{"692738":{"#nid":"692738","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Launches ETHOS Initiative to Accelerate Human-Centered Medical Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EGeorgia Tech\u0027s ETHOS initiative brings together expertise from across the Institute to advance human-centered research models that could accelerate the development of safer, more effective therapies.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBefore a promising new therapy can reach a patient, researchers need to answer a deceptively simple question: Will it work?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor decades, part of the answer has come from animal testing. Animal models have helped scientists make countless medical advances and understand how potential treatments behave in a living system. But they also present scientific and ethical challenges, including one unavoidable limitation: A mouse isn\u0027t a human. This limitation is one reason \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.aeb0045\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Emany promising drug candidates fail during human clinical trials\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow, Georgia Tech is launching a new Institute-wide initiative focused on technologies that help researchers close that gap by studying human health and disease in ways that more closely reflect human biology. This interdisciplinary venture, called Emerging Technologies for Human-Oriented Systems (ETHOS), will advance human-centered research technologies, including new approach methodologies (NAMs) that improve prediction of human responses and support the development of safer, more effective therapies.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cETHOS reflects Georgia Tech\u0027s commitment to advancing innovative approaches to some of society\u0027s most pressing health challenges,\u201d said Executive Vice President for Research Tim Lieuwen. \u201cBy bringing together expertise from across the Institute and investing in technologies that more closely reflect human biology, we have an opportunity to accelerate discovery, strengthen translation, and help shape the future of biomedical research.\u0022\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EUnifying Research\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESupported by the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research, ETHOS is built on an interdisciplinary framework that connects researchers across Georgia Tech and with clinical and translational partners. The initiative draws on expertise in bioengineering, materials science, device engineering, computing, and data science. It will be led jointly by the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bioresearch.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/a\u003E (IBB) and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ideas.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EInstitute for Data Engineering and Science\u003C\/a\u003E (IDEaS).\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhat sets Georgia Tech apart is our ability to unify deep expertise in foundational life sciences, bioengineering, and materials science with artificial intelligence and data science,\u201d said Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research Julia Kubanek. \u201cETHOS creates a framework for connecting those strengths, fostering new collaborations, and enabling researchers to tackle complex health challenges in ways that no single discipline could accomplish alone.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnkur Singh, Carl Ring Family Professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University\u003C\/a\u003E (BME), will lead ETHOS in his new administrative role as deputy director of IBB. Although ETHOS is a new initiative, Georgia Tech researchers have already begun building a NAMs community through an institutional task force and other collaborative efforts. That momentum will continue with the 2027 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bioresearch.gatech.edu\/news\/events\/suddath-symposium\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESuddath Symposium\u003C\/a\u003E, which will focus on NAMs and bring researchers together across disciplines.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGeorgia Tech has expertise across the full spectrum of these approaches, from AI and computational modeling to engineered tissues and experimental systems,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/people.research.gatech.edu\/james-gumbart\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EJC Gumbart\u003C\/a\u003E, Dunn Family Professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cETHOS gives us a framework to connect those strengths and accelerate human-centered biomedical research.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGumbart co-led the NAMs task force and is co-organizing the symposium with \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/people.research.gatech.edu\/shuichi-takayama\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EShuichi Takayama\u003C\/a\u003E, a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and chair of regenerative engineering medicine within BME.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EAdvancing Discovery\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat are new approach methodologies, or NAMs, and how can they help researchers address human health challenges?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENAMs include both physical models, such as organoids and organ-on-chip technologies, and computational models that use artificial intelligence. Each approach has its own advantages and limitations.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOrganoids and organ-on-chip are living tissue systems grown in the lab that mimic key features of human biology and help researchers study how the body may respond to new drugs or treatments. These models allow researchers to observe biological responses in human tissue systems, but they are limited by the steep cost of time and resources required to create them.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EComputational models take advantage of AI and supercomputing technology to rapidly explore and predict thousands of possibilities. They use existing datasets to examine complex relationships at scale and simulate how potential changes might affect a system. Though these simulations can provide a large-scale prediction of what might happen, they can\u2019t provide evidence of how cells actually respond.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EETHOS emphasizes a bidirectional approach that combines engineered biological systems with predictive computational models. For instance, a scientist who is testing a new drug on an organoid may use AI to predict how the drug could affect a larger population with differing demographics. Conversely, a researcher using a computational model may use an organ-on-chip experiment to validate (or disprove) the computer\u2019s prediction.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThese human platforms allow us to look broad \u2014 exploring how therapies behave across populations \u2014 and look deep, engineering precise models that reflect an individual patient\u2019s unique health profile,\u201d Singh said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ELeading the Way\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe adaptability of NAMs gives researchers a more human-centered way to study \u2014 and hopefully one day treat \u2014 some of humanity\u2019s most pervasive health problems, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune diseases, neurological disorders, infection, and more. Therapies developed using NAMs could be broad-use solutions that impact entire populations or tailored treatments for personalized healthcare. By bringing together strengths in engineering, computing, data science, and the life sciences, ETHOS positions Georgia Tech to help shape the future of NAMs research and technology development.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe next generation of medical research increasingly relies on models that are both more human and more intelligent. Georgia Tech\u0027s strength lies in connecting the physical and digital worlds of biology,\u201d Singh said. \u201cThat closed loop between human biology and computation gives us a powerful advantage in developing the next generation of non-animal models for research and drug development.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe initiative will also include the development of a platform designed to connect researchers across the Institute and help them identify complementary expertise, shared experimental systems, and collaborative funding opportunities. The digital matchmaking system, along with pilot research and technology development, AI integration, grant development, and community building, makes ETHOS a potentially groundbreaking program launching at an opportune time.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cETHOS is an initiative of convergence. Few institutions combine strengths in advanced human tissue systems, engineering, AI, and data science at the scale of Georgia Tech. ETHOS provides a framework to unite those capabilities and accelerate biomedical discovery and translation,\u201d Singh said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EETHOS is designed to strengthen connections between fundamental research and real-world health applications. By developing research models that more closely reflect human biology, the initiative could help researchers identify promising therapies earlier and better understand how they may perform in people. ETHOS could also strengthen collaborations among Atlanta\u0027s academic, clinical, and industry partners, creating new opportunities for translational research and technology development.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBefore a promising new therapy can reach a patient, researchers need to answer a deceptively simple question: Will it work?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor decades, part of the answer has come from animal testing. Animal models have helped scientists make countless medical advances and understand how potential treatments behave in a living system. But they also present scientific and ethical challenges, including one unavoidable limitation: A mouse isn\u0027t a human. This limitation is one reason \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.aeb0045\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Emany promising drug candidates fail during human clinical trials\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow, Georgia Tech is launching a new Institute-wide initiative focused on technologies that help researchers close that gap by studying human health and disease in ways that more closely reflect human biology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech\u0027s ETHOS initiative brings together expertise from across the Institute to advance human-centered research models that could accelerate the development of safer, more effective therapies."}],"uid":"36479","created_gmt":"2026-09-21 15:58:51","changed_gmt":"2026-09-21 18:39:54","author":"abowman41","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-09-21T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-09-21T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681214":{"id":"681214","type":"image","title":"_0000_NAMs-1.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAnkur Singh will lead Georgia Tech\u2019s new ETHOS initiative to advance New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) and transform drug discovery through human-relevant systems. Singh is pictured alongside Ph.D. student Olivia Jones, holding a human immune organ engineered on-a-chip, a breakthrough innovation developed at Georgia Tech to model complex immune responses outside the body.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1790006443","gmt_created":"2026-09-21 16:00:43","changed":"1790006443","gmt_changed":"2026-09-21 16:00:43","alt":"A woman with brown hair wearing a navy blue blouse holds a microscope slide up to the camera. To her right is a male researcher wearing a suit holding a round lab dish with plastic organ-on-chip experiments inside.","file":{"fid":"265577","name":"_0000_NAMs-1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/21\/_0000_NAMs-1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/21\/_0000_NAMs-1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":128202,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/21\/_0000_NAMs-1.jpg?itok=Cgtrcz6B"}}},"media_ids":["681214"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"194606","name":"Artificial Intelligence"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"188776","name":"go-research"},{"id":"187082","name":"go-ideas"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193655","name":"Artificial Intelligence at Georgia Tech"},{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39431","name":"Data Engineering and Science"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAshlie Bowman | Communications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"692718":{"#nid":"692718","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Sign Agreement to Expand Strategic Research Partnership","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnnl.gov\/\u0022\u003EPacific Northwest National Laboratory\u003C\/a\u003E (PNNL) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to strengthen their longstanding partnership and expand collaboration in scientific discovery, national security research, and workforce development.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe agreement was signed during a Sept. 14 visit by PNNL leadership to Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/manufacturing.gatech.edu\/facilities\/ampf\u0022\u003EAdvanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility\u003C\/a\u003E. It builds on years of successful collaboration between researchers at the two institutions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe enhanced collaboration has three primary goals: solving big problems through multidisciplinary, multi-institutional research; sustaining and engaging human capital by creating opportunities for students, faculty, researchers, and interns to work on complex real-world challenges; and accelerating technology adoption by taking scientific discoveries and innovations into industry and the federal marketplace.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Strengthening our partnerships with national laboratories is a strategic priority for Georgia Tech,\u201d said\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/leadership\u0022\u003ETim Lieuwen\u003C\/a\u003E, executive vice president for Research at Georgia Tech. \u0022PNNL is an outstanding partner, and we look forward to deepening connections among our researchers and students, expanding opportunities and access to world-class capabilities and facilities, and advancing discovery, innovation, and national impact together.