Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

Georgia Tech researchers awarded $7.5 million from ONR for secure stack

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A team of Georgia Tech researchers from the School of Computer Science (SCS) has been awarded $7.5 million from the Office of Naval Research to develop a customized attack-resistant software stack.

SCS Assistant Professor Bill Harris is the principal investigator on the project and is collaborating with Professors Wenke Lee and Alessandro Orso, Associate Professor Santosh Pande, and Assistant Professor Taesoo Kim.

The researchers are working on a technique for reducing what’s known as the attack surface, the total number of ways in which a program can be vulnerable to exploit. Most general-purpose software includes code that not every user needs, and unused code can create an opportunity for exploit for an attacker. Through this research, users will be able to run software in which unneeded code is removed, thus decreasing the vulnerability of the programs they use.

Lee compares the project to a house. “When you build a house, you only really need one door, but the house may still have multiple doors. The number of doors increases the opportunity to break in,” Lee said. “If you only have one door, your house is more secure.”

In order to do this, the researchers are looking at the full stack of software systems, including applications, operating systems, and possibly Internet of Things devices. They are planning to use static and dynamic analysis techniques to determine which pathways through the system different users need. Each researcher has a specific area of expertise:

  • Pande’s focus on compilers will help determine what essential code must be loaded for each user during application execution.
  • Harris’s expertise with static analysis will provide guarantees that the software maintains its integrity despite removed code.
  • Orso will use dynamic analysis and testing techniques to confirm the modified system still functions as expected.
  • Kim will use his expertise in systems to determine which modules can be removed from the operating system without compromising its functionality.
  • Lee will focus on the aspects related to security and use his expertise to analyze and experiment with malware.

Overall, the five researchers have the set of complementary skills needed for the project to be successful. Over the five-year life of the grant, the researchers expect to develop a series of approaches for reducing attack surface that anyone can use on complex systems, as well on low-level code.

“Going back to the house metaphor, the problem is that different people want to use different doors,” Orso says. “Our research will allow users to customize the house for each person so that it contains only the door that person needs.”

Source: http://www.news.gatech.edu/2018/01/12/georgia-tech-researchers-awarded-75-million-office-naval-research-secure-stack

ATDC taking applications for fall 2017 venture showcase road trip

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The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), the state of Georgia’s technology incubator, is now accepting applications from high-growth technology startups for its upcoming Dec. 4, 2017 Venture Showcase Roadtrip to New York City.

The application period is open from Oct. 2 through 5 p.m. on Oct. 20, and any Georgia-headquartered technology company raising a Series A round or higher is eligible.  The 10 selected companies will be notified Oct. 27 after the selection committee has reviewed all applicants.

The Venture Showcase Roadtrip is co-hosted by Morris, Manning & Martin, Silicon Valley Bank, Venture Atlanta, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, and Aprio.

Those interested in applying should send a one-page executive summary to ATDC Assistant Director Jane McCracken at jane@atdc.org.

The initiative is an offshoot of the ATDC’s Investor Connect program, and allows funders — from angels to venture capitalists and other later-stage investors — to network with the highly vetted, market disruptive companies in ATDC’s Signature and Accelerate portfolios.

David Thomas headshot
David Thomas, founder and CEO of Evident, an ATDC Signature portfolio company.

“The Venture Showcase Roadtrip introduces investors to a carefully curated group of companies to foster meaningful and targeted conversations and connections, as well as give the venture firms a sense of the caliber of technology startups in Georgia,” McCracken said. “Our inaugural roadtrip to the West Coast earlier this year is a perfect example of the kinds of connections we facilitate.”

In that trip to San Francisco, 11 Georgia companies met with a group of Silicon Valley venture capitalists. Evident, an ATDC Signature portfolio company, met with New Enterprise Associates (NEA). That initial connection resulted in NEA becoming the lead investor in Evident’s recent $8.8 million Series A round.

“The San Francisco trip was an important milestone for our company. The ATDC name got us in front of an extremely selective and highly sought after group of venture capitalists eager to meet quality, disruptive companies,” said David Thomas, Evident’s founder and CEO. “It facilitated a critically important series of initial meetings that ultimately led to our successful Series A.”

ABOUT ATDC:

The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), a program of the Georgia Institute of Technology, is the state of Georgia’s technology startup incubator. Founded in 1980 by the Georgia General Assembly which funds it each year, ATDC’s mission is to work with entrepreneurs in Georgia to help them learn, launch, scale, and succeed in the creation of viable, disruptive technology companies. Since its founding, ATDC has grown to become one of the longest running and most successful university-affiliated incubators in the United States, with its graduate startup companies raising $3 billion in investment financing and generating more than $12 billion in revenue in the state of Georgia. To learn more, visit atdc.org.

