Georgia Tech/SAIC-Sponsored Student Paper Contest Fosters Research and Relationships

It seems odd that school bus logistics, hydraulic excavators, or titanium implants would have much to do with fostering a relationship between SAIC and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Odd, but true: those topics were among the 100-plus papers submitted this year for the Georgia Tech Student Paper Contest, supported by SAIC for more than 20 years.

“The student paper competition plays an important role in building the collaborative association we have with Georgia Tech that is being fostered by the Strategic University Alliance program,” said SAIC Senior Vice President Amy Alving, who gave the keynote speech at this year’s contest awards dinner, held recently in Atlanta, Ga. “It illustrates our dedication to fostering science, technology, engineering, and math careers, demonstrates our commitment to technical excellence, and provides a forum whereby students, faculty, and administrators are exposed to the innovative work and talented people at SAIC.”

More than 100 papers were submitted for this year’s competition, from which 11 winners were selected. First held in 1989, the competition represents one of the longest-running, corporate-sponsored events for recognizing outstanding research at Georgia Tech.

“The large number of entries that we have every year reflects the high regard that students and faculty have for winning an SAIC award,” said SAIC Vice President Jad Batteh, who directs the competition.   

In addition to giving SAIC the chance “to recognize the breadth and quality of research at a great university,” Batteh noted that the competition gives participants the opportunity to learn more about SAIC. “Based on number of entries, with a faculty advisor for every entry, we estimate that more than 200 members of the Georgia Tech community were exposed to SAIC as a result of this competition,” he said, “The 45 Georgia Tech-affiliated attendees at the awards banquet also got extensive exposure to the expertise and innovation within SAIC, as well as tangible evidence of our commitment to technical excellence.”

13 Researchers Garner 11 Awards

A panel of judges — including SAIC scientists and Georgia Tech faculty — evaluated entries based on originality or uniqueness of the work, significance of the results, and effectiveness of the presentation.

Winning papers dealt with such subjects as drag-induced lift in granular media — how objects move through sand and gravel — and the characterization of the disturbance field in a transversely excited swirl-stabilized flame, a research effort that could yield turbines that operate more effectively and emit fewer harmful chemicals.

“This competition was a great opportunity to share my research with professionals outside my field in a direct and understandable way,” said Rolando Gittens, who won an award for his research into cell growth in bone and dental implants.

“The communication skills fostered in events like this are necessary for science and technology research to have the utmost impact on society. Receiving the Best Poster Award is a great honor and is further motivation to continue working on problems that affect us all,” he added.

Mark Elton, honored for his research in the graphic interfaces used by operators of hydraulic manipulators like excavators or cement mixers, echoed that sentiment. “It was great to meet SAIC employees and other faculty and students at the banquet. I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of work represented, and it was a pleasure to be encouraged in my research by Dr. Alving.”

Relationship Yields Benefits for Both Parties

SAIC’s relationship with Georgia Tech isn’t limited to the contest: the company provides internships and scholarships, and supports a handful of research efforts, including a collaboration to develop a health information technology degree program at the university.

SAIC and Georgia Tech appear pleased with the results of the long-standing collaboration.

“The Georgia Tech strategic vision and plan published in 2010 underscore the importance of strategic, collaborative alliances in support of our educational and research mission,” said Steve Cross, Georgia Tech’s executive vice president for research. “Now in its 22nd year, our collaboration with SAIC is an exemplar of the kind of relationships we value and upon which we depend in order to support our students and to address challenging research problems.”

He added, “As I have worked directly with SAIC for over 25 years, I personally appreciate both the commitment and experience SAIC brings to [Georgia] Tech to the benefit of our students and faculty.”

Mike Macedonia, an SAIC vice president, remarked, “We have been steadily building this relationship with Georgia Tech, and the student paper competition is an integral part. I look forward to continuing our work with the university, and am eager to see the new technologies we can develop and possibly bring to market.”

22nd Annual SAIC - Georgia Tech Student Paper Competition Winners
November 8, 2011

Airfoil Effect in Sand: Drag Induced Lift in Granular Media,
Yang Ding & Nick Gravish, Dr. Daniel I. Goldman

Calibration of Hybrid SCE-CSSM Analytical Model for Piezocone Penetration in Clays, Fawad Sulaman Niazi, Dr. Paul W. Mayne

Characterization of the Disturbance Field in a Transversely Excited Swirl-Stabilized Flame, Jacqueline O'Connor, Dr. Timothy C. Lieuwen

Comparison of Human-Machine Interfaces Designed for Novices Teleoperating Multi-DOF Hydraulic Manipulators, Mark Elton,
Dr. Wayne J. Book

Constant Tip-Surface Distance with Atomic Force Microscopy via Quality Factor Feedback, Lin Fan, Dr. Todd Sulchek

Genomic Fluidity: An Integrative View of Gene Diversity within Microbial Populations, Andrey Kislyuk, Dr. Joshua S. Weitz

Graphene Oxide-Polyelectrolyte Nanomembranes,
Dhaval Kulkarni, Dr. Vladimir Tsukruk

Gwinnett County Public Schools: Improvements in Bus Logistics,
Kathleen Hendrix (Representing Senior Design Team), Dr. Julie Swann

Quantitative Assessment of the World Health Organization Interagency Emergency Health Kit, Evan Saltzman, Seonghye Jeon, & Samina Jamil, Dr. Julie Swann

The Effects of Combined Micron-/Submicron-scale Surface Roughness and Nanoscale Features on Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Rolando A. Gittens, Dr. Barbara Boyan

The Motion Grammar for Physical Human-Robot Games,
Neil T. Dantam, Dr. Mike Stilman