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SCL and ISyE Renews Alliance with German Partners

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To continue their international cooperation in the area of research and graduate education, representatives from the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the Technical University of Dortmund convened on the Georgia Tech campus in May to renew a longstanding partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology - specifically the Georgia Tech Supply Chain & Logistics Institute (SCL) and the Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE).

The visit celebrated the extension of the efforts between the two universities to promote international academic and research collaboration, to strengthen cultural ties, and to broaden students experience and horizons. As a part of the agreement, they will continue to exchange professors, research scholars, and students, as well as conduct joint research together.

The group began their visit in Atlanta with a tour of the new baggage handling and scanning systems at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. After arriving on campus, they convened for a briefing that preceded the agreement signing. During the briefing, Harvey Donaldson, SCL Managing Director, welcomed the guests to campus and outlined SCL's research, outreach, and executive education programs. Chelsea White, ISyE School Chair, provided an overview of the Stewart School's recent progress and service.

ISyE Professor Leon McGinnis, Gwaltney Chair in Manufacturing Systems, discussed his research in manufacturing systems. "We seek to provide a scientific basis and engineering tools for evaluating, designing, and operating contemporary warehouses," said McGinnis. "Partnerships, like the one between Georgia Tech, TU-Dortmund, and the Fraunhofer IML, are a key factor in our shared success."

Christian Rast, CEO of BrainNet Supply Management Counsulting, gave an overview of the new Supply Chain School being established by the European Businesss School and Fraunhofer Institue.

Three exchange students from Dortmund, Benedikt, Konrad Alexander Regener, and Bastian Himmeroeder, shared their experiences as graduate students at Georgia Tech, discussing how both educational approaches complement each other and how the program has offered them a valuable cultural and professional experience. Konrad, Regener, and Himmeroeder all concluded that the time spent at Georgia Tech was "time well spent and most beneficial."

ISyE Associate Professor Gunter Sharp, who initiated the exchange program in 1987, gave a brief overview of the history of the collaboration.

After a thirty-minute tour of campus that included Technology Square and the new Marcus Nanotechnology Building, the visitors returned to the ISyE Faculty Lounge for the agreement signing ceremony. Steve McLaughlin, Vice Provost of International Initiatives, and Gary Schuster, Provost and Executive Vice President, provided the opening remarks of the afternoon. Andreas Pinkwart, Minister of Innovation, Science, Research and Technology of the State of NRW, addressed the audience next. Dortmund representative Uwe Clausen, Co-Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML), also spoke. In the signing ceremony, Clausen was joined by fellow IML Co-Director Michael ten Hompel. The German delegates signed the Memorandum of Understanding & Cooperative Agreement with Provost Schuster, concluding the meeting.

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  • Workflow Status:Published
  • Created By:Barbara Christopher
  • Created:06/03/2009
  • Modified By:Fletcher Moore
  • Modified:10/07/2016