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPNNL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that advances scientific discovery and innovations that support reliable energy, national security, and economic competitiveness. Georgia Tech is one of the nation\u0027s leading research universities, conducting more than $1.5 billion in research annually and pursuing a mission to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022PNNL and Georgia Tech have a long history of working together,\u0022 said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnnl.gov\/people\/deb-gracio\u0022\u003EDeb Gracio\u003C\/a\u003E, laboratory director of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. \u201cThis agreement provides the foundation to take on difficult research challenges and to leverage our complementary expertise and investments in the years ahead.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/energy.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EStrategic Energy Institute\u003C\/a\u003E (SEI) has played a central role in advancing Georgia Tech\u0027s engagement with the national laboratory system and connecting researchers with partnership opportunities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022As SEI takes on a greater role in coordinating Georgia Tech\u0027s national laboratory partnerships, this agreement with PNNL demonstrates how we are building stronger pathways for faculty, researchers, and students to engage with world-class national lab capabilities,\u0022\u0026nbsp;said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/energy.gatech.edu\/people\/yuanzhi-tang\u0022\u003EYuanzhi Tang\u003C\/a\u003E, SEI executive director.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/national-laboratories\u0022\u003ENational Laboratory Partnership Program\u003C\/a\u003E supports engagement between Georgia Tech and the U.S. national laboratories. SEI now leads the program, with ongoing support from Georgia Tech\u2019s Office of the Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research. The agreement with PNNL is the first formal agreement established through the program since its transition to SEI.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022This MOU formalizes and strengthens relationships that have been growing for many years,\u0022 said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/energy.gatech.edu\/people\/scott-mcwhorter\u0022\u003EScott McWhorter\u003C\/a\u003E, SEI director of national laboratory partnerships. \u201cIt leverages the unique strengths of Georgia Tech and PNNL and provides a framework for expanding engagement across areas of mutual interest.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech and PNNL bring complementary strengths in energy and environmental systems, electric grid resilience, cybersecurity of critical infrastructure, alternative fuels and advanced materials, biofuels, radiation detection, data science and visual analytics, nuclear nonproliferation, and national security. These capabilities will be brough together through two upcoming \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnnl.gov\/projects\/genesis-mission\/phase-1-projects\u0022\u003EGenesis Mission\u003C\/a\u003E projects.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnnl.gov\/people\/william-pike-phd\u0022\u003EBill Pike\u003C\/a\u003E, PNNL\u0027s deputy director for Science and Technology, who joined the laboratory\u2019s leadership delegation for the MOU signing, said the projects reflect the growing partnership and expanding collaboration between the two institutions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout Georgia Tech\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology is one of the nation\u0027s leading research universities, with strengths spanning engineering, computing, science, business, design, and the liberal arts. With more than $1.5 billion annually in research awards across its Colleges and the Georgia Tech Research Institute, Georgia Tech is among the nation\u0027s most research-intensive universities. The Institute\u0027s mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout Pacific Northwest National Laboratory\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pnnl.gov%2F\u0026amp;data=05%7C02%7Cpriya.devarajan%40research.gatech.edu%7C3afd7c8f8d5343d98b8108df151af314%7C482198bbae7b4b258b7a6d7f32faa083%7C1%7C0%7C639252877654867152%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C\u0026amp;sdata=3F97zK7e9LpJfsHQvvHqZbkSpD6OiYDEp9UfOiAQBqU%3D\u0026amp;reserved=0\u0022 title=\u0022Original URL:\u0026#13;https:\/\/www.pnnl.gov\/\u0026#13;\u0026#13;Click to follow link.\u0022\u003EPacific Northwest National Laboratory\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;draws on its distinguishing strengths in chemistry, Earth sciences, biology and data science to advance scientific knowledge and address challenges in\u0026nbsp;energy resiliency and national security.\u0026nbsp;Founded in 1965, PNNL is operated by Battelle and supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnnl.gov\/\u0022\u003EPacific Northwest National Laboratory\u003C\/a\u003E (PNNL) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to strengthen their longstanding partnership and expand collaboration in scientific discovery, national security research, and workforce development.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe agreement was signed during a Sept. 14 visit by PNNL leadership to Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/manufacturing.gatech.edu\/facilities\/ampf\u0022\u003EAdvanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;. It builds on years of successful collaboration between researchers at the two institutions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Together, the organizations will pursue new opportunities in joint research, workforce development, technology commercialization, and talent exchange."}],"uid":"36413","created_gmt":"2026-09-18 19:03:18","changed_gmt":"2026-09-18 19:28:22","author":"pdevarajan3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-09-18T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-09-18T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681199":{"id":"681199","type":"image","title":"GT-PNNL-MOU-Signing-Ceremony-21_LR.jpeg","body":"\u003Cp\u003ESeated, from left: Deb Gracio, PNNL Laboratory Director; Tim Lieuwen, Georgia Tech Executive Vice President for Research. Standing, from left: Yuanzhi Tang, SEI Executive Director; Alexa Harter, Director, GTRI CIPHER Lab; George White, Executive Director, GT Strategic Partnerships; Asha Menon, SEI Program Manager; Scott McWhorter, SEI Director for National Lab Partnerships; Bill Pike, PNNL Deputy Director for Science and Technology; Jess Smith, PNNL Senior Cybersecurity Researcher; Steve Biegalski, Georgia Tech Faculty Liaison for PNNL; Erin Searcy, PNNL Director of Institutional Investments and Research Partnerships; Aaron Stebner, Associate Director of Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute; Christine Conwell, SEI Director for Strategic Planning and Operations.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1789758427","gmt_created":"2026-09-18 19:07:07","changed":"1789758427","gmt_changed":"2026-09-18 19:07:07","alt":"Picture of MOU Signing ceremony participants from PNNL and Georgia Tech","file":{"fid":"265564","name":"GT-PNNL-MOU-Signing-Ceremony-21_LR.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/18\/GT-PNNL-MOU-Signing-Ceremony-21_LR.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/18\/GT-PNNL-MOU-Signing-Ceremony-21_LR.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1253216,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/18\/GT-PNNL-MOU-Signing-Ceremony-21_LR.jpeg?itok=lRnqEJBQ"}}},"media_ids":["681199"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"194610","name":"National Interests\/National Security"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"194612","name":"Workforce Development"}],"keywords":[{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:priya.devarajan@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EPriya Devarajan\u003C\/a\u003E | SEI Communications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["priya.devarajan@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"692466":{"#nid":"692466","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Supporting Community-Led Flood Resilience","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EA new research project aims to empower coastal communities. Using advanced AI-based flood modeling, residents will be able to compare flood mitigation strategies and identify the potential solutions that best meet their needs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe CHORUS (Community Hubs for Optimizing Resilience) project will collaborate with coastal communities in Georgia and New York and will be split into two pieces: technology development and community engagement.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cWe\u2019re not just building a simulator and hoping it fits the needs of coastal residents,\u201d explains \u003Cstrong\u003EAlex Robel, \u003C\/strong\u003Eproject leader and Jean \u201cChris\u201d Purvis Associate Professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. \u0022By collaborating with community partners from the very beginning, we can ensure that what we ultimately develop will be effective because the people who will be using it are helping design it.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPutting Flood Modeling in Residents\u0027 Hands\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe technology development component will include faculty from the College of Sciences and the College of Computing. The College of Sciences team will develop an AI-based flood simulator and the College of Computing team led by\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EJosiah Hester\u003C\/strong\u003E,\u0026nbsp;associate professor and Catherine M. and James E. Allchin Early Career Professor, will create a web platform that allows users to visualize potential flood impacts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ETraditional flood models can take hours or days to generate results and often require specialized expertise and expensive computing resources. The CHORUS platform will be designed to provide easy-to-understand results in seconds, producing building-scale flood maps that show how water moves through streets, yards, and structures during a range of flooding scenarios. Researchers will use the model to test how specific interventions, such as seawalls, restored marshes, or improved stormwater infrastructure, could affect flooding.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EEventually, users will be able to test their own scenarios through the browser-based tool, enabling them to explore how different decisions could change flood impacts in their communities:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cUsers will be able to go into a web browser and indicate where a sea wall could go or change a parking lot into a porous vegetated landscape, then click simulate. Within a few seconds, they\u2019ll have a new flood map showing the impacts of these interventions,\u201d says Robel.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA Community-Driven Approach\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EA collaborative effort with the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nyclimateexchange.org\/climate-data\u0022\u003ENew York Climate Exchange\u003C\/a\u003E, the project will be funded by\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gacoast.uga.edu\/research\/biennial-funding\/\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;Georgia Sea Grant\u003C\/a\u003E and IBM, with support from\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sciences.gatech.edu\/georgias-tomorrow\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;Georgia Tech for Georgia\u2019s Tomorrow\u003C\/a\u003E (GT2),\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cearhub.org\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech\u2019s Coastal Equity and Resilience (CEAR) Hub\u003C\/a\u003E,\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cearhub.org\/\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/a\u003Eand the\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/seagrant.noaa.gov\/\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;National Sea Grant College Program\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;The CHORUS project is an initiative of the New York Climate Exchange, where Georgia Tech is a core partner institution.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ECommunity engagement in Georgia is being led by CEAR and the Pin Point Betterment Association, which represents descendants of the historic Gullah Geechee community near Savannah. In New York, the project team is partnering with the New York Climate Exchange and the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/waterfrontalliance.org\/\u0022\u003EWaterfront Alliance\u003C\/a\u003E to work with communities surrounding Jamaica Bay.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cWhat makes this partnership meaningful is that it puts community voices at the center,\u201d says\u003Cstrong\u003E Jasmine Smith\u003C\/strong\u003E, president of the Pin Point Betterment Association.\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u201cToo often, decisions are made to \u2018better\u2019 communities without actually involving the people who live there. We hope this partnership can serve as a blueprint for how communities are included in future sustainability projects from the very beginning.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe project includes community advisory boards and technical advisory boards in both locations. Community members will help identify priority assets, select flood scenarios for analysis, and shape the design of the web-based tool. They\u2019ll also test and offer feedback. Technical advisory boards made up of local officials, planners, and other experts will help evaluate the feasibility of proposed solutions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThe aim is to blend information from both groups without allowing the technical perspective to override community priorities,\u201d says Robel.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAccording to Robel, giving communities direct access to flood modeling tools can help close the gap between public input and infrastructure planning.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cWe are putting decision making in the hands of the community. With a tool like this, the community can say: \u2018We want to prevent flooding at this community center, this school, or this road,\u2019\u201d says Robel. \u201cThey can run the model, produce data, and present it to local governments or the Army Corps of Engineers\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u2014 advocating\u0026nbsp;for potential solutions themselves rather than relying on outside experts.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ERobel sees this project as just the beginning:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cFunded by two-year grants, CHORUS is meant to be a pilot for how this kind of community-centered project can be done. Once we understand some of the challenges and opportunities involved, it will hopefully make it easier for us to scale this work to additional community partners.