IPaT held its yearly Fall Town Hall on September 1st, where IPaT Executive Director Beth Mynatt announced four new research priorities for the next five years.

The research priorities are: Lifelong Health and Wellbeing and Smart Cities and Healthy Communities, which focus on national priorities and societal needs, plus Platforms and Services for Socio-Technical Systems and Shaping the Human Technology Frontier, which emphasize enabling technologies and design approaches.

Lifelong Health and Wellbeing is dedicated to a range of health issues from pediatrics to aging, and the work IPaT is doing to promote good health.

Smart Cities and Healthy Communities focuses on live, work, and play, the daily life of communities, and its resilience to withstand natural disasters.

Platforms and Services for Socio-Technical Systems is centered on data analytics, and developing new network infrastructure technologies that create connectivity.

Shaping the Human Technology Frontier focuses on wearable and assistive technology, and augmenting human capabilities at the individual, organizational, and social/cultural levels.

Town Hall attendees participated in breakout groups to discuss projects they are working on related to the research priorities, and how they want to engage with IPaT.

“Our faculty are continuing to push ambitious research agendas that link expertise across Georgia Tech with the capabilities and goals of our partners. Together they are making a real difference in the lived experience of people and technology every day,” remarked Mynatt.

Chris Jones, Georgia Tech Associate Vice President for Research, provided an update about the next phase for Interdisciplinary Research Centers (IRIs) on campus, which will be to provide a focal point for Georgia Tech’s interdisciplinary research and transition activities in strategic focus areas. He also gave an update on the planned CODA building in Midtown, outlining the three research neighborhoods planned for the new development: Health, Internet of Things, and Smart Cities. Jones thanked IPaT for its leadership in helping to plan the neighborhoods. “IPaT will continue to play a very big role in CODA,” he said.

Mynatt also discussed our mission and core values, plus new partnerships and other recent IPaT highlights such as:

• The Health Analytics team, led by ISyE professors Nicoleta Serban and Julie Swann, which is analyzing 500 billion Medicaid claims that is raising policy questions about taking care of the dental needs for Georgia’s children

• A new partnership with ThyssenKrupp to research future office environments

• A new partnership with the Atlanta Braves on several research initiatives, and a STEM competition for students

•  The On You: Wearing Technology exhibit and panel series

• The 2016 GVU/IPaT Research and Engagement Grants

• The 2016 Center for Transforming Pediatric Healthcare Delivery (CTPHD) Grants

• The Geisinger Health System Seed Grant Program

Many of our upcoming events, including the IPaT Thursday Think Tank series, which started earlier this month, and the Fall 2016 Convergence Innovation Competition on November 16th will incorporate the new research priorities.

To download the 2016 IPaT Fall Town Hall presentation, please visit our website.