What Does A Rocket Scientist Look Like? Ask Georgia Tech Grad Tiffany Davis

Tiffany Davis is an aerospace engineer. You may have seen her on your timeline with the hashtag, #YesIAmARocketScientist. That hashtag went viral in 2016 after Davis posted it on her Instagram page, announcing her graduation from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Among her more earthbound accomplishments: her plea to make college more affordable caught the attention of then-President Barack Obama. Since then, Davis has  interned and been hired at Boeing's mission operations and engineering group in Washington, D.C. 

On Second Thought host Virginia Prescott spoke with Davis and asked her what a rocket scientist looks like.

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High Concentration of Airborne Cancer Causing Toxin Found in Georgia

Georgia residents in Smyrna and Covington are just now learning that their neighborhoods have an elevated cancer risk because of exposure to airborne toxins.

In August 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency published a report showing 109 census tracts with high concentrations of ethylene oxide, a gas used to sterilize medical equipment. Two use before, the agency placed the chemical on a list of those that “definitely cause cancer.”

While the EPA report was not well publicized, Andy Miller of Georgia Health News and Brenda Goodman of WebMD just published their investigation, including sources of ethylene oxide and incidences of cancers in Smyrna and Covington.

Andy Miller joined On Second Thought to discuss the report and what makes ethylene oxide so dangerous.

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A row of e-scooter vehicles in Atlanta

Atlanta's 2019 ban on use of e-scooter vehicles after 9 p.m. has increased travel times in the city, a Georgia Tech study found.

Credit: ROSS TERRELL / GEORGIA PUBLIC BROADCASTING

Atlanta Places Temporary Ban On New Dockless Devices And E-Scooters

The city of Atlanta will stop accepting permits for dockless devices, like e-scooters and bikes, until Aug. 5.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued an executive order Thursday, telling the department of planning to stop issuing any new permits for the scooters.

The first of the scooters showed up in Atlanta last May, before any regulations were in place. In January, the city’s council passed new rules requiring companies to get an annual permit. It cost $12,000 for the first 500 scooters.

Since then, the city has issued permits to nine companies, though only seven have devices on the street.  

Department of Planning Commissioner Tim Keane said the city has to catch up with the new technology.

Read more from GPB's Ross Terrell here.

For these stories and more visit GPBNews.org.