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout Community-Engaged Research at Georgia Tech\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech is actively working to foster more projects that foster community engagement. Collaborative groups at Georgia Tech involved in the CHORUS project include:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli dir=\u0022ltr\u0022 data-list-item-id=\u0022e24ad42d08ff5aaeb8f0e7892a7ae22cc\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe CEAR Hub\u003C\/strong\u003E, part of the Institute for People and Technology (IPaT), and housed at the Georgia Tech Savannah campus, advances community-engaged research and planning throughout coastal Georgia, helping communities build resilience to environmental and climate challenges.\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.scre.research.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli dir=\u0022ltr\u0022 data-list-item-id=\u0022e37deda0b2f16b9d512f523a8c923dc46\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.scre.research.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EThe Center for Sustainable Communities Research and Education\u003C\/a\u003E (SCoRE) trains faculty, students, and staff in best practices for conducting community-engaged research as well as facilitating connections directly with communities.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli dir=\u0022ltr\u0022 data-list-item-id=\u0022e79895753719bd77cdf19df0d35438ceb\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sustainablesystems.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EThe Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems (BBISS)\u003C\/a\u003E houses SCoRE and is Georgia Tech\u2019s point of contact to the New York Climate Exchange. BBISS forms partnerships like these to fulfill its mission to expand the reach and impact of Georgia Tech\u2019s sustainability research.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe CHORUS research project will combine advanced flood modeling, artificial intelligence, and community partnerships to help coastal residents in Georgia and New York evaluate flooding solutions and shape resilience planning.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The CHORUS research project will combine advanced flood modeling, artificial intelligence, and community partnerships to help coastal residents in Georgia and New York evaluate flooding solutions and shape resilience planning."}],"uid":"36607","created_gmt":"2026-09-09 17:30:40","changed_gmt":"2026-09-18 14:10:47","author":"ls67","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-09-09T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-09-09T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681109":{"id":"681109","type":"image","title":"Alex Robel","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAlex Robel\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1788975052","gmt_created":"2026-09-09 17:30:52","changed":"1788975052","gmt_changed":"2026-09-09 17:30:52","alt":"Headshot of a smiling man","file":{"fid":"265466","name":"Robel55224553122_c82a2500b1_k.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/09\/Robel55224553122_c82a2500b1_k.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/09\/Robel55224553122_c82a2500b1_k.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":775472,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/09\/Robel55224553122_c82a2500b1_k.jpg?itok=LQ3vrmCk"}},"681110":{"id":"681110","type":"image","title":"Jill Gambill, executive director and senior research associate of the CEAR Hub, demonstrates a tide gate engineered to maintain storm sewer outflow capacity amidst rising sea levels to Georgia Tech students.","body":"\u003Cp\u003EJill Gambill, executive director and senior research associate of the CEAR Hub, demonstrates a tide gate engineered to maintain storm sewer outflow capacity amidst rising sea levels to Georgia Tech students.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1788975321","gmt_created":"2026-09-09 17:35:21","changed":"1788975321","gmt_changed":"2026-09-09 17:35:21","alt":"Students view a tide gate to prevent flooding in a marshy area.","file":{"fid":"265467","name":"Jillbafkreic4slfm5vvdcatjamaxofnzvz7emg6fmxa4zmomgejdunhsb4vzoy.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/09\/Jillbafkreic4slfm5vvdcatjamaxofnzvz7emg6fmxa4zmomgejdunhsb4vzoy_0.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/09\/Jillbafkreic4slfm5vvdcatjamaxofnzvz7emg6fmxa4zmomgejdunhsb4vzoy_0.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1357639,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/09\/Jillbafkreic4slfm5vvdcatjamaxofnzvz7emg6fmxa4zmomgejdunhsb4vzoy_0.png?itok=pd_MVOtp"}}},"media_ids":["681109","681110"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/sciences.gatech.edu\/news\/rare-nasa-satellite-data-reveals-major-limits-flood-models","title":"Rare NASA Satellite Data Reveals Major Limits in Flood Models"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/13\/bringing-classroom-coast","title":"Bringing the Classroom to the Coast"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"},{"id":"660398","name":"Sustainability Hub"}],"categories":[{"id":"42901","name":"Community"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"194611","name":"State Impact"},{"id":"194836","name":"Sustainability"}],"keywords":[{"id":"181662","name":"Coastal Flooding"},{"id":"192254","name":"cos-climate"},{"id":"194631","name":"cos-georgia"},{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"},{"id":"194566","name":"Sustainable Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELaura S. Smith, writer\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["laura.smith@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"692629":{"#nid":"692629","#data":{"type":"news","title":"BBISS Insights Series #1 Reflection: AI, Digital Twins, and Infrastructure Resilience","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EArtificial intelligence is reshaping how society manages complex systems. Its potential to strengthen critical infrastructure is receiving growing attention. The first Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems (BBISS) Insights Series event of the fall semester explored how AI, digital twins, and advanced data analytics are being applied to improve the resilience of energy and water systems. The discussion brought together Dan Molzahn, associate professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Clint Loe, senior digital consultant at Trinnex. Together, they highlighted how AI is beginning to help utilities and communities respond to growing pressures on infrastructure.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOpening the event, Ameet Pinto, BBISS faculty director for Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration, noted that many critical infrastructure systems are facing unprecedented challenges. Aging assets, climate-related impacts, severe weather events, and growing demands on energy and water systems are testing the resilience of infrastructure that communities depend on. At the same time, infrastructure systems increasingly generate vast amounts of operational data through sensors, meters, and monitoring technologies. The opportunities for AI technologies to transform this data into actionable information and inform policy are just beginning to be explored.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETurning Infrastructure Data into Action\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMolzahn\u0027s presentation focused on the electric grid and the ways AI-enhanced optimization can support smarter infrastructure management. He described the ongoing transition from large, centralized power plants to more distributed systems that incorporate renewable energy, battery storage, electric vehicles, and other distributed energy resources. While these technologies create opportunities for cleaner and more resilient energy systems, they also introduce new layers of complexity for planners and operators.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAmong the examples Molzahn shared was research examining how electric vehicle charging could affect emergency evacuations during disasters such as wildfires. Traditional evacuation planning focuses on optimizing transportation networks for rapidly moving vehicles away from danger. However, with more EVs on the roads, consideration must be given to ensure that EVs will have sufficient charge to travel a safe distance when an evacuation order is given without overloading the electrical grid. By linking transportation and power-system models, researchers are demonstrating how planning strategies can significantly reduce stress on infrastructure while supporting faster evacuations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWildfire mitigation was another major focus. In recent years, several devastating wildfires have been linked to electricity infrastructure, prompting utilities to increasingly rely on Public Safety Power Shutoffs during high-risk conditions. Molzahn discussed how machine learning and optimization tools can help utilities make these difficult decisions more quickly by balancing ignition risk and minimizing customer outages.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe also highlighted emerging cybersecurity concerns associated with the trend towards more distributed energy resources. Decentralized and digitally connected energy infrastructure, such as internet-connected solar and battery systems, can be more vulnerable than legacy centralized energy sources. AI is playing an important role in identifying potential vulnerabilities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPractical Applications in the Water Sector\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELoe offered examples of how AI is already being deployed by water utilities and municipalities. One pressing challenge involves identifying lead service lines. New federal regulations require utilities to locate and replace lead service lines, but many organizations lack complete records identifying pipe materials. Loe described how utilities can combine statistical sampling and machine learning models to estimate which service lines are most likely to contain lead. Rather than excavating thousands of suspect locations, utilities can use AI to narrow the search, reducing costs while still meeting regulatory requirements and maintaining confidence in the results.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELoe also explained the overarching challenges of maintaining aging water infrastructure. Utilities across the country have significant backlogs of aging pipes that need replacement but lack the resources to replace every asset at once. Machine learning models can predict which pipes are most likely to fail, while optimization tools can prioritize and package disparate replacement jobs into efficient and practical construction projects for which funding can more easily be obtained. This approach allows organizations to move beyond simple age-based replacement strategies and incorporate factors such as risk, community priorities, paving schedules, traffic impacts, and equity considerations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Human Element\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough the discussion centered on AI, both speakers repeatedly emphasized that people remain critical to successful implementation. Panelists and audience members also discussed the importance of keeping \u0022humans in the loop\u0022 since utility systems directly affect public safety. AI may generate recommendations, identify risks, or highlight priorities, but engineers, operators, and planners should remain responsible for evaluating those recommendations and making final decisions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWorkforce development emerged as another important theme. Both the water and energy sectors face challenges replacing experienced workers as many long-time professionals approach retirement. AI offers opportunities to preserve and transfer institutional knowledge that could enable smaller workforces, but both speakers stressed that future professionals will need expertise that spans engineering, data science, computing, and domain knowledge.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELooking Ahead\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe discussion demonstrated that infrastructure resilience is increasingly both a physical and digital challenge. From wildfire management and grid reliability to lead service line replacements and predictive maintenance, AI and digital twins are enabling new opportunities to improve how critical systems are planned, operated, and maintained. However, better algorithms alone will not be enough to counter our aging infrastructure, climate impacts, cybersecurity risks, and rising resource demands. The thoughtful integration of advanced tools and human expertise and judgment built on a foundation of public trust offers the most effective solutions for keeping essential systems running.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENext in the Insights Series\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn October 14, BBISS will hold the next Insights Series at the John Lewis Student Center in the Rafael Bras Meeting Room. The topic will be \u201cAI for Climate Resilience.\u201d This session will explore how artificial intelligence is being leveraged to address pressing sustainability challenges and strengthen communities, infrastructure, and environmental systems in a changing climate. The program will open with an update from Jennifer Chirico on the Georgia Tech \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sustain.gatech.edu\/climate-action-plan\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EClimate Action Plan\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. Presentations from leading researchers will follow, including Suhas Jain, Ali Sarhadi, Abigale Stangl, and Iris Tien, followed by an interactive panel discussion. Breakfast will be served. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/forms.monday.com\/forms\/862ffc67f4bc814b6e29724eb0ca88b8?r=use1\u0022\u003ERegistration is required\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAI, digital twins, and advanced data analytics are emerging as tools for strengthening critical energy and water infrastructure amid aging assets, climate impacts, severe weather, cybersecurity risks, and rising resource demands. This BBISS Insights Series discussion emphasized that translating operational data into actionable decisions can be streamlined by combining advanced technology and human expertise.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"AI, digital twins, and advanced data analytics can be used to translate operational data into useful decisions when combined with human expertise."