Author: James Ivey

Dr. Steven Girardot Elected President-Elect of UERU

Dr. Steven Girardot, vice provost for Undergraduate Education and Student Success, has been named President-elect of the Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities (UERU), a national organization comprised of R1 and R2 research university leaders committed to excellence in undergraduate education.

Dr. Steven Girardot, vice provost for Undergraduate Education and Student Success, has been named President-elect of the Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities (UERU), a national organization comprised of R1 and R2 research university leaders committed to excellence in undergraduate education. UERU (pronounced “yoo-roo”) includes a national network of Undergraduate Vice Provosts/Presidents (UVPs) who have expertise in the theory and practice of undergraduate education. Dr. Girardot will begin his leadership role at UERU’s Fall 2025 UVP meeting in October. 

“Dr. Girardot was elected by his peers to serve a three-year term on UERU’s Board, including as President & Board Chair in 2026-27,” said Dr. Steve Dandaneau, Executive Director, Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities. “Few research university leaders have contributed more than him to strengthening undergraduate education. Few have done more to strengthen and support UERU as well.” 

Dr. Girardot has served as vice provost for Undergraduate Education and Student Success since 2022, having previously served as associate vice provost for Undergraduate Education from 2012-22. As vice provost, he provides campuswide leadership for all aspects of undergraduate education, including undergraduate advising, retention and completion, general education (Core IMPACTS), and academic policies for undergraduates. He also oversees the Office of Undergraduate Education and Student Success (OUESS), which includes Academic Success and Advising (ASA), the Office of Student Achievement (OSA), the Office of Experiential and Engaged Learning (E2L), the Career Center, the John H. Martinson Honors Program (JMHP), and Georgia Tech’s 2025 Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), Leaders in Progress and Service. He helped launch and continues to lead the First-Year Semester Abroad (FYSA) Program, in collaboration with the Office of International Education (OIE). A Georgia Tech alumnus, Dr. Girardot holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and a Master of Science in Chemistry from the Institution. He earned a doctorate in chemistry and a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from Emory University, and his research area was at the intersection of chemistry and environmental health. 

“I am honored to be elected President-elect of UERU, a role that allows me to collaborate with colleagues across the nation who are deeply committed to advancing undergraduate education and student success,” said Dr. Girardot. “This leadership opportunity will not only enrich my work at Georgia Tech by bringing new perspectives and best practices to our campus but also contribute to shaping the broader conversation around the undergraduate experience in higher education.” 

UERU currently includes 138 member institutions, collectively serving nearly 3 million undergraduate students. The organization is dedicated to fostering connections among leaders in undergraduate academic affairs, sharing best practices, and promoting innovation in teaching, advising, curricular design, and student success. More information may be found on the UERU website.

Georgia Tech Undergraduates Selected to Study Abroad in Germany

Eight Georgia Tech students were recognized for their exceptional achievements and have been awarded the opportunity to conduct summer research in Germany through the DAAD Rise Fellowship and the TUM Prep Fellowship. 

Student on her laptop on Skiles Walkway

 

Eight Georgia Tech students were recognized for their exceptional achievements and have been awarded the opportunity to conduct summer research in Germany through the DAAD Rise Fellowship and the TUM Prep Fellowship.

DAAD Rise Fellowship

The DAAD Rise Fellowship is an esteemed program that offers undergraduate students the chance to work with research groups at top German universities and research institutions. This fellowship is designed to foster international research collaborations and provide students with hands-on research experience. Our four Georgia Tech recipients have been chosen for their academic excellence and their enthusiasm for engaging in cutting-edge research in Germany.

Lincoln Crowe, CE and BME 2026

Jackson Stahl 

 

Jackson Stahl is passionate about advancing nuclear-powered rocket engines for cismartian and deep space missions. This summer, he will research a novel method of trapping pair-plasmas via a levitating dipole trap at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, aiming to improve fusion device efficiency. Working in Bavaria will provide Jackson with valuable insight into European research. He encourages aspiring researchers to explore Georgia Tech’s labs early, as professors are eager to support students in discovering their research interests.

 

Lincoln Crowe

Lincoln Crowe aims to advance alternative energy sources and sustainable energy storage technology. This summer, he will research sulfur-based catholytes for alkali-metal batteries at the University of Humboldt, contributing to the development of more sustainable alternatives to lithium-ion batteries. His experience working alongside PhD students will deepen his understanding of sodium-ion battery projects at Georgia Tech and prepare him for his goal of earning a PhD in Chemical or Materials Engineering. Lincoln, a recipient of the Elbert Ward Jones Jr. and James G. Wohlford scholarships, encourages students to embrace exploration, knowing there’s plenty of time to find the right path beyond college.

Jackson Stahl, ME 2027

TUM Prep Fellowship

The TUM Prep Fellowship is a unique program that allows students to gain practical experience in their field of study at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). This fellowship supports students in developing their skills and knowledge through internships and research projects. Our four Georgia Tech winners have demonstrated exceptional talent and dedication, and they are poised to make significant contributions during their time at TUM.

Anisa Murray, ME 2027

Murtaza Nomani 

 

Murtaza’s primary goal through his research is to make electric energy abundant and affordable. He became interested in TUM Prep as a way to combine his interest in research with his love of German language and culture. He hopes that this experience will help him make connections with researchers in the field and potentially start a career in Germany. He advises all new students to “apply for anything and everything” and “be open to any type of experience.” 

