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Undergraduate enrollment growth reflects inclusive excellence

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Over the past five years, Georgia Tech has strengthened its commitment to inclusive excellence by enrolling record numbers of undergraduate students from around the state, nation, and world.

Undergraduate enrollment has increased by almost 2,000 students in that time, expanding access to students from all backgrounds.  This includes rural Georgia, as well as students in the Black and Hispanic communities.  Incoming first-generation students (those who come from families where neither parent graduated from college) also increased by 80%.  And for the first time in Institute history, women comprise 40% of the total undergraduate population.  While we like to talk numbers, our real pride is in our students, many of whom have overcome formidable obstacles to make their dreams of a Georgia Tech degree come true.

Continue reading at:  Georgia Tech News Center

Georgia Tech delivers $4 billion in economic impact to the State of Georgia

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Roughly 275.  That’s how many jobs the company Stord has brought to the state of Georgia since it opened its doors in 2016.  The startup was one of the first to go through Georgia Tech’s CREATE-X incubator, offering cloud-based software that has since revolutionized the supply chain sector.  And as the company continues to grow, it has no plans to leave Atlanta.

“One of the best things we’ve done to give back to Georgia is the way Stord has accelerated the overall technology ecosystem, mostly as it pertains to venture, and beyond that, just bringing more capital to the market,” said Sean Henry, CEO and co-founder of Stord.

It’s not just Stord that’s giving back to the state. Georgia Tech’s economic impact on the state of Georgia was $4 billion in fiscal year 2020, according to data recently released by the University System of Georgia.

Companies like SalesLoft, Greenlight, and Pindrop all graduated from Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) — the state’s oldest technology incubator — and have stayed headquartered in Atlanta, infusing millions in capital and thousands of jobs into the state economy.  Other startup programs on campus include VentureLab, ENGAGE, and the Global Center for Medical Innovation, to name a few, helping students and faculty set up companies based on creative ideas and technological innovation.

Continue reading at:  Georgia Tech News Center

Georgia Tech awards first round of seed grants to support team-based research

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On August 5, the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research at Georgia Tech awarded a first round of grants meant to assist in the formation and advancement of cross-disciplinary research teams.

The grants come in response to shifting trends in national research and funding priorities.  Major funding agencies like the National Science Foundation (NSF) are increasing their support for large-scale, team-based projects, according to Georgia Tech faculty members Robert Butera and Devesh Ranjan.  Successful proposals for these projects often rely on integrating expertise from across disparate areas, including engineering, science, liberal arts, design, and business.

“A lot of cutting-edge science requires a team approach,” said Butera, who is also vice president for research development and operations.

Academic research faculty have historically worked within a narrower scope, according to Butera.  In particular, newer research programs have tended to be focused within one single discipline, with no more than one or two different faculty members involved.

Far larger projects are becoming more common.  One example is a $21.9 million DARPA-funded effort led by Phil Santangelo, professor of biomedical engineering, which seeks to develop gene-based therapeutics for flu and other viruses, including Covid-19.  That project directly involves vaccine manufacturers and a broad range of other collaborators.

“That’s a really huge research project,” said Butera.  “That’s a level of project management complexity and proposal development that faculty are [traditionally] not prepared for.”

Continue reading at:  Georgia Tech Research Horizons

Georgia Tech announces inaugural Associate Vice President of Corporate Engagement

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The Georgia Institute of Technology has named J. Mark Nolan as associate vice president of corporate engagement, effective Jan. 1, 2022.

Nolan is currently the associate vice president of business engagement and strategy at Carnegie Mellon University.  His appointment follows a national search and is part of a larger Institute effort for more strategic and complementary initiatives between its corporate relations and industry collaboration units.  Under this structure, Nolan will jointly report to the executive vice president for Research and the vice president for Development.

As associate vice president, Nolan will lead a newly created office that will serve as the nexus for the Institute’s entire partner relationship and activity portfolios.  The office is also tasked with facilitating collaboration efforts across various partner units within Georgia Tech, including the Enterprise Innovation Institute, Technology Licensing, Economic Development, Institute Relations, and Corporate Contracting, among others.

“Under Mark’s leadership, this new office will enhance our engagement with industry and corporate partners, showcasing the comprehensive breadth and scope of our capabilities and the various ways we connect with industry,” said Chaouki T. Abdallah, executive vice president for Research at Georgia Tech.  “We are thrilled for him to come on board as we begin to set a new standard for managing and maintaining our existing relationships while expanding upon new partnerships.”

Continue reading at:  Georgia Tech Research Website

DoD funds Georgia Tech to enhance U.S. hypersonics capabilities

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Vastly different than conventional military weapons and aircraft, hypersonics systems are game-changing for national security, providing unprecedented speed and maneuverability.  Operating at more than five times the speed of sound, these systems can alter course after takeoff, making them hard to intercept.  The U.S. government’s proposed fiscal year 2022 budget for hypersonics research and development is $3.8 billion, representing a nearly 20% increase from the previous year.

Developing vehicles capable of traveling at over a mile per second — speeds that cause vehicle surface temperatures to heat up to 2,200 degrees Celsius — presents daunting engineering challenges for hypersonics materials and systems.