}],"uid":"27338","created_gmt":"2026-09-16 19:40:37","changed_gmt":"2026-09-16 19:54:33","author":"Brent Verrill","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-09-16T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-09-16T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681180":{"id":"681180","type":"image","title":"Insights_1_Data_Ctr_Resilience","body":null,"created":"1789586878","gmt_created":"2026-09-16 19:27:58","changed":"1789587432","gmt_changed":"2026-09-16 19:37:12","alt":"Panel discussion in a lecture room featuring two seated speakers at the front of the room and a presenter standing beside a lectern. A large display behind the speakers shows an image of the Georgia Tech Library building, while audience members are seated at tables facing the discussion. The room has light wood paneling throughout the space.","file":{"fid":"265545","name":"Insights_1_Data_Ctr_Resilience.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/16\/Insights_1_Data_Ctr_Resilience.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/16\/Insights_1_Data_Ctr_Resilience.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1009837,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/16\/Insights_1_Data_Ctr_Resilience.jpg?itok=MvgPCPUb"}}},"media_ids":["681180"],"groups":[{"id":"244191","name":"Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems"},{"id":"660398","name":"Sustainability Hub"}],"categories":[{"id":"194836","name":"Sustainability"}],"keywords":[{"id":"188360","name":"go-bbiss"},{"id":"187812","name":"artificial intelligence (AI)"},{"id":"194655","name":"AI infrastructure"},{"id":"10617","name":"resilience"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"194566","name":"Sustainable Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:brent.verrill@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBrent Verrill\u003C\/a\u003E, Research Communications Manager, BBISS\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["brent.verrill@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"692612":{"#nid":"692612","#data":{"type":"news","title":"The Hidden Cost of Segregation","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new study by EPIcenter affiliate \u003Cstrong\u003EMarilyn A. Brown\u003C\/strong\u003E and coauthor \u003Cstrong\u003EMajid Ahmadi\u003C\/strong\u003E examines how racial segregation affects what households pay for basic utilities. Using detailed data from Atlanta, Georgia, the authors investigate whether predominantly Black neighborhoods face higher energy burdens only because of income and housing differences, or whether segregation itself plays a direct role. Their analysis combines mortgage denial data, housing information, utility costs, and household income to show how long-standing discriminatory housing and lending practices continue to shape energy affordability today.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAhmadi and Brown find that neighborhoods with higher shares of Black residents experience \u003Cstrong\u003Ehigher energy burdens\u003C\/strong\u003E, even after accounting for factors such as income, renter status, and housing characteristics. In this study, energy burden refers mainly to the share of household income spent on electricity, gas, and water. The authors estimate that an \u003Cstrong\u003Eapproximately 11 percentage-point increase in a neighborhood\u2019s Black population share is associated with about a 1 percentage-point increase in household energy burden\u003C\/strong\u003E, equal to an \u003Cstrong\u003Eaverage annual increase of about $785\u003C\/strong\u003E in utility costs. These findings suggest that unequal energy burdens are tied not only to household finances, but also to the lasting effects of segregation and discrimination.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/epicenter.energy.gatech.edu\/2026\/09\/14\/the-hidden-cost-of-segregation\/\u0022\u003ERead Full Story on the EPIcenter Page\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA new study by EPIcenter affiliate \u003Cstrong\u003EMarilyn A. Brown\u003C\/strong\u003E and coauthor \u003Cstrong\u003EMajid Ahmadi\u003C\/strong\u003E examines how racial segregation affects what households pay for basic utilities. Using detailed data from Atlanta, Georgia, the authors investigate whether predominantly Black neighborhoods face higher energy burdens only because of income and housing differences, or whether segregation itself plays a direct role. Their analysis combines mortgage denial data, housing information, utility costs, and household income to show how long-standing discriminatory housing and lending practices continue to shape energy affordability today.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new study by EPIcenter affiliate Marilyn A. Brown and coauthor Majid Ahmadi examines how racial segregation affects what households pay for basic utilities. "}],"uid":"36413","created_gmt":"2026-09-16 13:13:04","changed_gmt":"2026-09-16 13:16:17","author":"pdevarajan3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-09-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-09-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681162":{"id":"681162","type":"image","title":"hiddencostAdobeStock_669231771-1536x1023.jpeg","body":null,"created":"1789564394","gmt_created":"2026-09-16 13:13:14","changed":"1789564394","gmt_changed":"2026-09-16 13:13:14","alt":"View of downtown Atlanta from surrounding neighborhoods","file":{"fid":"265524","name":"hiddencostAdobeStock_669231771-1536x1023.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/16\/hiddencostAdobeStock_669231771-1536x1023.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/16\/hiddencostAdobeStock_669231771-1536x1023.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":234674,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/16\/hiddencostAdobeStock_669231771-1536x1023.jpeg?itok=aHc3ftw3"}}},"media_ids":["681162"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/epicenter.energy.gatech.edu\/2026\/09\/14\/the-hidden-cost-of-segregation\/","title":"Full Story on the EPIcenter Webpage"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"151","name":"Policy, Social Sciences, and Liberal Arts"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ggonzalez68@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EGil Gonzalez\u003C\/a\u003E, Program Coordinator,\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EEnergy Policy and Innovation Center\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"689137":{"#nid":"689137","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Four Challenges to the U.S. Energy Transition","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEfficiently transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy means looking at so much more than just the technology we use.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EReliable energy is required to keep safe in cold winters and hot summers, making it a matter of national security. There are also vying economic policies to consider, political and financial incentives to navigate, and questions of social and economic inequality.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EExperts in Georgia Tech\u2019s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts examine \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/featured-news\/2026\/03\/us-energy-transition-challenges\u0022\u003Ethe challenges we face with the U.S. energy transition,\u003C\/a\u003E and work to help make it safe, fair, and effective for all.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e7cfd60f422057affedd60d63117d75e4\u0022\u003EChallenge No. 1: Managing National Security \u2014 with Adam N. Stulberg, professor and chair of the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e94011593432b27de89fe8607d7e8900a\u0022\u003EChallenge No. 2: Confronting Inequality \u2014 with Bijesh Mishra, a postdoctoral scholar in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e93d1764e398d814a49055dc013f9a68e\u0022\u003EChallenge No. 3: Choosing the Right Economic Policies \u2014 with Bobby Harris, an assistant professor in the School of Economics.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022ef3ea7f6406e6ccb36db36b24d5c7dbfa\u0022\u003EChallenge No. 4: Navigating Financial and Political Incentives \u2014 with Kate Pride Brown, a sociologist in the School of History and Sociology.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/featured-news\/2026\/03\/us-energy-transition-challenges\u0022\u003ERead the article on the Ivan Allen College website.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EReliable energy is required to keep safe in cold winters and hot summers, making it a matter of national security. There are also vying economic policies to consider, political and financial incentives to navigate, and questions of social and economic inequality. Experts in Georgia Tech\u2019s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts examine the challenges we face with the U.S. energy transition, and work to help make it safe, fair, and effective for all.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Reliable energy is a matter of national security. There are also vying economic policies to consider, political and financial incentives to navigate, and questions of social and economic inequality to consider."}],"uid":"35766","created_gmt":"2026-03-23 18:34:56","changed_gmt":"2026-09-16 13:11:32","author":"dminardi3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-03-23T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-03-23T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679717":{"id":"679717","type":"image","title":"MERCURY--1-.jpg","body":null,"created":"1774291064","gmt_created":"2026-03-23 18:37:44","changed":"1774291064","gmt_changed":"2026-03-23 18:37:44","alt":"Power lines running through open land.","file":{"fid":"263909","name":"MERCURY--1-.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/23\/MERCURY--1-.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/23\/MERCURY--1-.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1363201,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/03\/23\/MERCURY--1-.jpg?itok=3CSxj0Wp"}}},"media_ids":["679717"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"151","name":"Policy, Social Sciences, and Liberal Arts"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:dminardi3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EDi Minardi\u003C\/a\u003E \u2014 Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["dminardi3@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"692611":{"#nid":"692611","#data":{"type":"news","title":"As Oil Profits Skyrocket, Calls for Windfall Taxes Rise","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBy \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/tibor-besedes-2656327\u0022 rel=\u0022author\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETibor Besede\u0161\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E, Professor of Economics, Georgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen Chevron reported its \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/chevron-records-highest-quarterly-profit-six-years-beating-analyst-estimates-2026-07-31\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003Ehighest quarterly profit in six years\u003C\/a\u003E on July 31, 2026, it was just one detail in a larger picture: Analyst firm Wood Mackenzie estimates the global oil and gas industry is on course for a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.woodmac.com\/press-releases\/wood-mackenzie-mid-year-outlook-oil-and-gas-industry-cash-rich-but-capital-cautious-as-nearly-half-a-trillion-dollar-windfall-fails-to-trigger-a-spending-surge\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003Ecash windfall of US$495 billion in 2026\u003C\/a\u003E. That\u2019s profit above and beyond what the industry expected before the U.S.-Israel war with Iran began.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThree separate bills seeking to tax those profits are now in Congress, and President Donald Trump has even said the oil companies are \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/aug\/07\/trump-windfall-tax-big-oil-iran-war\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003Emaking too much money\u003C\/a\u003E.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=p4hJf78AAAAJ\u0026amp;hl=en\u0026amp;oi=ao\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003Eapplied microeconomist\u003C\/a\u003E, I am often asked how taxes affect economic activity. Economists have long held a more nuanced view of windfall taxes than either side of the current debate suggests. Advocates often make overly optimistic revenue projections, and opponents often overstate how much such a tax might discourage investment. A 1980s U.S. windfall-tax experiment is instructive on both counts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/as-oil-profits-skyrocket-calls-for-windfall-taxes-rise-288990\u0022\u003ERead Full Story on The Conversation\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen Chevron reported its \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/chevron-records-highest-quarterly-profit-six-years-beating-analyst-estimates-2026-07-31\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003Ehighest quarterly profit in six years\u003C\/a\u003E on July 31, 2026, it was just one detail in a larger picture: Analyst firm Wood Mackenzie estimates the global oil and gas industry is on course for a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.woodmac.com\/press-releases\/wood-mackenzie-mid-year-outlook-oil-and-gas-industry-cash-rich-but-capital-cautious-as-nearly-half-a-trillion-dollar-windfall-fails-to-trigger-a-spending-surge\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003Ecash windfall of US$495 billion in 2026\u003C\/a\u003E. That\u2019s profit above and beyond what the industry expected before the U.S.-Israel war with Iran began.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThree separate bills seeking to tax those profits are now in Congress, and President Donald Trump has even said the oil companies are \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/aug\/07\/trump-windfall-tax-big-oil-iran-war\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003Emaking too much money\u003C\/a\u003E.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=p4hJf78AAAAJ\u0026amp;hl=en\u0026amp;oi=ao\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003Eapplied microeconomist\u003C\/a\u003E, I am often asked how taxes affect economic activity. Economists have long held a more nuanced view of windfall taxes than either side of the current debate suggests. Advocates often make overly optimistic revenue projections, and opponents often overstate how much such a tax might discourage investment. A 1980s U.S. windfall-tax experiment is instructive on both counts.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"As an applied microeconomist, I am often asked how taxes affect economic activity. Economists have long held a more nuanced view of windfall taxes than either side of the current debate suggests. "}],"uid":"36413","created_gmt":"2026-09-16 13:10:02","changed_gmt":"2026-09-16 13:10:02","author":"pdevarajan3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-08-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-08-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/as-oil-profits-skyrocket-calls-for-windfall-taxes-rise-288990","title":"Read Full Story on The Conversation"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"151","name":"Policy, Social Sciences, and Liberal Arts"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"692588":{"#nid":"692588","#data":{"type":"news","title":"From Invention to Impact: Closing America\u0027s Manufacturing Scale-Up Gap","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/manufacturing.