Ph.D. Student Bettina Arkhurst Chosen for BBISS GRA Scholars Program

June 18, 2021

Bettina ArkhurstBettina Arkhurst, Ph.D. student in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, was recently selected for the inaugural class of Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems (BBISS) Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) Scholars. Arkhurst and six other students will complete a 2-year program of working, studying, and training as an interdisciplinary sustainability research team.

"Bettina is a phenomenal researcher, passionate activist, and dedicated community member, and I am so thrilled for her to be part of the inaugural cohort of BBISS GRA Scholars," said Katherine Fu, assistant professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering.

Launching in the Fall of 2021 with funding provided by a generous gift from Brook and Shawn Byers and guidance from a Faculty Advisory Board, the BBISS GRA Scholars will receive supplemental training in sustainability, team science, and leadership. They will apply their skills and talents, working directly with their peers, faculty, and external partners on a long-term, large team, sustainability relevant Vertically Integrated Project. They will participate in the organization and hosting of a seminar series in which they will invite and meet global leaders in sustainability, and they will have additional opportunities to develop professional networks, to publish, to draft proposals, to acquire knowledge, and to develop other skills critical to their professional success and relevant to their intellectual interests.

"Bettina and I will both get to engage with this extraordinary interdisciplinary and diverse group of graduate students and faculty from across campus for the next two years, which I’m sure will be an invaluable experience for both of us," said Fu, who serves on the Faculty Advisory Board for the BBISS GRA Scholars.

Arkhurst's research lies at the intersection of energy, design and equity. She is seeking to create frameworks for mechanical engineers to apply as they design energy technologies for all communities. She has participated in research projects spanning disciplines such as parasitology, neuroscience and thermal metrology. As an undergraduate, Arkhurst found her passions for community-building, mental health, engineering and equity. Today, she leads her department’s graduate student mental health committee and is a member of the department’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Council. Arkhurst is also a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and Alfred P. Sloan Scholar. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from MIT.

The complete class of Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems Graduate Research Assistant Scholars are:

  • Bettina Arkhurst - Ph.D. student, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
  • Katherine Duchesneau - Ph.D. student, School of Biological Sciences
  • Marjorie Hall - Ph.D. student in History of Technology, School of History and Sociology, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
  • Meaghan McSorley - Ph.D. student, School of City and Regional Planning, College of Design
  • Udita Ringania - Ph.D. student, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
  • Ioanna Maria Spyrou - Ph.D. student, School of Economics, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
  • Yilun 'Elon' Zha - Ph.D. student, School of Architecture, College of Design, and Master of Science candidate in statistics, Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, College of Engineering

The Faculty Advisory Board for the BBISS GRA Scholars is composed of the faculty who submitted the students' nominations. Nominations for Classes II and III of the BBISS GRA Scholars program will open in Spring 2022 and Spring 2023. It is expected that 6 to 8 scholars will be selected for each year’s group.

The Faculty Advisory Board for the inaugural class are: 

Updates and outcomes will be posted to the BBISS website as the project progresses. Additional information is available at https://sustainable.gatech.edu/bbiss_gra_scholars.