Marvin Whiteley, professor in the School of Biological Sciences, has been named the new editor in chief of mBio, an open-access journal that explores the interconnected microbial world and publishes research in microbiology and allied fields. Whiteley’s term will begin on July 1, 2025. 

American Society for Microbiology

National Weather Service staff cuts may put lives at risk, meteorologists say

The firings of hundreds of National Weather Service employees will affect local forecasters’ ability to warn the public about dangerous weather, local meteorologists warn. And that could have deadly consequences when there are tornado outbreaks or an approaching hurricane, some say.

Georgia Tech’s Dean of the College of Sciences, Susan Lozier, says the weather forecasts aren’t just useful for those planning outdoor activities.

“It goes beyond protecting people and personal property, which is great. But it just impacts so many corners of our economy,” Lozier said. “Transportation relies on the weather. Do we really want the safety of our skies dependent on private industry? Or our armed forces? There are just amazing stories about how accurate weather forecasting has won battles."

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia named Robert Scott president of Albany State University, effective May 1, 2025. Scott, who holds a Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology, will return to higher education after almost two decades working in the private sector. 

University System of Georgia, External Affairs

A shallow magnitude earthquake shook parts of middle Georgia earlier Tuesday evening, less than half a day after tremors were felt in northwest Georgia in Chattooga County.

11Alive meteorologist Melissa Nord (EAS 2013) spoke with a Georgia Tech seismologist, who explained Northwest Georgia is the state's most active seismic region. It is located within the Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone, which experiences frequent, small earthquakes. 

Zhigang Peng, professor of geophysics in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, recently co-authored a research study on the frequency of earthquakes in this Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone.

"We connected all of the data that has been recorded in that region over the past 15 years or so. And then we carefully relocated, trying to determine exactly where they're located. And after we did that, we found out that many of them occur in small kind of ligament, which is probably an indication that there are some small faults," Peng said. 

It's possible that Tuesday's earthquake in northwest Georgia was one of those small ligaments or faults, but Dr. Peng said he'd need to investigate further. 

11 Alive

Four million Americans suffer from glaucoma, an incurable eye disease that slowly degrades peripheral vision and eventually leads to blindness. A new treatment could potentially stop this degradation and possibly save people’s vision before it’s too late.

Raquel Lieberman, a professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, and her lab team have discovered two new antibodies with promise to treat glaucoma. The antibodies can break down the protein myocilin, which, when it malfunctions, can cause glaucoma.

Lieberman’s group recently published this research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: Nexus.

Futurity