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E, the \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/energy.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStrategic Energy Institute\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E (SEI)\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E, and the \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.scl.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESupply Chain and Logistics Institute\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E are racing to close the gap between what America invents and what it can build at scale\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen a key semiconductor plant in Japan went offline after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, supply chain disruptions quickly spread far beyond the disaster zone, affecting manufacturers around the world.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENearly all of the natural graphite the United States uses, and 70% to 80% of its rare earth elements, come from a supply chain the U.S. doesn\u0027t control.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDifferent vulnerabilities, same underlying problem: The U.S. invents faster than almost any country on Earth, but it doesn\u0027t always build, or secure the materials to build, fast enough, reliably enough, or close enough to home to matter when it counts.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat gap has become a national security problem, and Georgia Tech is tackling it within its own centers and with a wider network of universities, government agencies, and industry partners.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou want to make sure you don\u0027t have a brittle supply chain,\u201d says \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/expert\/tom-kurfess\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ETom Kurfess\u003C\/a\u003E, executive director of GTMI and the former chief manufacturing officer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. \u201cOne link breaks, and all of a sudden, you can\u0027t move forward.\u201d For Kurfess, resiliency requires manufacturing networks that are digitally connected, built around qualified processes, and capable of shifting work across facilities without sacrificing quality, traceability, or performance.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA Brittle Supply Chain Is a National Security Risk\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat single point of failure is the kind of fragility Kurfess worked to design out of American manufacturing during earlier stints at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, at Oak Ridge and now at GTMI. Concentrate too much capacity in one plant or supplier, he says, and a single disruption \u2014 a natural disaster, a fire, or a cyberattack \u2014 can freeze an entire industry. His fix is resiliency built through distributed, digitally connected manufacturing. As an example, Kurfess points to the opportunities created by the transition to electric vehicles, where production can be distributed across multiple motor manufacturing facilities located closer to assembly operations. With common designs, digital connectivity, and qualified processes, production can be redistributed more readily when disruptions occur.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGTMI applies the same logic to defense and energy supply chains, helping small manufacturers that build subassemblies for prime contractors connect to qualified digital manufacturing networks where production status, part traceability, and available capacity can be monitored in real time. Kurfess describes their role as \u201cthe Google Maps for manufacturing\u201d \u2014 spotting the traffic jam and rerouting around it before a bottleneck stalls production.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Raw-Material Chokepoint\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/expert\/yuanzhi-tang\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EYuanzhi Tang,\u003C\/a\u003E executive director of Georgia Tech\u0027s Strategic Energy Institute and founding director of its \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/minerals.research.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ECenter for Critical Mineral Solutions\u003C\/a\u003E, has studied these supply chain vulnerabilities for years. Her focus on critical minerals and materials such as rare earths and gallium is only part of the picture, she says; battery materials carry similar risks. The U.S. relies heavily on imports for these important raw materials, with 70% to 80% for rare earths, nearly 100% for natural graphite, and 20% to 60% of the lithium, cobalt, and nickel used in batteries. \u201cCritical minerals and materials are like vitamins,\u201d she says. \u201cMost of them we don\u0027t need in large quantities, but you can\u0027t replace them without compromising the performance.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETang is leading a Georgia Tech effort, backed by a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.research.gatech.edu\/2026\/06\/24\/mining-new-possibilities-critical-minerals-mapping-stronger-us-supply-chain\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E$7.5 million Department of Energy (DOE) grant\u003C\/a\u003E, to map critical mineral resources across the Atlantic coastal plain, from Puerto Rico to Maine, with Georgia and the Southeast as an unusually rich source. Her deep expertise in geochemistry and rare earth materials is reflected in more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and her role as co-editor-in-chief of the journal \u003Cem\u003EChemical Geology\u003C\/em\u003E. Georgia is the country\u0027s top kaolin clay producer, she notes, and rare earth-bearing waste from that mining could potentially supply materials the country currently imports.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMuch of that work depends on physical space to test and scale new processes: GTMI\u0027s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ampf.research.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EAdvanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility (AMPF)\u003C\/a\u003E serves as a shared facility where researchers from different disciplines can develop and scale manufacturing processes without building dedicated infrastructure for every technology. Tang\u0027s team hopes to co-locate a critical-mineral supply chain demonstration capability there, along with \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/batteries.research.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ea Georgia Tech Advanced Battery Center\u003C\/a\u003E pilot that SEI is standing up in the same space.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat makes the region distinctive isn\u0027t just geology. It\u0027s the chance to connect resource extraction, processing, manufacturing, and recycling within a few hours\u0027 drive, which Tang says is unique and hard to match. She compares the challenge of building critical mineral supply chains to building an airplane. \u201cYou can build a wing of the plane, you can build a wheel of the plane, but if you don\u0027t coordinate them, you can never build a full plane.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech is coordinating the Resource Intelligence and Innovation Alliance with universities, national labs, and industry partners. Domestic mineral projects typically take close to three decades to move from discovery to market, Tang says. A coordinated regional supply chain, she believes, could bring the speed to market and significantly cut that time to years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDesigning Supply Chains for Scale, Not Just Invention\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETurning a prototype into a fielded system also requires designing the manufacturing network itself, and that\u0027s where \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/expert\/chris-gaffney\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EChris Gaffney\u003C\/a\u003E, managing director of Georgia Tech\u0027s Supply Chain and Logistics Institute, brings a different lens. Gaffney spent 25 years in supply chain leadership at The Coca-Cola Company, including as president of the group responsible for 95% of its North American volume, before joining Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe question of scale is a riddle in any supply chain,\u201d Gaffney says. \u201cPeople who get it right, they win.\u201d He argues that, too often, companies optimize their own operations while overlooking their suppliers\u0027 suppliers, and that a real scale-up strategy extends responsibility across the entire chain, from raw material to end user.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGaffney draws that lesson from his own experience at Coca-Cola. The company once assumed a can line running smoothly at one bottling plant would perform the same way in a second plant, using the same equipment and cans from the same supplier. It didn\u0027t; the tolerances and fits had to be revalidated at the second facility before the line would run reliably. \u201cYou can\u0027t make assumptions about those variables,\u201d he says.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGaffney\u0027s central design principle is to bring manufacturing partners into the technology design process as early as possible, rather than handing them a finished blueprint. Using a drone as an example, he describes designers, manufacturers, and end users working together from the start. \u201cYou go from the tabletop where you make one, to the line where you want to make a thousand, but then you have to make sure that when somebody\u0027s in a dirty, grimy combat environment, the thing is still going to work.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe notes that while assembly can spread across smaller, harder-to-target sites \u2014 similar to how Ukrainian drone manufacturers dispersed production into basements to survive attacks \u2014 the most sensitive components still require concentrated, tightly controlled manufacturing. In his view, deciding where to centralize or distribute production is a core design choice with direct national security consequences.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKurfess argues that timing is equally important. Manufacturers must preserve the ability to scale rapidly without carrying every tool and component in their inventory. They can preserve qualified digital designs, process plans, and tooling data so production can be restarted, redirected or expanded when needed.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia\u0027s Regional Advantage\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAll three Georgia Tech experts point to the Southeast, and Georgia in particular, as one region well positioned to pull these pieces together, though careful to frame it as an example rather than the only answer. Gaffney credits the state\u0027s port access, calling it \u201cthe most progressive port in the U.S.,\u201d along with its rail, road infrastructure, and growing technical talent. Similar pushes are underway elsewhere, he notes, from nuclear manufacturing partnerships with Oak Ridge to critical mineral and battery projects in other states. \u201cEvery region has its advantages. That\u2019s the beauty of the country,\u201d he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat distinguishes Georgia is how many of those advantages sit within a few hours of each other.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA Convener for the Next Decade\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENone of Georgia Tech\u2019s experts argue the U.S. can, or should, build every critical supply chain onshore. Instead, they describe coordinated regional resiliency as sourcing more materials closer to home and designing manufacturing networks that can continue operating even when individual facilities, suppliers, or transportation nodes are disrupted.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGaffney sees Georgia Tech\u2019s role as setting an example other regions can follow. \u201cWe role model what good looks like and what good could be,\u201d he said. \u201cBeing a convener, bringing different entities together to solve a problem, that\u0027s the kind of example I think we have an obligation to present.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn Kurfess\u2019 view, manufacturers increasingly need to think of capacity not as a single factory, but as a digitally connected network of qualified suppliers, manufacturing processes, and production assets that can respond rapidly when conditions change.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGTMI, SEI, and the Supply Chain and Logistics Institute are interconnected responses to the same national problem: that invention without a path to scale isn\u0027t security. Georgia\u2019s combination of accessible raw materials, port infrastructure, a manufacturing base, and research depth allows Georgia Tech to demonstrate what a coordinated, regional approach within a national network can look like.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy Anne Wainscott-Sargent\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Experts from Georgia Tech examine how manufacturing, supply chains, and critical materials are becoming essential to economic and national security."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003EThe Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute, Strategic Energy Institute, and Supply Chain and Logistics Institute are collaborating to address a growing national challenge: the gap between innovation and manufacturing at scale. Through efforts focused on critical minerals, digital manufacturing networks, and supply chain design, Georgia Tech researchers are helping build more resilient systems that can withstand disruptions and support economic and national security. With strengths in manufacturing, transportation, energy, and research, Georgia and the Southeast offer a model for developing regional supply chains that can accelerate commercialization and strengthen U.S. competitiveness.\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech experts are working to strengthen U.S. supply chain resilience by connecting critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, and logistics expertise to help move innovations from the lab to large-scale production."}],"uid":"36695","created_gmt":"2026-09-15 11:48:01","changed_gmt":"2026-09-15 19:56:07","author":"jmartin482","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-09-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-09-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681158":{"id":"681158","type":"image","title":"Summer-Tour-2026-Kaolin-Park.jpg","body":null,"created":"1789502109","gmt_created":"2026-09-15 19:55:09","changed":"1789502109","gmt_changed":"2026-09-15 19:55:09","alt":"President Cabrera\u0027s 2026 Summer Tour visit to Kaolin Park ","file":{"fid":"265520","name":"Summer-Tour-2026-Kaolin-Park.