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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Atlanta, GA | Posted: June 24, 2016
A. Maureen Rouhi
Director of Communications
College of Sciences
Summary Sentence:
The new unit consolidates Georgia Tech’s strength in the life sciences
Full Summary:
The new unit consolidates Georgia Tech’s strength in the life sciences
School of Biological SciencesEffective on July 1, 2016, the Georgia Tech College of Sciences has a new unit focused on the life sciences – the School of Biological Sciences. Emerging from a reorganization of the former Schools of Applied Physiology and of Biology, the new unit reduces the number of College of Sciences academic schools to six: Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology.
For the period immediately following the transition, the current chair of the School of Biology, Professor Terry W. Snell, will serve as the chair of the School of Biological Sciences. From August 15, 2016, the school will be led by Professor J. Todd Streelman, who currently serves as Associate Chair for Graduate Studies in the School of Biology.
The reorganization was motivated by the College’s strategic goals to enhance the research ecosystem for the basic sciences and mathematics, enrich and diversify educational opportunities for science and mathematics majors, and strengthen the opportunities for creativity and innovation by the College.
“The life sciences are an exciting and fast moving field, and the issues it addresses are varied but interconnected. It is about the systems that make life possible,” said Rafael L. Bras, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “The new School of Biological Sciences brings together individuals that span the various aspects of living systems and their study. It will add synergies and create a resilient, flexible, and fast-responding academic unit in a fast-moving field.”
A single school focused on the life sciences offers many advantages:
The new school comprises 10 tenure-track faculty, three academic professionals, and four staff from Applied Physiology and 38 tenure-track faculty, six academic professionals, and 18 staff from Biology. The School of Biological Sciences will administer all the academic programs offered previously by the two schools it replaces.
“The life sciences, including neural systems, are destined to grow and become even more central as we define our research and education programs for the new millennium,” said Paul M. Goldbart, Dean of the College of Sciences. “I am grateful to the many members of our community who have stepped up to create a stronger, more coherent base from which to take on exciting challenges presented by the life sciences.”