Integrating veterans into your workplace

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Are you looking to expand your workforce?  Or have you always wanted to hire veterans but didn’t know where to start?

Learn more about our VET² (Veterans Education Training and Transition) program and how you can help area soldiers find meaningful employment at our upcoming Learners & Leaders session.

Join Georgia Tech Professional Education in Savannah on Thursday, October 19, to hear from Col. Jason Wolter, Garrison Commander, Ft. Stewart; Mike Tucker, director, Coastal Workforce Board; Brad Patterson, HR manager, Comcast; a recently transitioned service member from Ft. Stewart/HAAF; and Dr. James Wilburn, Military Programs director, Georgia Tech Professional Education. Learn how the program has evolved over the last 5 years, what soldiers are learning, and why this is important to area employers.

Breakfast & networking at 7:30 a.m.; program runs 8:00-9:30 a.m.  The cost is only $15.

Click here for more details and to register: https://pe.gatech.edu/courses/learning-series-integrating-veterans-your-workplace 

Over the next three years, as many as 60,000 military members are expected to return to Georgia. If we’re lucky, these veterans will continue to live and work in Georgia and contribute to the area’s economic viability!

Transit supply chain forum to be held Oct. 11th

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On Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017, a Transit Industry Supply Chain Connectivity Forum is being held for the purpose of bringing large transit original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) together with smaller, qualified and interested U.S. manufacturers in an effort to facilitate the use of a higher percentage of domestic suppliers in transit products and systems.

The Forum offers a venue for smaller manufacturers to learn what products are needed and find out more about investments they need to consider when entering the transit industry.

As part of the Forum, time will be allocated for ten-minute introductory, private meetings between participating OEMs and prospective suppliers. Participating suppliers can include both current transit industry suppliers, and potential new suppliers.

OEMs currently confirmed to participate include: Alexander Dennis, Kiepe Electric Inc., Siemens, and United Rail, Inc.   Others may be added at a later date.

Some of the products the OEMs will be sourcing include:  Wiring Harnesses, Driver’s Display, Wiper System, Variable Frequency Drives, DC-DC Converter, Switches, Suspension Components, Steering Column, Brakes & Brake Valves, Brake Pedals, Stanchions, Overhead Lighting Panels, Flooring, Passenger and Drivers Seating, Destination Signs, ADA Ramp, HVAC Systems, Bike Rack, Fire Suppression, High and Low Voltage Cable, Connectors, Terminals, Plugs, Sensors, Lugs, Relays, Latches, Hinges, Springs Filters, Headlights, Paint, and Design Services.

This event is held in conjunction with the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) Annual Meeting and Expo, October 8-11, 2017 which will take place in the Georgia World Congress Center, Building C, Rooms C205 & C206, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Partners for this event include the National Institute of Standards in Technology (NIST), Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP), and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

The Forum will be held between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm.  There is a $25 registration fee, and breakfast and lunch will be provided.  Register at: http://ow.ly/KIW730fpvpe

Questions?  Contact Tim Israel, GaMEP Associate Director, at Tim.Israel@innovate.gatech.edu or 770-354-3809.

New research may improve communications during natural disasters

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Storms like Hurricane Irma and other natural disasters bring with them lots of uncertainty – where will they go, how much damage will they cause. But, what is certain is that no matter where they strike, natural disasters knock out power.

And, no power means no internet for thousands of people in affected areas.

However, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are proposing a new way of gathering and sharing information during natural disasters that does not rely on the internet.

Using computing power built into mobile phones, routers, and other hardware to create a network, emergency managers and first responders will be able to share and act on information gathered from people impacted by hurricanes, tornados, floods, and other disasters.

“Increasingly, data gathered from passive and active sensors that people carry with them, such as their mobile phones, is being used to inform situational awareness in a variety of settings,” said Kishore Ramachandran, computer science professor at Georgia Tech.

“In this way, humans are providing beneficial social sensing services. However, current social sensing services depend on internet connectivity since the services are deployed on central cloud platforms.”

In a paper presented earlier this year at the 2nd International Workshop on Social Sensing, the Georgia Tech research team detailed how it may be possible to access these centralized services using a decentralized network that leverages the growing amount of computing power at the “edge” of the internet.

This ability will give a huge advantage to first responders.

In a flooded area, for example, search and rescue personnel using a geo-distributed network would be able to continuously ping enabled phones, sensors, and other devices in an area to determine their exact locations. The data is used to create density maps of people in that search region. These maps are then used to prioritize and guide emergency response teams.

The Georgia Tech proposal takes advantages of edge computing. Also known as fog computing, edge computing places more processing capabilities in sensing devices – like surveillance cameras, embedded pavement sensors, and others, as well as in consumer devices like cell phones, readers, and tablets – in order to improve network latency between sensors, apps, and users.