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/15\/Summer-Tour-2026-Kaolin-Park_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/15\/Summer-Tour-2026-Kaolin-Park_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":210223,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/15\/Summer-Tour-2026-Kaolin-Park_0.jpg?itok=7ROUu0Sq"}}},"media_ids":["681158"],"groups":[{"id":"155831","name":"Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI)"},{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"194685","name":"Manufacturing"}],"keywords":[{"id":"215","name":"manufacturing"},{"id":"194526","name":"critical minerals"},{"id":"213","name":"energy"},{"id":"167158","name":"supply chain logistics"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39461","name":"Manufacturing, Trade, and Logistics"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMedia Contact: \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jennifer.martin@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJennifer Martin\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"692566":{"#nid":"692566","#data":{"type":"news","title":"A Window into the Hidden World of Immunity Inside Human Bone Marrow ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe cells that keep vaccines working for decades have long remained a mystery deep within human bone marrow. A new study watched them move, settle, and survive in a living human tissue model, revealing a surprisingly dynamic world that could reshape how scientists think about immunity, aging, cancer, and vaccine protection.\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor decades, immunologists have known that the body\u0027s most durable defenses depend on plasma cells, the antibody-producing cells responsible for long-term immune memory. Long after an infection has passed or a vaccine has been administered, these cells continue releasing protective antibodies, sometimes for decades.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYet one of immunology\u0027s enduring mysteries has remained unsolved: scientists understand what plasma cells do, but not how they interact with their environment.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe challenge is simple. Plasma cells reside deep within bone marrow, one of the most difficult tissues in the human body to study. Encased in bone and inaccessible to direct live imaging, it has largely remained a black box. As a result, much of what scientists know comes from mouse studies or simplified laboratory systems that capture only fragments of the human environment.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow, researchers at Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt University have opened an unprecedented window into this hidden world.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn a study \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.adz3976\u0022\u003Epublished in \u003Cem\u003EScience Advances\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, the team developed a human bone marrow-on-a-chip with channels of the size of human hair that allowed fluids to flow through it. This enabled them to directly observe human antibody-secreting cells as they migrated, interacted, and settled within a three-dimensional tissue environment.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe platform recreates not only the cellular complexity of bone marrow but also its vascular architecture and specialized microenvironments.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhat we found was far more dynamic than the textbook view of plasma cells simply taking up residence and staying put,\u201d said study co-senior author Ankur Singh, Carl Ring Family professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech and Emory University. Singh is also Director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/immunoengineering.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ECenter for Immunoengineering\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech, part of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bioresearch.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EBuilding a Human Bone Marrow Model\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERather than creating a conventional cell culture, the researchers engineered a living microenvironment containing two major bone marrow neighborhoods: areas surrounding blood vessels, known as the perivascular niche, and a bone-like region lining internal bone surfaces, known as the endosteal niche.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team then introduced human antibody-secreting cells generated from engineered lymphoid organoids, which are miniature immune tissues capable of producing large numbers of cells that develop into plasma.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat happened next surprised them.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInstead of dispersing throughout the tissue, the cells traveled through the vascular network and accumulated around blood vessels.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThese cellular gatherings were not random traffic jams,\u201d said co-senior author \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/engineering.vanderbilt.edu\/bio\/krishnendu-roy\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EKrishnendu Roy\u003C\/a\u003E, the Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering University Distinguished Professor at Vanderbilt University. \u201cThe cells appeared to congregate in regions rich in survival signals, suggesting that specialized perivascular neighborhoods serve as safe harbors for long-term immune memory.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe collaboration between Roy and Singh began while Roy was a faculty member at Georgia Tech, where much of the work was initially conceived and launched. The Roy lab pioneered the bone marrow chip while the Singh lab pioneered the lymphoid organoids. Their joint findings provide strong evidence that human plasma cells actively seek supportive environments rather than simply becoming trapped where they are, as previously believed.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003ENot as Stationary as Once Believed\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPerhaps the most striking discovery emerged when researchers tracked individual cells over time.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERather than remaining fixed in place, a subset displayed a distinctive \u0022stop-and-go\u0022 migration pattern.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cClassic immunology has often viewed plasma cells as largely sedentary,\u201d said Singh. \u201cWe found that many cells paused for extended periods, moved, stopped again, and continued exploring their surroundings.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe behavior suggests that plasma cells actively sample their environment, searching for the combinations of signals and support needed for long-term survival.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EA Tale of Two Niches\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe study also revealed that bone marrow\u0027s two major compartments perform distinct but complementary functions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe perivascular niche attracts cells and provides key survival signals, while the neighboring endosteal niche influences how they migrate, persist and are retained.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETogether, these compartments form a cooperative ecosystem that shapes plasma cell fate, challenging the idea of bone marrow as a single, uniform environment.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EWhy It Matters\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe implications extend far beyond understanding where plasma cells live.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBone marrow niches support the cells responsible for long-term antibody protection, placing them at the center of vaccine durability, immune aging, autoimmune disease, chronic infection, blood cancers, and cancer metastasis.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe new platform allows researchers to systematically manipulate components of the human bone marrow environment and observe the consequences in real time. It may help explain why immunity wanes with age, why some vaccines provide longer-lasting protection than others, and how disease disrupts the biological foundations of immune memory.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMost importantly, it offers a rare glimpse into one of the immune system\u0027s most inaccessible habitats. Though there is still much more to learn, their secrets are no longer quite so hidden.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt Scientists Use Human Bone Marrow-on-a-Chip to Reveal the Secrets of Antibody-Producing Cells "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe cells that keep vaccines working for decades have long remained a mystery deep within human bone marrow. A new study watched them move, settle, and survive in a living human tissue model, revealing a surprisingly dynamic world that could reshape how scientists think about immunity, aging, cancer, and vaccine protection.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"In a study published in Science Advances, the team developed a human bone marrow-on-a-chip, enabling them to directly observe human antibody-secreting cells."}],"uid":"36479","created_gmt":"2026-09-11 17:55:21","changed_gmt":"2026-09-13 21:32:43","author":"abowman41","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-09-11T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-09-11T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681139":{"id":"681139","type":"image","title":"bone-marrow-on-chip.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EInside this lab-grown bone marrow, blood vessels (green and grey) thread through a network of supportive cells and proteins (magenta). Antibody-producing cells (blue) move through this landscape, finding the signals they need to survive and keep making antibodies.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1789149330","gmt_created":"2026-09-11 17:55:30","changed":"1789149330","gmt_changed":"2026-09-11 17:55:30","alt":"A microscopic image shows lab grown bone marrow and blood vessels highlighted in gray and green weaving through a network of supportive cells and proteins highlighted in magenta.","file":{"fid":"265499","name":"bone-marrow-on-chip.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/11\/bone-marrow-on-chip.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/11\/bone-marrow-on-chip.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":573015,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/11\/bone-marrow-on-chip.jpg?itok=-LhFSLBJ"}}},"media_ids":["681139"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"188776","name":"go-research"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"193652","name":"Matter and Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWritten by: Ankur Singh, Professor\u003Cbr\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMedia Contact: Ashlie Bowman, Communications Manager\u003Cbr\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"692108":{"#nid":"692108","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Getting Food to the Neighborhoods That Need It Most","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBBISS researcher\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/people.research.gatech.edu\/nicole-kennard\u0022\u003ENicole Kennard\u003C\/a\u003E is mapping how Atlanta\u0027s local food ecosystem functions today, how the people inside it envision its future, and where the opportunities for transformation lie. A summer research trip to Europe brought back fresh models and new energy for the work.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHow does Atlanta\u0027s local food ecosystem function today? How do the people working inside it envision its future? And where are the opportunities for transformation?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThose three questions drive the systems and network mapping research of Nicole Kennard, a research scientist and assistant director for Community-Engaged Research at Georgia Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sustainablesystems.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EBrook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems\u003C\/a\u003E (BBISS). Within a systems map, Kennard charts intersecting food challenges and the intervention strategies that could address them. A companion social network map reveals the relationships that already exist across the food ecosystem and who needs to be brought together to create change. Both feed into the Atlanta Food System Research Network, an effort to increase coordination and build teams around the food system\u0027s most stubborn, systemic challenges.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe mapping regularly shows one significant gap: One in eight metro Atlantans are struggling to access food. Although more local farmers are growing good food, there is a \u201cmissing middle layer\u201d of infrastructure connecting that food to those who need it, according to Atlanta\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/climateresilientatl.com\/climate-resilience-action-plan-2026-low.pdf\u0022\u003E2026 Climate Resilience Action Plan\u003C\/a\u003E. Food produced by smaller farms often can\u2019t enter traditional supply chains due to small quantities, so new models are needed to move that food in ways that people can access it within their everyday routines. A summer research trip through France, Belgium, and the U.K. provided her with fresh models for closing that gap.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I learned a lot from these models that I\u0027m trying to bring back to Atlanta for my systems mapping research,\u0022 Kennard said. \u0022One of the biggest issues is we\u0027re missing that middle layer \u2014 better ways to distribute local food so it\u0027s reaching all neighborhoods equitably, and it\u0027s actually accessible.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0027s not Kennard\u0027s first time working on food systems abroad. After graduating from Georgia Tech with a degree in materials science and engineering and running a student-led hydroponics project that grew food for the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.acfb.org\/\u0022\u003EAtlanta Community Food Bank\u003C\/a\u003E, she spent nearly four years in the U.K. as a Fulbright Scholar, earning a master\u0027s in sustainable agriculture and food security at Newcastle University before completing a Ph.D. in chemistry and biosciences at the University of Sheffield in 2023. That background, she said, is part of what draws her to the field. \u0022Food is the great connector.