From Big Bets to Local Solutions: Tech’s Role in Resilience
 

Dates: February 9–10, 2026
Location: Price Gilbert Scholars Theater

The Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems holds its signature event each year in the Spring called the Sustainability Showcase. We invite Georgia Tech researchers, students, staff, and partners to share their work with the sustainability community.

The theme for the 2026 Sustainability Showcase is "From Big Bets to Local Solutions: Tech's Role in Resilience." There will be two days of panel discussions, presentations, and keynotes about the latest sustainability initiatives and research happening at Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech President Emeritus, G. Wayne Clough, will give a keynote called "Wildlife Management & Resiliency – A Big Vision for Georgia."

The theme for day one will be "From Wilderness to Cities: Building Resilience Across Landscapes and Communities." The theme for day two will be "Imaging Georgia’s Resilient Future: AI, Art, Infrastructure, and Learning." There will be ample opportunities throughout the two days for networking, snacks, and refreshments.

We look forward to another great opportunity for the Georgia Tech sustainability community to gather, share, and amplify everyone's great work.

Stay tuned for updates as we work to complete our schedule.

February 9 - Sustainability Showcase - Day 1

9 – 9:55 a.m. | Networking Breakfast

9:55 a.m. | Welcome: Beril Toktay

10 – 10:50 a.m. | Keynote: "Wildlife Management & Resiliency – A Big Vision for Georgia"

• G. Wayne Clough: President Emeritus, Georgia Institute of Technology and former Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
• To be followed by a Q&A and chat with Beril Toktay

11 – 11:25 a.m. | "Resilience & Community Engagement - Outcomes  from Wildlife Conservation: From Georgia’s Piedmont into the Appalachians"

• Jenny McGuire, Associate Professor, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Tech

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Georgia Tech for Georgia’s Tomorrow: Harnessing Science to Boost Resilience and Reduce Risk

• Joel Kostka, Professor and Associate Chair of Research, School of Biological Sciences
  Director, Georgia Tech for Georgia’s Tomorrow

12:30 – 1:15 p.m. | Lunch and Networking

1:15 – 2 p.m. | Panel Discussion: "Resilience Under Extreme Events: Modeling and Decisions"

• Xiao Liu (moderator), "Machine learning for data fusion in wildfire spread and smoke propagation," David M. McKenney Family Associate Professor, H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Tech
• Feng Qiu, "Optimize public safety power shutoff for wildfire prevention," Principal Computational Scientist and a Section Leader at Argonne National Laboratory
• Hiba Baroud, "Risk-Informed Analytics for Infrastructure Resilience Planning," Associate Chair and Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering & Computer Science, Vanderbilt University

2:15 – 3:15 p.m. | Panel Discussion: "The Role of Geospatial Technologies and AI in Advancing Resilient Urban Futures"

• Subhro Guhathakurta (moderator), Harry West Professor, School of City & Regional Planning
  Director, Center for Urban Resilience and Analytics, Georgia Tech
• Rounaq Basu, Assistant Professor, School of City and Regional Planning, Georgia Tech
• Perry Yang, Professor, Schools of City and Regional Planning and Architecture
  Director, Eco Urban Lab, Georgia Tech
• Yiyi He, Assistant Professor, School of City and Regional Planning, Georgia Tech
• Chaeyeon Han, Ph.D. Student, School of City and Regional Planning, Georgia Tech
• Tony Giarrusso, Professor of the Practice, School of City & Regional Planning
  Associate Director, Center for Urban Resilience and Analytics

3:15 – 4:30 p.m. | Center for Sustainable Communities Research and Education (SCoRE): Resilience Discussion Hour

• David Lloyd Davis: “How the Children of the Civil Rights Era Created America’s Largest Urban  Forest”
• "From Research to Relationship: Building Shared Learning Spaces Around Emerging Energy Transition Technologies," Presenters: Alexandra Rodriguez Dalmau, Sarah Cribb, Caitlin Petro, Jung-Ho Lewe

4:30 – 6 p.m. | Reception and Networking

February 10 - Sustainability Showcase - Day 2

9 – 9:30 a.m. | Coffee and Networking

9:30 – 10:30 a.m. | "AI Data Centers & Sustainability"

• Allen Hyde, Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, Georgia Tech

10:30 – 11 a.m. | "Sonifying AI Data Centers:  Performance & Installation"

• Alexandria Smith, Assistant Professor, School of Music, Georgia Tech

11:05 – 11:35 a.m. | "Teaching about Resilience"

• Daniel Molzahn, Associate Professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Tech
• Featuring a demonstration of the power grid modeling video game “Current Crisis” developed through a Georgia Tech VIP project

11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | “Leading by Example on Campus Resilience”

• Jen Chirico, Associate Vice President of Sustainability, Georgia Tech

12:15 – 1 p.m. | Lunch and Networking

1 – 1:45 p.m. | “Teaching with Hope: an Approach to Resilience in Climate Action"

• An interactive session that draws on the work of Ayana Elizabeth Johnson to explore ways we can support each other, find joy, and build the resilience required to engage in the hard work of climate action, for the long-haul.
• Facilitated by:
  - Rebecca Watts Hull, Assistant Director, Faculty Development for Sustainability Education Initiatives, Center for Teaching and Learning, Georgia Tech
  - Matthew Realff, Professor and David I.J. Wang Faculty Fellow, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Tech
  - Christie Stewart, Senior Academic Professional, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Tech

2 – 4 p.m. | “Building a Shared Vision for Resilience at Georgia Tech”

• This visioning session will be the launch pad for a collaboration forum for defining the top themes for resilience research, education, and action in Georgia including a statement document for the purposes of driving collaboration and advancement of research. You will be invited into the community of practice to continue the conversation.
• Sign up to participate

4 p.m. | Closing Remarks and Networking