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AT&T Awards Environmental Fellowship to Georgia Southern University

Posted on: Friday, 27 July 2007, 09:05 CDT

STATESBORO, Ga., July 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The AT&T Foundation, the corporate philanthropy organization of AT&T Inc. , has awarded Georgia Southern University a $25,000 environmental research grant and has designated Dr. Wei Tu an AT&T Faculty Fellow in Industrial Ecology. He is one of only three academic researchers selected to receive funding from the 2006 competitive grants program.

Tu, an assistant professor in the College of Science and Technology at Georgia Southern University, was awarded the fellowship for his proposal "Integrating Structural Economics Approaches and Geographic Information Systems to Study Substitution Information for Energy." His research will derive policy lessons focused on the long-term environmental impacts of information sectors and products in the information age. The fellowship will fund research to be conducted during 2007.

"In the information economy, information is ubiquitous, abundant and low-cost," Tu said. "Theoretically, information can also be an indirect production factor to substitute for other factors -- such as energy -- during the production process, but there is a lack of empirical studies on this. My project will investigate the substitution between energy and information sectors of the U.S. regional economy during the 1990s. I am grateful to AT&T for their support of my research."

"Georgia Southern University is a valuable asset to this region," state Rep. Bob Lane said. "This award is an enormous achievement for Dr. Tu, and it is a great day for Georgia as we celebrate his accomplishments."

"Research is important for a teaching institution and gives students an opportunity to see the practical side of theories," state Sen. Jack Hill said. "The AT&T Foundation is to be commended for recognizing the potential of Dr. Tu's research and providing this very generous grant."

AT&T has led the way in research on industrial ecology -- a multidisciplinary science that investigates how the economy and the environment can coexist -- by mentoring graduate and undergraduate students in the field, as well as by providing three faculty fellowships annually through the AT&T Foundation. The AT&T Industrial Ecology Faculty Fellowship, which started in 1993, is one element of AT&T's commitment to education and to the environment. The program was designed to advance the development of work in environmental fields and to help universities produce faculty and students who can contribute to solving global and regional environmental problems and who can help shape environmentally and economically efficient strategies.

"This is an important field, and we are delighted to progress the study by providing fellowships to universities and their professors," said Sylvia Anderson, president of AT&T Georgia. "We're proud to support research, such as Dr. Tu's, that will contribute to sustainable and economically efficient approaches for our business and others."

Environmental concerns today are the subject of national, regional and individual attention. Environmentally preferable services, the substitution of information for other inputs into the economy (e.g., energy and materials), design for the environment, green products and green manufacturing processes are central to lasting solutions. The question is how to achieve them.

The industrial ecology approach can be a powerful tool for such environmental and economic progress because it focuses on the relationship between economic activity and environmental efficiency and how to achieve both goals.

Note: This AT&T news release and other announcements are available as part of an RSS feed at http://www.att.com/rss.

About Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern University is classified by the Carnegie Foundation for Teaching as a doctoral/research university. Located in Statesboro, fifty miles west of Savannah, Georgia, it offers 85 undergraduate degrees and 45 graduate degrees in business, education, information technology, liberal arts, science, technology, health and human sciences, and public health. In 2006, Georgia Southern University's presence had a $650 million impact on the nine surrounding counties in southeast Georgia.

Georgia Southern is home to the only School of Economic Development in the southeastern U.S., and the University's model for software development has been honored for innovative use of technology in education. Its family nurse practitioner program is ranked one of the nation's best by U.S. News and World Report, and through Georgia Southern's Center for Rural Health and Research, faculty, undergraduates, and graduate students in both nursing and public health reach out to build health and wellness initiatives throughout south Georgia.

Through its Division of Continuing Education and Public Service, Georgia Southern operates a botanical garden, a wildlife center, a museum, a performing arts center, and a strong program of continuing education for the region. Through its college of Liberal Arts it offers extensive education in art and music. For more information about Georgia Southern University, visit its Web site at http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/.

About Philanthropy at AT&T

AT&T Inc. supports programs that strengthen communities; improve access to information technology and technology training; advance education; and enhance professional-skills development. In 2006, AT&T contributed more than $101 million through corporate-, employee- and AT&T Foundation-giving programs. AT&T AccessAll, the company's signature philanthropic initiative, is a $100 million program that connects families and communities with technology that can improve lives. AT&T and the AT&T Foundation, the corporate philanthropy organization of AT&T, combine more than $1.8 billion of historic charitable commitment to communities across the country.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services and the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com/.

(C) 2007 AT&T Knowledge Ventures. All rights reserved. AT&T and the AT&T logo are trademarks of AT&T Knowledge Ventures. For more information, please review this announcement in the AT&T newsroom at http://www.att.com/newsroom.

AT&T Inc.

CONTACT: Dawn Benton of AT&T, +1-404-236-5305, dawn.benton@att.com; orLoretta Brandon of Georgia Southern University, +1-912-681-0336,labrandon@georgiasouthern.edu

Web site: http://www.att.com/http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/

Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall

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