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBringing Ideas Home From Europe\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis summer, Kennard split her time between France, Belgium, and a return visit to Sheffield. At Georgia Tech-Europe, the institute\u0027s Metz campus, she met with\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ece.gatech.edu\/directory\/paul-l-voss\u0022\u003EPaul Voss\u003C\/a\u003E, director of academic programs, to explore future partnerships around sustainable entrepreneurship and research, potentially bringing BBISS-affiliated faculty and coursework to the campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn Montpellier, she presented her work to three organizations clustered on a single campus: INRAE (France\u0027s National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment), L\u0027Institut Agro Montpellier, and CIRAD, the country\u0027s international agricultural development research arm, along with MOISA, an interdisciplinary CIRAD-affiliated research unit focused on sustainable food systems. There, she encountered a \u0022right-to-food\u0022 pilot in which Montpellier residents, half of whom live in poverty, pay a voluntary monthly amount on a sliding scale, from as little as 1 euro to 150 euros, and all receive a flat 100 euros back, redeemable at a handful of partner supermarkets. She also saw \u0022social grocery stores\u0022 reaching rural areas through mobile markets, and digital platforms, letting neighbors pool their money to buy directly from local farmers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKennard also attended the European Ecological Economics Society Conference in Belgium, where she presented her food systems mapping research and learned about other local food models, specifically farmer-based cooperatives.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn Sheffield, Kennard gave a talk on community-engaged research methods and came away with insights from their local food network, \u2018\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sheffood.org.uk\/\u0022\u003EShefFood,\u2019\u003C\/a\u003E which is community-led rather than run by the university or city (though both have seats on its board). Leadership rotates every couple of years to keep it grounded in the community it serves.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFrom Campus to Community\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKennard\u0027s Atlanta work leans heavily on the students and community partners building it with her. This semester, she is working with incoming computer science Ph.D. student\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/tristan-daniel-8b9b26253\/\u0022\u003ETristan Daniel\u003C\/a\u003E to automate her network map, scraping newsletters, news articles, and annual tax filings to keep the map\u0027s data updated in near-real time.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/rhutviahircde.my.canva.site\/rhutvi-ahir\u0022\u003ERhutvi Ahir\u003C\/a\u003E, a master\u2019s student in city and regional planning, has been working on integrating the systems map into a publicly available and interactive online platform.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELast semester, through a BBISS 2025 Sustainability Next Seed Grant project, Kennard, along with principal investigators\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/users\/johannes-milz\u0022\u003EJohannes Milz,\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/people.research.gatech.edu\/ingeborg-rocker\u0022\u003EIngeborg Rocker,\u003C\/a\u003E and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/people\/carl-disalvo\u0022\u003ECarl DiSalvo\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ic.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Interactive Computing\u003C\/a\u003E, convened 16 community and civic partners for a participatory design workshop mapping how food moves across metro Atlanta and where better data sharing could prevent waste. Drawing on feedback from that session, DiSalvo\u2019s team is now exploring tools such as digital maps that show where surplus food, refrigerated trucks, and distribution sites are located, as well as a dedicated messaging system to coordinate what is now handled through ad hoc texts and calls.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis fall, DiSalvo\u2019s graduate students in the interdisciplinary M.S. in Human-Computer Interaction program \u2014 from computing, design, and social science backgrounds \u2014 will turn those concepts into early prototypes to test with partners, giving students experience designing technology for real community needs rather than just commercial products.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDiSalvo says the core issue isn\u2019t only a lack of food, but the difficulty of coordinating people, resources, and logistics at scale. \u201cThere\u2019s so much need with food insecurity, and resources as well. It\u2019s a coordination challenge. Most people didn\u2019t get into this because they love logistics; they have a commitment to feeding people,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe credits Kennard with helping position Georgia Tech as a hub for food systems and community-engaged sustainability research. \u201cNicole\u2019s work is important \u2014 not just her food systems research, but also the oversight she gives to community-based research. It\u2019s amazing we have her as a colleague.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDiSalvo isn\u0027t the only faculty collaborator.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ce.gatech.edu\/directory\/person\/sofia-perez-guzman\u0022\u003ESof\u00eda P\u00e9rez-Guzm\u00e1n\u003C\/a\u003E, an assistant professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ce.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E and a BBISS Faculty Fellow, has partnered with Kennard to survey Atlanta residents in West End and citywide about how they access food. Their next step: building a tool based on what they learned.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022We\u0027re designing a decision-making tool that helps connect food locally, from producers to distributors and food access points in the community,\u0022 P\u00e9rez-Guzm\u00e1n said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENot every connection requires a grant or a formal project. Through the networks she is building and her continued engagement, Kennard has linked a local consulting group with a co-op needing strategic guidance and introduced a farmers market organizer to a food rescue partner. Community partner Fresh Harvest even referenced her food system network map in a recent presentation to WABE radio\u003Ca\u003E.\u003C\/a\u003E According to Kennard, it generated a lot of buzz, underscoring the appetite that Atlantans have for a shared picture of the food distribution ecosystem.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETwo Maps, One Goal\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBoth of Kennard\u0027s maps are expected to go live by the end of the summer. The\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/foodfutures.research.gatech.edu\/atlanta-food-systems-network-map\/\u0022\u003Enetwork map\u003C\/a\u003E identifies the organizations working in the space and how they connect. The\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/foodfutures.research.gatech.edu\/atlanta-food-systems-map\/#:~:text=Sustainable%20Systems%20(BBISS).-,Systems%20Map,-Alongside%20the%20network\u0022\u003Esystems map\u003C\/a\u003E, still being finalized, distills her interviews and engagement work into nine key thematic areas emerging as priorities for the city, along with competing visions of what a more resilient food system could look like.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe maps also anchor the research network Kennard co-leads with Emory University Associate Professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/envs.emory.edu\/people\/bios\/burchfield-emily.html\u0022\u003EEmily Burchfield\u003C\/a\u003E and agrifood systems researcher\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/katem-d\/\u0022\u003EKate Mundon-Dixon\u003C\/a\u003E. The network has held two gatherings so far, one at a local hydroponic farm, where attendees added their own connections to the map. The network\u2019s active listserv now includes more than 55 organizations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor Kennard, the goal was never a single map or tool. It was building the foundation and the infrastructure that let everyone else act together. \u0022I wanted to create this foundational research so that the academics and partners most poised to address specific challenges can create those teams and move forward together,\u0022 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe added that while most of her work is Atlanta-focused, it has implications for regional food access across Georgia. \u201cA key insight that came from my systems mapping work is the need to connect rural and urban growers to move forward a statewide agenda for a resilient food system,\u201d Kennard said. \u201cMy colleague at Emory, Emily Burchfield, is doing a lot more of the rural engagement, and we hope to align our work later.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEverybody in Atlanta\u0027s food space is doing amazing work, she added, noting that, \u0022If we can better align and coordinate under a shared vision and strategy, then we can actually move the needle on systems change, instead of just a few isolated things happening in different neighborhoods.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThree questions drive Nicole Kennard\u0027s research into Atlanta\u0027s local food system. How does Atlanta\u0027s local food ecosystem function today? How do the people working inside it envision its future? And where are the opportunities for transformation? She uses a systems map and a social network map to document what she learns and to connect Atlanta\u0027s food producers, distributers, and consumers.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Nicole Kennard researches Atlanta\u0027s food system using mapping and visualization techniques."}],"uid":"27338","created_gmt":"2026-08-28 17:04:53","changed_gmt":"2026-09-11 15:07:38","author":"Brent Verrill","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-08-28T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-08-28T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681003":{"id":"681003","type":"image","title":"Kennard_Food_Network_Workshop.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EL to R: Carl DiSalvo, Ingeborg Rocker, Nicole Kennard, Johannes Milz, and Vanshika Kumar.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1787936912","gmt_created":"2026-08-28 17:08:32","changed":"1787940193","gmt_changed":"2026-08-28 18:03:13","alt":"Five people stand side by side in a meeting or workshop space with large planning boards displayed behind them. The boards are covered with flowcharts, diagrams, handwritten notes, and sticky notes outlining process maps and project planning information. The group is positioned in front of the displays, with name tags visible.","file":{"fid":"265350","name":"Kennard_Food_Network_Workshop.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/08\/28\/Kennard_Food_Network_Workshop.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/08\/28\/Kennard_Food_Network_Workshop.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":985145,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/08\/28\/Kennard_Food_Network_Workshop.jpg?itok=5XSOpsDM"}}},"media_ids":["681003"],"groups":[{"id":"244191","name":"Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems"},{"id":"660398","name":"Sustainability Hub"}],"categories":[{"id":"194836","name":"Sustainability"}],"keywords":[{"id":"188360","name":"go-bbiss"},{"id":"106351","name":"food systems"},{"id":"11278","name":"Urban Agriculture"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39491","name":"Renewable Bioproducts"},{"id":"194566","name":"Sustainable Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:brent.verrill@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBrent Verrill\u003C\/a\u003E, Research Communications Manager, BBISS\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["brent.verrill@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"692183":{"#nid":"692183","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Opens Trash Lab to Turn Campus Waste Into New Possibilities","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENew IPaT makerspace combines advanced recycling technology, hands-on learning, and sustainability innovation.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EBeginning this fall, Georgia Tech students, faculty, and staff will have a new way to rethink waste. The \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/ipat\u0022\u003EInstitute for People and Technology\u003C\/a\u003E (IPaT) is opening the Trash Lab, a makerspace in Room S27 of the Technology Square Research Building dedicated to plastic recycling, upcycling, and circular-economy innovation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt the heart of the new lab is the miniTrashpresso, a compact recycling and manufacturing system developed by the sustainability technology company \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.miniwiz.com\/\u0022\u003EMiniwiz\u003C\/a\u003E. The machine can take used plastics and other waste materials, process them locally, and transform them into new products in less than five minutes. By bringing manufacturing and recycling together in a single system, the Trash Lab aims to give the Georgia Tech community a way to explore sustainable design, material reuse, and the future of circular manufacturing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe launch of IPaT\u2019s new Trash Lab represents an exciting step forward for sustainability at Georgia Tech,\u201d said Jennifer Chirico, associate vice president of Sustainability. \u201cAs a living-learning lab, it provides students and researchers with hands-on opportunities to work alongside campus operations, turning used plastics into valuable new products and creating innovative solutions that support a more circular campus.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA Makerspace Focused on Circular Innovation\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Trash Lab expands Georgia Tech\u2019s growing network of makerspaces and innovation environments by focusing specifically on waste recovery and reuse. Instead of treating used plastics as disposable materials, the lab encourages users to view them as valuable resources that can be transformed into new products.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe miniTrashpresso represents the latest generation of recycling technology developed by Miniwiz. The company originally launched the world\u2019s first mobile recycling line, known as the Trashpresso, to support communities that lacked access to traditional recycling infrastructure. The newer miniTrashpresso is smaller, more energy-efficient, and more portable, making it suitable for campuses and community-based applications.