{"157411":{"#nid":"157411","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Tech Establishes Research Center with Saudi Engineering University","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEarlier this semester, Georgia Tech signed an agreement to form a joint research center with an engineering university in Saudi Arabia \u2013 the Center for Energy and Geo Processing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Center (abbreviated CeGP), created in partnership with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), will facilitate research and academic collaborations, personnel exchanges and industry partnerships between the two institutions. KFUPM provided an initial investment of $8 million in funding for research on the Atlanta campus for six years, mirroring a similar effort on KFUPM\u2019s campus in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAssociate Professor \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/users.ece.gatech.edu\/gregib\/\u0022\u003EGhassan AlRegib\u003C\/a\u003E in Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering will direct the Center in Atlanta, and Associate Professor and Chair of the KFUPM Department of Electrical Engineering Ali Al-Sheikhi will direct the Center in Dhahran. Research will focus on applying advanced signal processing theories to energy-related signals and systems, with an emphasis on seismic data acquisition, processing, imaging and interpretation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019ll be applying advanced digital signal processing to geo signals such as seismic data, with the goal of reducing the false alarm rate for drilling,\u201d said AlRegib. A primary goal of the research is to improve the accuracy of drilling and reduce its cost; a secondary goal will be to make other overall decisions about drilling, such as how it could be automated or less labor intensive.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEventually we\u2019d like to expand into other types of energy, such as smart grid, applying digital signal processing to smart grids, making them more intelligent and collecting more intelligent information,\u201d added AlRegib.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBesides the research focus within the Center, the educational track is of critical importance. The Center will have a number of educational projects with a focus on creating new courses that emphasize innovation and research, as well as student training for the job market.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOther objectives of the collaboration include creating a hub for seismic processing and energy informatics, producing industry standard inventions and technologies, and creating an international industry consortium with a focus on innovative signal processing. Some expected outcomes are new patents, ventures, software packages and textbooks.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe industrial participation in the Center\u2019s operation is another key element where scientists from related industries will be approached to participate in different activities at the Center at both locations.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGroups at both Tech and KFUPM will assist in overseeing operations and providing recommendations to AlRegib and Al-Sheikhi. Tech\u2019s committee is initially composed of AlRegib; Steve McLaughlin, Steve W. Chaddick School Chair of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; James McClellan, chair of the School\u2019s Digital Signal Processing Technical Interest Group and John and Marilu McCarty Chair Professor of Electrical Engineering; and Larry Jacobs, professor and associate dean of the College of Engineering.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe agreement to create the Center, which was signed in August, comes after two years of visits and collaboration, beginning in 2010 with a joint workshop in Dhahran. In April, Provost Rafael Bras served as a keynote speaker at KFUPM\u2019s 50th anniversary celebrations. In addition, Tech hosts KFUPM exchange students, primarily in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Institute President G. P. \u201cBud\u201d Peterson recently accepted an offer to serve on KFUPM\u2019s International Advisory Board.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBoth schools will continue to host each other\u2019s students, faculty, and researchers and conduct biannual joint workshops.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe students at KFUPM come from the top one percent of applicants in Saudi Arabia,\u201d said AlRegib. \u201cIt\u2019s the leading engineering school in Saudi Arabia and is selective.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMuch like Georgia Tech, KFUPM\u2019s engineering focus is complemented by its focus on science and management. KFUPM is strategically located in proximity to the country\u2019s industrial cities and oilfields.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe partnership with King Fahd University will form the Center for Energy and Geo Processing.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Partnership will form the Center for Energy and Geo Processing"}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2012-09-27 09:00:55","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:50","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-11-15T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2012-11-15T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"171231":{"id":"171231","type":"image","title":"Rafael Bras Signs Agreement with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals","body":null,"created":"1449178978","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:42:58","changed":"1475894811","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:51","alt":"Rafael Bras Signs Agreement with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals","file":{"fid":"195724","name":"dsc_9936.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dsc_9936_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dsc_9936_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":139289,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/dsc_9936_0.jpg?itok=pZnMOJ1u"}},"171321":{"id":"171321","type":"image","title":"Georgia Tech Forms Joint Research Center with King Fahd University","body":null,"created":"1449178999","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:43:19","changed":"1475894811","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:51","alt":"Georgia Tech Forms Joint Research Center with King Fahd University","file":{"fid":"195728","name":"dsc_9900.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dsc_9900_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dsc_9900_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":156804,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/dsc_9900_0.jpg?itok=6ZG0sA6I"}}},"media_ids":["171231","171321"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.kfupm.edu.sa\/default.aspx","title":"King Faud University of Petroleum and Minerals"},{"url":"http:\/\/ece.gatech.edu\/","title":"School of Electrical and Computer Engineering"},{"url":"http:\/\/users.ece.gatech.edu\/gregib\/","title":"About Ghassan AlRegib"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2435","name":"ECE"},{"id":"1925","name":"Electrical and Computer Engineering"},{"id":"213","name":"energy"},{"id":"44681","name":"Ghassan AlRegib"},{"id":"479","name":"Green Buzz"},{"id":"44691","name":"King Faud University of Petroleum and Minerals"},{"id":"44661","name":"oil drilling"},{"id":"44671","name":"petroleum"},{"id":"171230","name":"seismic imaging"},{"id":"167365","name":"smart grid"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jackie.nemeth@ece.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJackie Nemeth\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESchool of Electrical and Computer Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}