Rather than just being able to communicate through the internet with central cloud platforms, the Georgia Tech team has demonstrated that by harnessing edge computing resources, sensing devices can be enabled to identify and communicate with other sensors in an area.

“We believe fog computing can become a potent enabler of decentralized, local social sensing services that can operate when internet connectivity is constrained,” said Ramachandran.

“This capability will provide first responders and others with the level of situational awareness they need to make effective decisions in emergency situations.”

The team has proposed a generic software architecture for social sensing applications that is capable of exploiting the fog-enabled devices. The design has three components – a central management function that resides in the cloud, a data processing element placed in the fog infrastructure, and a sensing component on the user’s device.

The researchers say that it is not enough to simply run a centralized social sensing service on a number of parallel fog nodes.

“Rather, the social sensing service has to become a distributed service capable of discovering available fog nodes and building a network that aggregates and shares information between social sensors that are connected to different fog nodes,” said computer science Ph.D. student Harshit Gupta.

Beyond emergency response during natural disasters, the team believes its proposed fog architecture can also benefit communities with limited or no internet access. These include applications for public transportation management, job recruitment, and housing.

Another possible application of the new approach is monitoring sensing devices in remote areas.

To monitor far-flung devices in areas with no internet access, a bus could be outfitted with fog-enabled sensing capabilities. As it travels in remote areas it would collect data from sensing devices. Once in range of internet connectivity, the “data mule” bus would upload the information to the centralized cloud-based platforms.

“In places that did not benefit from the first wave of cloud-based social sensing services, our hope is that these communities can leapfrog having to rely solely on the internet and directly use fog-based services,” said Ramachandran.

Source: http://www.news.gatech.edu/2017/09/08/new-research-may-improve-communications-during-natural-disasters

Georgia Tech midtown Atlanta campus closed Sept. 11-12 in anticipation of tropical storm

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With sustained tropical force winds and heavy rainfall anticipated for metro Atlanta as a result of Hurricane Irma, Georgia Tech has cancelled classes and is closing the midtown Atlanta campus on Monday and Tuesday, September 11-12, 2017.  

This action is in accordance with the governor’s Sunday announcement that state government offices will be closed.

Accordingly, client appointments and seminars originally scheduled by the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) to take place on the midtown Atlanta campus on Monday and Tuesday, September 11-12, 2017 have been cancelled.

Georgia Tech’s Office of Emergency Preparedness will continue to monitor the storm’s path. Complete updates regarding the storm’s impact on campus operations will be posted to gatech.edu/irma.

For more information regarding Georgia Tech’s hazardous weather protocols: http://www.gatech.edu/emergency/weather

 

 

Companies selected for new Tech Square-based venture firm

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Eight companies will be part of the inaugural class of Engage Ventures, a new early-stage venture firm created by Georgia Tech and 10 leading global companies.

The selected startups are from across the country and the companies’ leaders include first-time founders and serial entrepreneurs. The startups are:

  • Bee Downtown is working to build healthy, sustainable, honey bee communities around the world.
  • Cyrano is a leadership communications platform using video messaging to help businesses better connect and engage with employees.
  • EmployUs helps companies hire more referrals by automating the employee referral process.
  • Fast Radius enables companies to manage the design, engineering, prototyping and production of end-use parts with digital manufacturing
  • Gauge Insights is a platform for companies to obtain feedback from customers in minutes.
  • Sudu is a technology-based logistics company that offers an end-to-end platform to match shippers and carriers based upon route organization.
  • The Mom Project is a marketplace and community that connects enterprises with diverse female talent.
  • TransRisk creates products and solutions that help transportation industry participants efficiently manage price risk in the North American freight transportation market.

Cyrano and Sudu are part of the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), which was established at Georgia Tech by Georgia lawmakers in 1980 to launch and build technology companies. Engage Ventures will offer programming and other services through a contract with ATDC.

Engage Ventures is the largest strategic grouping of major corporations in an independent venture firm. The focus is helping startups develop and execute go-to-market strategies.

“What makes Engage unique is the level of access and interaction with our founding corporate partners at the executive and C-suite level to help streamline partnerships and strategic relationships with these startups and growth companies,” said Thiago Olson, managing director at Engage Ventures.

The 10 founding companies contributing capital, expertise, time and resources in support of Engage include AT&T, Chick-fil-A, Cox Enterprises, Delta Air Lines, Georgia-Pacific, Georgia Power Foundation Inc., Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), Invesco Ltd., The Home Depot and UPS. Executives from these firms will serve as mentors to the companies receiving financial support from the venture fund.

Engage is headquartered in Georgia Tech’s Technology Square.

Source: http://www.news.gatech.edu/2017/08/15/companies-selected-new-tech-square-based-venture-firm

Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership launches outreach initiative for food processing manufacturers

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Georgia is a one of the nation’s leading agriculture states, with the industry contributing about $74.9 billion to the state economy each year.