To address these hurdles and enhance U.S. hypersonics capabilities, the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics (UCAH) has tapped the Georgia Institute of Technology and key academic partners for four grants valued at $6 million over the next three years.  The awards draw on Georgia Tech and the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) expertise across advanced, high-temperature materials science and aerospace and mechanical engineering research — areas critical for future advances of these vehicles.

“Hypersonics research is a big area of focus for Georgia Tech.  It’s an area where the College of Engineering and GTRI can really collaborate and build upon GTRI’s strong foundation to be a real force in hypersonics,” said Devesh Ranjan, Ring Family Chair and associate chair for Research in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, who also serves as co-director of UCAH.

Continue reading at:  Georgia Tech News Center

Control system helps several drones team up to deliver heavy packages

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Many parcel delivery drones of the future are expected to handle packages weighing five pounds or less, a restriction that would allow small, standardized UAVs to handle a large percentage of the deliveries now done by ground vehicles.  But will that relegate heavier packages to slower delivery by conventional trucks and vans?

A research team at the Georgia Institute of Technology has developed a modular solution for handling larger packages without the need for a complex fleet of drones of varying sizes.  By allowing teams of small drones to collaboratively lift objects using an adaptive control algorithm, the strategy could allow a wide range of packages to be delivered using a combination of several standard-sized vehicles.

Beyond simplifying the drone fleet, the work could provide more robust drone operations and reduce the noise and safety concerns involved in operating large autonomous UAVs in populated areas.  In addition to commercial package delivery, the system might also be used by the military to resupply small groups of soldiers in the field.

Continue reading at:  Georgia Tech News Center

Georgia Tech and partners to help NASA advance deep space exploration

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Every few years, NASA creates Space Technology Research Institutes (STRI) in areas it believes are going to be strategic for future technology and space missions.  Today, that area is electric propulsion – the use of electrical energy to accelerate propellant to create thrust.  The technology yields extremely efficient thrusters to power space flight for gateway launches to the moon or even shuttling massive loads of cargo to Mars.

The Georgia Institute of Technology, along with 11 partner universities and 17 researchers, will receive $15 million over five years to fund the Joint Advanced Propulsion Institute (JANUS) – a new STRI to develop strategies and methodologies to surmount limitations in ground testing of high-power electric propulsion systems.

Continue reading at:  EurekAlert!

Georgia Tech structure certified as ‘living building’

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It’s not too often that tours of new buildings start with the toilets.  But they’re a big part of a different kind of building in Atlanta.

And so, Shan Arora, who oversees Georgia Tech’s Kendeda Building, troops visitors pretty quickly to a ground floor bathroom where the toilet begins to hum, and then foam.  There’s no conventional flushing, with the toilets consuming only a teaspoon of water per use.  And the waste is composted in digesters in the basement instead of being piped to a treatment plant.

“We say there’s a lot of potty talk in the Kendeda Building,” Arora said.

Georgia Tech is announcing on Thursday — Earth Day — that the building has won certification as the 28th “living building” worldwide.  That means the building has proved over a year of operation that it meets the standards of the International Living Future Institute that it does more good for the natural environment than harm.

Continue reading at:  AP News

Georgia Tech creates new Office of Corporate Engagement

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This spring, Georgia Tech will launch the Office of Corporate Engagement, a new integrated model of corporate relations and industry collaborations designed to help the Institute leverage critical partnerships and develop new relationships with industry.  The launch of the new office is the first of two phases that will reimagine Georgia Tech’s corporate and industry engagement ecosystem, including a refined organizational structure, over the next several months.

“Continued engagement with industry is a critical part of realizing Georgia’s Tech mission to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition,” said President Ángel Cabrera.  “A renewed, streamlined organizational approach is essential to welcoming and meeting the demands of these growing opportunities.”

The refinements follow a recently completed holistic review of Georgia Tech’s existing corporate, business, and industry engagement structure and activities.  At the request of President Cabrera, the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research (EVPR) and the Office of Development completed a strategic examination of previous reports and studies, and a comprehensive assessment of engagement points for internal and external stakeholders.

Continue reading at:  Georgia Tech News Center

Delta Jacket wins 2021 Georgia Tech InVenture prize

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Aya Ayoubi calls it “humanitarian couture.”

The fourth-year industrial design student’s unique garment took home top honors at Georgia Tech’s 13th annual InVenture Prize competition, which pits student innovations head-to-head.

Ayoubi says she had to learn how to sew to execute her vision — an inflatable, reversible, and waterproof jacket that transforms, through a series of zips, into an air mattress or a sheltering garment to protect from the elements.  She says the garment is geared to provide safety and dignity to homeless populations.

Not only did Ayoubi’s Delta Jacket win the $20,000 first-place prize awarded by the judges, but Ayoubi also took home the People’s Choice Award and an additional $5,000 after a public vote during Wednesday night’s airing on Georgia Public Broadcasting.  Along with the cash prizes, the winner receives a free U.S. patent filing from Georgia Tech valued at $20,000.

Delta Jacket will also be accepted into the CREATE-X Startup Launch program, which will provide additional seed funding and access to legal assistance and expert mentors to build a successful startup company.

Continue reading at:  Georgia Tech News Center

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