Slalomracing, explains John, is “averyobscure sport in theUS…Iwasoneof about10athletesintheentireAtlantaarea.However,oneof thebenefitsof thisisthatitisaveryclose-knitfamilyof athletes,families,andfriends thatcometogether throughout thespringfornumerousregionalandnationalraces.”Oneof thestarsof thiscommunityisPeachtreeCity’sBennFraker,anineteen-year-oldGSUstudentandOlympianwhomJohndescribesas“adetermined,athleticyoungmanwithastrongsenseof humor.”Thetwomedaledtogetherinadoublescanoeeventatthe2004JuniorOlympics.GeorgiaTechisalsowell-representedinthesport.ScottShipleyrepresentedtheUSinthe1992,1996,and2000games.Byalternatingsemestersof studyandtraining,hegraduatedfromTechwithaMechanicalEngineeringdegreeaftertwelveyears.DonGiddens,Deanof theCollegeof Engineering,isthefatherof anotheraccomplishedkayaker,EricGiddens,whocompetedinthe1996Olympics.

Kayakingcombinesallof theelementsthatmakeasportexciting:skill,speed,risk,unpredictability,andhighintensity.AsJohndescribesit,“Thesportof kayaking,racingdownchurningwhitewater,isaveryuncertainthing.Anyonecanhaveagoodday,andanyonecanhaveabadday.There’snowaytopredictwhichwaythewaterwillswirl,andthatcanmakethedifferencebetweenamedalandgoinghomeemptyhanded.Assuch,thebestathletesaren’tnecessarilythestrongestorthefastest,butratherthemostconsistent.”

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Skill, Speed, Risk: Olympic Kayakingby carola conces

BennFrakerandJohnWatson

2008 Olympic Games

v5http://www.honorsprogram.gatech.edu 103 A. French Bldg

A Century-Old Dreamby sijia cai

Boycotts.Protests.Terroristattacks.WhatwithallthecontroversyandmediabuzzabouttheOlympicsthissummer,IthoughtIwouldoffermyperspectiveintowhatmanyChinesehavecharacterizedasthe“culminationof acentury-olddream.”

Quitesimply,theBeijingOlympicswereexceptional.Thecityhadpolisheditself ineverywaytowelcomeguestsfromallovertheglobe.OnecouldwalkoutontoastreetandseemoreforeignersthanChinese.Thesheernumberswereoverwhelming.Chinapoured40billiondollarsintoconstructingnewroadsandstadiumsandimprovingthecity’sinfrastructure.

Theachievementsof theBeijingOlympicsarestrikinggiventheturmoilthatprecededit—snowstorms,earthquakesandtheTibetanuprising.Inlightof thesetrials,isitanywonderthat,tomillionsof Chinese,AugustwouldfinallybethemonthinwhichtheyhadtheopportunitytoshowcasewhatwasuniquelyChinesetotheoutsideworld?

Itisdifficult,withoutadeepfamiliarityof ourhistoryandculture,tounderstandtheextremesensibilitytheChinesehaveregardingtheirplaceintheworld.Personally,Ihavetoadmitthatthemediahypeabouttheopeningceremonywassurprising.Acelebrationof sportsandhumanitywasturnedintoapolarizedpoliticalissue.Nationalleadersworriedaboutterroristattacksandembarrassingno-shows.Butdespitetheconstantbarrageof pessimisticpredictions,thoseissuesfadedintothenightforspectatorsintheBird’sNestonthemagicalnightof August8,2008.

The performances by tens of thousands of volunteerswere perfectly synchronized.As the final torchbearer, LiNingskywalkedhiswayaroundtheinnerrimof thestadium,theroarof excitementhushedintoquietawe.Cappingthewholeeveningwasthepathof flametheOlympicblazetracedasitracedupandcircledthetorchoncebeforelightingupthenightsky.Atthatmoment,weallhadtearsinoureyes.Suddenly,peaceandharmonyseemedtobearealpossibility. ItwasanOlympicsof manyfirsts.Numerouscountriesreceivedtheirfirstmedals,andworldrecordsinawidearrayof sportswerebrokenatanastoundingrate.WhentheGamesfinallyendedandtheOlympicflagwassymbolicallyhandedtothemayorof London,thecurtainsclosedononeof themostsuccessfulGamesinhistoryandthebestexperienceof mylife.