Damon Nix (left), senior project manager at the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership, discusses ergonomic solutions for lifting bags of malt with Bobby Epperson, operations training and safety manager at Terrapin Brewery in Athens, Georgia. (Photo credit: Caley Landau)

A related sector — food processing — is a strong and growing component of the Georgia economy, and accounts for $11 billion to $12 billion each year of the state’s gross domestic product. Food processing also employs 69,000 across the state, with 10,000 of those jobs being created since 2010, according to Georgia Power’s 2016 Food Processing Industry Report.

It’s that strength in food processing, which comprises the largest segment of Georgia’s manufacturing sector, that led to the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership’s (GaMEP) new initiative focused on those manufacturers’ unique needs.

GaMEP, a federally funded economic development program at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, works with manufacturers across Georgia to help them remain viable and economically competitive.

“Food processing comprises many different products and sizes of manufacturers and it is important to assure their viability and growth,” said GaMEP Director Karen Fite. “This effort is in recognition of where the growth is occurring in the manufacturing sector and we want to make sure we’re applying our resources and expertise, as well as cutting edge research coming out of Georgia Tech, that can help our manufacturers.”

Damon C. Nix, GaMEP’s senior project manager, is leading the food manufacturing programming, which includes coaching, analysis, and consulting in:

  • Food Safety
    • Compliance with the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requirements.
    • Management system implementation and audit team support.
  • Energy Management
    • Energy assessments to identify cost reduction and performance improvement opportunities.
    • Companies with fewer than 500 employees at a plant site may qualify for a free energy assessment through Georgia Tech’s Industrial Assessment Center program.
  • Environmental Services
    • Environmental compliance services and management system (ISO 14001) support.
    • Environmental Protection Agency P2 grant-funded projects that support pollution prevention through reduced greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and hazardous materials generation.
  • Worker Safety and Health
    • Implement lean/process improvement approaches to safety problem solving.
    • Partner with the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s Food Processing Technology Division to support Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules compliance, applied research, and technology solutions.
  • Workforce Development
    • Operational Leader and Frontline Supervisor Training.

“Georgia’s food processing GDP ranks it sixth in the country and we rank sixth in employment,” Nix said, noting the state has roughly 680 food processing manufacturers, including the 127 that either relocated to Georgia or built new facilities here since 2010.

“The GaMEP has created significant results serving manufacturers overall,” Nix said. “We want to continue that momentum in food processing. Georgia’s manufacturing industry remains competitive and continues to grow because the food processing industry is expanding. We want food processors to know that the GaMEP is a resource to support their continued growth.”

About the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP):

The Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) is an economic development program of the Enterprise Innovation Institute at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The GaMEP is a member of the National MEP network supported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. With offices in nine regions across the state, the GaMEP has been serving Georgia manufacturers since 1960. It offers a solution-based approach to manufacturers through coaching and education designed to increase top line growth and reduce bottom line cost.

Source: http://www.news.gatech.edu/2017/08/23/georgia-manufacturing-extension-partnership-launches-outreach-initiative-food-processing

USG report shows Georgia Tech’s state economic impact exceeds $3 billion

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The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia released its fiscal year 2016 state economic impact report August 22, 2017, revealing an overall impact of $16.8 billion.  The Georgia Institute of Technology’s state economic impact was $3.05 billion, up from $2.87 billion in fiscal year 2015.

Conducted by the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, the report revealed Georgia Tech once again led the state in economic impact. Here are the impact statistics from the top five universities in the USG:

  • Georgia Institute of Technology, $3.05 billion
  • University of Georgia, $2.71 billion
  • Georgia State University, $2.54 billion
  • Kennesaw State University, $1.408 billion
  • Augusta University, $1.403 billion

“Our University System institutions in Georgia are vital to the economies throughout our state, as calculated by the multiplier effect in the new state economic impact report,” said Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson. “In addition, Georgia Tech is honored to be a driving force behind such enterprises as innovation neighborhoods that attract business and industry; research collaborations with other institutions, industry, and government; the building and strengthening of Georgia’s STEM workforce; and commercializing new ideas and inventions.”

Listed as “output impact” in the study, the overall economic impact figure for the system and the individual institutions was calculated by adding the initial spending to the respending, or multiplier effect, for each institution in its host community.

Other findings for the system include an $11.3 billion in value added, $8.2 billion in income and $157,967 full- and part-time jobs. According to the study, the system generated 2.2 off-campus jobs for every job created at a USG institution.

For Georgia Tech, the value added was $2.14 billion, income generated was $1.64 billion, and a total of 24,213 full- and part-time jobs.

Source: http://www.news.gatech.edu/2017/08/22/usg-report-shows-georgia-techs-state-economic-impact-exceeds-3-billion

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