Beatrix Lidl, BS Mathematics 2027

Mina Dryden 

 

Mina Dryden, pursuing a BS in Mathematics and Economics (expected 2027), is set to broaden her academic horizons through TUM Prep. Her research will explore the global political economy of critical raw materials, aiming to address supply chain shortages and promote sustainable recovery efforts. Additionally, she will analyze public perceptions of technological advancements in health and medicine. This experience will contribute to her long-term goal of becoming a researcher in economic policy at the national or international level. She advises incoming students to seize every opportunity, persevere through challenges, and prioritize their future selves.

Anisa Murray

Anisa aims to enable large-scale sustainable living through intentional design of our built environment. Anisa applied to the TUM Prep program to gain interdisciplinary research experience and expand her cultural fluency. Her project, “Heritage for a Sustainable Future,” explores how traditional sustainable building techniques can inspire modern architecture to address climate change and flexible housing needs. Through this research, she hopes to gain exposure to the intersection of engineering, architecture, and environmental science.

Murtaza Nomani, BS ME 2024; MS 2025

Beatrix Lidl

Beatrix, a recipient of the GT College of Sciences Dean’s Scholarship, hopes to use mathematics to improve the world. She will spend her summer developing machine learning algorithms to solve vehicle routing problems. She looks forward to being in Munich, where her family is from, and improving her German language skills. Beatrix encourages new students to make use of the many people available to help by going to office hours, talking to TAs, and asking advisors questions. 

Mina Dryden, BS Math and Economics 2027

Additional Information

 

If you are interested in the DAAD Rise or TUM Prep Fellowship, please contact Prestigious Fellowship Advisor, Georgia Brunner, at fellowshipsadvising@gatech.edu or the Global Research & Internship Program (GRIP) in the Office of International Education (OIE) – Amanda Tysor (amanda.tysor@oie.gatech.edu) or Jonathan Rivera Perez (jrivera@oie.gatech.edu). Prestigious Fellowships and the Office of International Education host events throughout the fall and spring semesters to promote prestigious international opportunities through the GRIP Engagement Series – find out more at grip.oie.gatech.edu. 

Double Major Yashvardhan Tomar Selected to Receive 2022 Love Family Foundation Scholarship

Aerospace engineering and physics major Yashvardhan Tomar has been selected to receive the 2022 Love Family Foundation Scholarship. The $10,000 scholarship is awarded annually to a Georgia Tech graduating senior with the most outstanding academic record.

Aerospace engineering and physics major Yashvardhan Tomar has been selected to receive the 2022 Love Family Foundation Scholarship. The $10,000 scholarship is awarded annually to a Georgia Tech graduating senior with the most outstanding academic record. It represents one of the highest academic honors given to an undergraduate student. Winners are selected by the associate and assistant deans of all six colleges.

Sometimes I still have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not in some particularly dreamy state after overdosing on bouts of hyper-surrealist poetry,” said Tomar about winning the award. “With around 3,500 to 4,000 graduating students, each more accomplished than the other, it is undoubtedly a very humbling experience to be chosen for this grand honor.

Yashvardhan knew at an early age that he wanted to be a leading aerospace engineer and space scientist. “The reason was plain and simple — as reasons are when one is seven — I had a deep, consuming fascination with the manifold charms of the deep, alluring cosmos,” he said. He also knew that Georgia Tech could provide the pathways for success in his academic career.

Eager to begin his college career, Yashvardhan chose to start a semester early at Georgia Tech by joining the first Summer iGniTe program. Students in the iGniTe program start their first semester at Tech during the late-short summer term. The early exposure and familiarization with the culture and resources at Tech gave him a more concrete sense of what he wished to accomplish through his undergraduate education. Within just his first two years at Tech, he had two first-author publications in peer-reviewed journals, became the youngest teaching assistant in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering Department to teach weekly recitations, and was honored by the Vertical Flight Society with the highly prestigious Charles C. Crawford Fellowship — given to the top five undergraduate students from universities around the world contributing to the field. 

Graduating with two majors, according to Tomar, was never the original plan. “It was only after taking some astrophysics courses, sheerly out of interest and an innate longing to understand the magic of the universe at its most fundamental level, that I started considering the possibility of pursuing two fields of study in earnest.” Coming from a different education system, Yashvardhan started with almost no transfer credit, which meant he had to pack his semesters to complete both degrees within a four-year time frame — all while still finding time for research, teaching, volunteer work, and a somewhat unexpected love, poetry. “I was invested in the Poetry@Tech society at Tech all through my years here. I can affirm that one of the best things to happen to me was meeting Ilya Kaminsky and receiving his mentorship in refining my craft.”

I wish there were words sincere enough in the language to aptly convey how grateful I feel to the Institute — the administration, the college deans, and the members of the award committee — for choosing me, among so many promising candidates, for this high honor; to my department chairs Stephen Ruffin, Graeme Kennedy, and Michael Schatz for investing their faith in my candidature; to all my research mentors for always holding a lantern on the path forward; to my peers and family for always keeping me strong and resolute through testing times. And of course, I convey my most earnest gratitude to the Love family for bringing this glad, glad moment to life for me!

After graduating, he plans to rush home and meet family — who he hasn’t seen in over three years. Later this summer, he will begin a Ph.D. program in theoretical astrophysics at Caltech.

2020 Love Award Winner

For Daniel Gurevich, it’s a balance of hard work, gratitude, connecting the dots across distant scientific fields, and setting aside time to connect with fellow students—and chess players.