Manufacturing research isn't just about boosting profits and improving efficiencies. Sometimes it's about saving lives. Ask the parents of Kaiba Gionfriddo, Garrett Peterson and Ian Orbich. The lives of these infants were saved by the work of Scott Hollister and Glenn Green. Hollister, who is a biomedical and mechanical engineering professor at the University of Michigan, founded the Scaffold Tissue Engineering Group (STEG), a research group that develops biomaterial platform systems (called scaffolds) for tissue reconstruction. (Green is associate professor of pediatric otolaryngology at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.)

Kaiba Gionfriddo made national headlines after he became the first patient to benefit from the procedure in 2012, and the procedure was repeated with Garrett Peterson and Ian Orbich. Using 3D printing, Green and his colleague Scott Hollister, Ph.D., professor of biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering and associate professor of surgery at U-M, were able to create and implant customized tracheal splints for each patient. The device was created directly from CT scans of their tracheas, integrating an image-based computer model with laser-based 3D printing to produce the splint.

Hollister will give a keynote address at the GTMI Industry Partners Symposium on November 10. He will address his work with STEG and some of the manufacturing issues he has dealt with.

The Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI) is hosting the third annual Industry Partners Symposium and Distinguished Lecture on November 10, 2015, to bring together industry leaders, government partners and Georgia Tech researchers. The meeting is an opportunity to hear from experts on current challenges in manufacturing, identify opportunities for collaboration and improvement, and network with peers.

Michelle Gloeckler is the distinguished lecturer for 2015. She is executive vice president of the consumables and health & wellness divisions and U.S. manufacturing lead for Walmart U.S.