Tsinghua University Students visit BBISS

August 2012

Prof. Crittenden with visiting and BBISS students.

Earlier this month, eight students and one faculty member from Tsinghua University’s School of Environment visited Georgia Tech for two weeks as part of a student exchange program. It was funded by a cost sharing collaboration between Tsingua University and the BBISS. The exchange provided a cultural and academic forum for students studying many aspects of sustainable urban systems to learn from each other while gaining a cultural perspective that only international travel can foster.

The students were able to interact with fifteen members of the Georgia Tech faculty from nine different disciplines, all with a focus on sustainable technologies. Students also had the opportunity to visit several sites off campus for their relevance to sustainability and the unique culture of the Southeastern U. S. The tour included visits to the Southface Energy Institute, High Museum of Art, Clayton County constructed wetland, World of Coke, Georgia Aquarium, John’s Creek membrane water treatment facility, and the Atlanta office of the green architecture firm Perkins + Will. The students also travelled to Orlando, Florida for a few days to visit the attractions.

Students tour the Clayton County constructed wetland.

Last year, in July of 2011, seven students from the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems travelled to China for a 3 week journey that took them to Tsinghua University in Beijing, Shanghai, and Chongming Island.  BBISS students had the opportunity to visit many of the rich cultural sites in Beijing.

The academic aspects of both trips were organized in a similar way.  Students were grouped by research interest and paired with a faculty advisor.  The groups developed a short project over the course of several days.  Final presentations were given in which the students showed what new insights they acquired into their chosen topics.  In both instances, the students gained an appreciation for the cultural differences in arriving at sustainable solutions to urban problems.  The students from both countries have also significantly expanded their circles of colleagues as they pursue their professional careers in sustainability and urban infrastructure.

See the student presentations...

BBISS Researchers Tour Eco-Cities in China

Profs. Crittenden and Brown tour Tianjin Eco-City.

It would be no surprise to anyone to hear that China is well into a building boom.  The nation is very rapidly urbanizing due to its expanding manufacturing sector.  Large cities are being constructed from scratch where there once was open rural land.  It might surprise some that many of these will be eco-cities, designed and constructed with sustainable design features, materials, and infrastructure systems.  The speed and scale of these projects affords a rich opportunity for research and innovation towards a better understanding of what constitutes an “eco-city” in the real world.

Toward that end, a delegation from Georgia Tech recently participated in “The China-US Workshop on Environmental Protection and Urban Sustainable Development” in Tianjin.  It was co-organized by the ChineseNational Natural Science Foundation and the U.S. NationalScience Foundation and co-hosted by TianjinUniversity and Georgia Institute of Technology.  The U.S. delegation of investigators are part of an NSF funded project from the Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation - Resilient and Sustainable Infrastructures (EFRI-RESIN) program called, “Sustainable Infrastructures for Energy and Water Supply (SINEWS).”   The Chinese delegation is affiliated with the ResearchCenter for Eco-Environmental Sciences (RCEES) at Tianjin University.

Model of Tianjin Eco-City when completed.

The workshop focused on the current status of the urban environment, its challenges, its future, and sustainable development strategies.  There were three technical areas of focus for this networking workshop:

•  water/energy nexus
• land use
• ecosystem services

The goal of the workshop was to establish in-depth discussions and garner lessons from an international community of scholars about some of the key issues impacting the urban environment.  Consideration was also given to how the delegations could provide support for each other’s research and how government decision making could play a role in advancing the state of the art. 

Wetland boardwalk view overlooking ongoing construction.

This workshop will not only help to advance the sustainability of the eco-cities in China, but also offers examples of innovations that are applicable to other cities.  Serving as a backdrop to this event, participants toured the new eco-city development in the Bei Hi district which is south of Tianjin.  This eco-city is a joint effort between the governments of China and Singapore and will have 350,000 residents.

See the presentations ... 

St. Patrick’s Day to Earth Day : a Month of Green

One of the most common ways to get into the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day is to wear green clothing, in our case, socks. While expressing one’s green inclinations outwardly with colorful attire should never be discouraged, opportunities abound at Georgia Tech to act on, and internalize that spirit of green. So, perhaps St. Patty’s Day is best seen as a warm-up to a whole month of green themed events culminating with Earth Day. Take a look at all that’s happening at Georgia Tech over the next month.

• Every Thursday (Except March 22^nd) in Tech Walkway 11 AM – 2 PM - Georgia Tech Farmers Market.
• Now until March 30^th - Donate items for the Earth Day Office Supply Exchange.
• Now Until March 30th & at Earth Day on April 20th – E-Waste Recycling. Georgia Tech's Earth Day Planning Committee is once again working with Atlanta Recycling Solutions to host the 7th annual Electronics Recycling Drive during Earth Day 2012.
• March 28th - Building Your Clean Tech Company in the South - Paul Quinlan, Managing Director, North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association.
• Monday April 2nd, 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm, LeCraw Auditorium, College of Management, or watch the free live webcast - IMPACT Speaker Series - Blake Canterbury, the Founder and CEO of beremedy. Beremedy is an organization that uses social media to connect those in need with those who can help.
• Monday April 2nd, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm, College of Management Atrium – Ideas to Serve Competition - Poster Showcase and Reception. Join us for an evening of ideas, inspiration, and social innovation.
• Wednesday April 4th, 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm, LeCraw Auditorium , College of Management - Final Round of the Ideas to Serve Competition.

April 16 – 20, Think Green Week 2012 – Details on events for Think Green Week are not finalized yet, however here is a preliminary list of events.  More details will be available soon, so stay tuned.

• Monday April 16^th – Water Symposium Day.
• Tuesday April 17^th – Go Outside Day!
• Wednesday April 18^th , 3PM to 7PM– Movie and Documentary Day at the Student Center Theater. Movies: Grow! and Tapped
• Thursday April18th – Bike Day
• April 20^th, 10AM - 3PM, Tech Walkway - 2012 Georgia Tech Earth Day Celebration -
  Come celebrate Earth Day at one of the largest such events in the southeast. The event is free, open to the public and features 70 exhibitors, eco-friendly giveaways, recycling opportunities, a clothing swap, an office supply exchange, live music, organic popcorn, and much more. Also, keep an eye out for the Georgia Tech Engineers for a Sustainable World solar beverage cart.