2008 Olympic Games

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BethefirsttomatchthepeoplewiththeexperiencestoclaimyourprizeattheHonorsProgramoffice:Wild Summer Contest

AwardedAFCEA-NOVAscholarshipOxfordsummerprogram-England(Choose2)SpanishLBATsummerstudy(Choose5)StudyabroadinThailandTravelledtoJordanGermanLBATsummerstudy(Choose2)Wonthe2008IndependentForeignFictionPrizeNearlygotdeportedfromtheUnitedStatesWenttotheOlympicsinBeijingWonAerospaceEngineeringdesigncontestMissionTriptoJamaicaCo-opwithGTRIItalianFilmStudyAbroad(Choose2)ShanghaisummerprogramCo-opwithBoseSummer2008PURAaward(Choose5)TaughtatUCBerkeleytechnologycamp

SantiagoHässigPaulVerhaeghenBen HolladayJohnWatsonVictorLesniewskiEmilyChambersChristinaGravesKentoMasuyamaChrisGiardinaLaurenDavisRichardDaviesAudreyPlummerBill BridgersVirginiaChuAllisonGoochWarrenVanNusAndrewFishSamCooganEmilyWeigelRebeccaHoodSarahGilbreathSoniaGolemmeDavidLowryDrewBlackburn

Artists NeededTheHyPeisinsearchof cartoonistsandothervisual artists. Interested volunteers should contact Dr. Halka at monica.halka@gatech.edu

for more info.

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Warren Van Nus(backrow,center)with the GT Motorsports teamcompetedintheFormulaSAEeventatMichigan International Speedwayshortlyafterspringfinals.

Workhard,playhard:Matt Hoffman takes a break from his co-op to hike theDesolationWilderness.

Liam Rattray and friends fought for alternate energy.

Stefan Stephenson-MoewithfriendsinNanJingLu,China.

Sydney Shaffer raced with theLillyteamintheTourdeCureatIndianapolisMotorSpeedway.

tHe Summer in PictureS

Newsletter staff

eDitor-in-cHief: Dr. Monica Halka, Associate Director Georgia Tech Honors Program writers: Carola Conces, Sarah Gilbreath,

& Nicole Leonardforeign corresponDent: Maddie Stoddartarts layout: Dani Slatonlayout: John Watson

Message from the Director

vDesign by joHn watson, 2008

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Acoupleof weeksago,duringarealyawnerpartof theOlympics–probablyabeach volleyball blowoutor something – I decidedto click over to CNN toseewhatthepunditswereupto.Andthere,liveonLarryKing,wereacoupleof talkingheadsdiscussing

arecentjointappearancebyBarackObamaandJohnMcCain,whenbothof thecandidateshadbeenaskedaquestionaboutacomplicatedissuethat’llcertainlybe on the debate agenda later this fall. One of the candidates – and I’m not saying which one – gavea slightly longishbutdecently thoughtful answer tothe question, suggesting that the issue was indeedcomplicated anddidn’t lend itself to a simple,one-sentence answer. Badmove in the short attentionspanof TV-land,itturnedout.Thepunditsallpickedonhimbecause,astheysaidalmostwithasneer,hesounded too professorial. “Whoa,” I saidout loud toLarryKing andhisfriends,“sincewhendid‘professorial’becomeaslur?”That’smylineof work,andweprofessorshavebeen

put on this earth to be in the thoughtful-answerbusiness. Thewhole idea is to lookat complicatedissues, think about them a bit, and try to make sense of them–andhelpourstudentsdothesame. One time I told my US history class, “I teachbecause you vote.” I didn’tmean that Iwanted toteach (much less tell)anyonehowtovote. AskmenoworaskmeonNovember4,andIstillwon’ttellyou. Look at my professorial Volvo, and the onlybumper-sticker you’ll see is a small Atlanta TrackClub decal. No, when I say “I teach because youvote,”Imeanit’smyjob– it’severyprofessor’s job– to showyou that the issues aren’t always so easy,thatthinkingtakeswork,andthatasensibledecisiondoesn’talwayscomeoutinasoundbite.Itsometimesgetscomplicated,butit’salsohowyougetpoliticallysophisticated. Sointhetwomonthsleftinthiselectionseason,take some time to think about the issues, engage the complications,seeksomesophistication.DowhatIdo,talkbacktotheTV,butalsotalktoyourroommatesandclassmatesaboutwhat’sgoingonandseeif youcansummonupsomepolitical sophistication. Andyes,talktoyourprofessors:mostof themareprobablynot too professorial,butjustprofessorialenough.

by Dr. greg nobles

Too Professorial?