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe modular system uses industrial equipment, including shredders, presses, and heating technologies, to process materials on-site. Advanced heat-induction presses and specialized molds can quickly transform recovered plastics into new objects and components. The system can also be integrated with AI-powered waste-tracking tools and robotic automation technologies that help identify, sort, and process materials more efficiently.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor IPaT leaders, the Trash Lab represents more than the addition of specialized equipment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cCommunity resilience and people-centered sustainability are core research areas within IPaT,\u201d said Michael Best, executive director. \u201cOur new Trash Lab will allow the entire Georgia Tech community to not only think about upcycling and plastic reuse but to make and do innovative projects that directly demonstrate sustainable futures.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETurning Trash Into a Resource\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMiniwiz founder Arthur Huang, who developed the miniTrashpresso system, describes upcycling as a practice rooted in centuries of human ingenuity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cUpcycling is actually recycling old material and turning that into something new,\u201d Huang said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThroughout history, societies have reused existing materials in construction, manufacturing, and everyday life. According to Huang, modern waste streams, particularly plastic packaging and electronic waste, represent an enormous and often untapped source of raw materials.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe miniTrashpresso was designed around that idea. Rather than transporting waste long distances to centralized facilities, the system enables materials to be processed where they are collected. By reducing transportation needs and creating opportunities for local manufacturing, decentralized recycling systems can help lower the environmental footprint associated with traditional waste management.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMiniwiz estimates that using recycled materials can reduce embedded energy consumption by 60% to 80% compared with using raw materials. The company has developed more than 1,200 upcycled materials and products from everyday waste streams, including plastics, food packaging, coffee cups, and electronic waste.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince its introduction, Miniwiz technology has been deployed in communities, campuses, and organizations worldwide, including projects in Taiwan, Italy, Singapore, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. According to Huang, Georgia Tech is installing and operating North America\u2019s first miniTrashpresso recycling machine from Miniwiz.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBuilding a Community Around Sustainability\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe new facility is also intended to serve as a gathering place for interdisciplinary collaboration. Students interested in sustainability, materials science, engineering, design, manufacturing, and public policy will have opportunities to experiment with new ideas while working with researchers and campus partners.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen Michael Best first pitched the idea of the Trash Lab, I expected there to be interest in a space like this given the general momentum toward sustainable practices on campus, but the level of excitement from students, staff, and faculty has been outstanding,\u201d said Tim Trent, IPaT\u2019s lab director for the Trash, Craft, Prototyping, and Usability Labs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is an opportunity to create a gathering point for sustainability initiatives, act as a catalyst for partnerships, and help strengthen the many amazing networks and projects already present on campus,\u201d he said. \u201cThe IPaT Innovation Labs have a continuous focus on supporting the overall Georgia Tech research enterprise, and I\u2019m happy we are adding another piece to the portfolio.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs the Trash Lab opens its doors, members of the Georgia Tech community will be invited to explore how waste materials can be reimagined as resources, prototypes, and products. By combining makerspace culture, advanced recycling technology, and sustainability research, the lab offers a tangible demonstration of how circular economy principles can move from theory into practice.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor Georgia Tech, the Trash Lab is not simply a place to recycle plastic. It is a space where innovation, design, and sustainability intersect, helping transform discarded materials into opportunities for learning, discovery, and impact.\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E---\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EFor more information about the Trash Lab, contact the IPaT Innovation Labs at \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ipat-labs@groups.gatech.edu\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Eipat-labs@groups.gatech.edu\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENew IPaT makerspace combines advanced recycling technology, hands-on learning, and sustainability innovation.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New IPaT makerspace combines advanced recycling technology, hands-on learning, and sustainability innovation."}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2026-09-01 21:33:00","changed_gmt":"2026-09-09 19:06:07","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-09-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-09-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681033":{"id":"681033","type":"image","title":"Trash Lab Ribbon Cutting","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECelebrating the opening of Georgia Tech\u0027s Trash Lab - the newest makerspace on campus which is located in the basement of TSRB\u003C\/strong\u003E. Pictured left-to-right: \u003Cstrong\u003ETim Trent\u003C\/strong\u003E, director of IPaT\u0027s Trash Lab; \u003Cstrong\u003EArthur Huang\u003C\/strong\u003E, CEO of Miniwiz; \u003Cstrong\u003EMichael Best\u003C\/strong\u003E, executive director of IPaT; \u003Cstrong\u003EJennifer Chirico\u003C\/strong\u003E, associate vice president of sustainability; and \u003Cstrong\u003ERob Kadel\u003C\/strong\u003E, executive director of research program administration. They are wearing sunglasses made from recycled plastic created by using the miniTrashpresso machine.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1788297893","gmt_created":"2026-09-01 21:24:53","changed":"1788530006","gmt_changed":"2026-09-04 13:53:26","alt":"Pictured left-to-right: Tim Trent, director of IPaT\u0027s Trash Lab; Arthur Huang, CEO of Miniwiz; Michael Best, executive director of IPaT; Jennifer Chirico, associate vice president of Sustainability; and Rob Kadel, executive director of research program administration.","file":{"fid":"265381","name":"Ribbon-Cutting1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/01\/Ribbon-Cutting1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/01\/Ribbon-Cutting1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1136224,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/01\/Ribbon-Cutting1.jpg?itok=u_x2dAAj"}},"681032":{"id":"681032","type":"image","title":"Tim-Arthur-Tai","body":"\u003Cp\u003EPictured left to right: Tim Trent, IPaT\u2019s lab director for the Trash Lab; Arthur Huang, CEO of Miniwiz; and Tai Liu, mechanical engineer with Miniwiz. In this picture, they are installing the miniTrashpresso system in the TSRB building and showing the test plastic bowl made using recycled plastic.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1788297611","gmt_created":"2026-09-01 21:20:11","changed":"1788297881","gmt_changed":"2026-09-01 21:24:41","alt":"Pictured left to right: Tim Trent, IPaT\u2019s lab director for the Trash Lab; Arthur Huang, CEO of Miniwiz; and Tai Liu, mechanical engineer with Miniwiz. In this picture, they are installing the miniTrashpresso system in the TSRB building.","file":{"fid":"265380","name":"Tim-and-Arthur-and-Tai-Liu.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/01\/Tim-and-Arthur-and-Tai-Liu.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/01\/Tim-and-Arthur-and-Tai-Liu.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":935131,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/01\/Tim-and-Arthur-and-Tai-Liu.jpg?itok=HSZysoaX"}},"681031":{"id":"681031","type":"image","title":"Recycled Trashpresso items","body":"\u003Cp\u003ERecycled plastic items you can make using the Trash Lab include wireless chargers, sunglasses, bowls, and other items.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1788297484","gmt_created":"2026-09-01 21:18:04","changed":"1788354852","gmt_changed":"2026-09-02 13:14:12","alt":"Recycled plastic items you can make using the Trash Lab","file":{"fid":"265379","name":"ItemsYouCanMake.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/01\/ItemsYouCanMake.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/01\/ItemsYouCanMake.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":610865,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/01\/ItemsYouCanMake.jpg?itok=L2xQj4GY"}}},"media_ids":["681033","681032","681031"],"groups":[{"id":"244191","name":"Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems"},{"id":"69599","name":"IPaT"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"194836","name":"Sustainability"}],"keywords":[{"id":"188084","name":"go-ipat"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"},{"id":"194566","name":"Sustainable Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EResearch Communications Manager\u003Cbr\u003EInstitute for People and Technology\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["walter.rich@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"692462":{"#nid":"692462","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Warming Climate Could Actually Increase Physical Activity, Georgia Tech Economist Finds","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EHardly anyone loves exercising in the festering crucible of a brutal summer heatwave. So it stands to reason that as global temperatures rise, the kind of physical activity that\u2019s so crucial for our health and economic productivity could fall.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0047272726000745?via%3Dihub\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003Erecent research\u003C\/a\u003E from Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/econ.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003ESchool of Economics\u003C\/a\u003E in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts suggests adding an asterisk to earlier research that makes that conclusion, saying previous studies failed to account for one simple fact: people adapt.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech economist \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/889222ee-d2fd-599b-9140-79d7dc30afeb\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBobby Harris\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E used a massive database of Fitbit step count data to measure how temperature shapes physical activity and found that extreme heat cuts step counts by 6% when compared to ideal weather. And while residents of the warmest regions cut their activity by an average of only 354 steps on days over 100 degrees, those living in the coldest regions cut theirs by 1,081, according to Harris\u2019 analysis.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo be fair, cold bites, too. On days that stay below freezing, people take roughly 1,000 fewer steps. That\u2019s a 12% drop, enough to pack on a pound over the course of a typical Madison, Wisconsin winter, Harris found.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut as the climate grows warmer, how humanity will respond to warmer temperatures remains a significant concern. In fact, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bmj.com\/content\/392\/bmj.s514\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003Eearlier research\u003C\/a\u003E projected that, by 2050, temperature-driven declines in physical activity could contribute to 500,000 premature deaths a year worldwide and annual productivity losses topping $2.4 billion.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProjections like those typically assume everyone responds to heat the same way, with no capacity to adapt, Harris said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/featured-news\/2026\/09\/climate-change-physical-activity-adaptation\u0022\u003ERead Full Story on the IAC News Page\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022ef65b166366f6499d63005112fb785d6f\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Finding\u003C\/strong\u003E: A study led by economist Bobby Harris at Georgia Tech\u0027s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts reveals climate change could increase average U.S. physical activity by 893 steps per day by 2099 as people adapt to rising temperatures.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e89b00ae19f9597ec785b646581c9fc95\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBy the Numbers\u003C\/strong\u003E: Fitbit data used in Harris\u2019 study show that warm-climate residents are \u003Cstrong\u003E50% less sensitive\u003C\/strong\u003E to heat extremes than northern neighbors, \u003Cstrong\u003Ecutting 354 steps on hot days\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cstrong\u003Ecompared to 1,081 in cooler regions\u003C\/strong\u003E.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022eb7df64a5e9dccfd5ae6f4af39678e1e6\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EExpert Insight\u003C\/strong\u003E: \u0022There are still significant dangers to rising temperatures, but we must better factor adaptive capacity into conversations about climate change,\u201d Harris said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":" study led by economist Bobby Harris at Georgia Tech\u0027s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts reveals climate change could increase average U.S. physical activity by 893 steps per day by 2099 as people adapt to rising temperatures. "}],"uid":"36413","created_gmt":"2026-09-09 16:23:47","changed_gmt":"2026-09-09 16:25:50","author":"pdevarajan3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-09-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-09-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681107":{"id":"681107","type":"image","title":"climate-and-activity-paper-harris--1-.jpg","body":null,"created":"1788971073","gmt_created":"2026-09-09 16:24:33","changed":"1788971073","gmt_changed":"2026-09-09 16:24:33","alt":"Person holding a water bottle in their left hand wearing a smart watch and a towel on his shoulder appearing to be after a workout","file":{"fid":"265463","name":"climate-and-activity-paper-harris--1-.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/09\/climate-and-activity-paper-harris--1-.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/09\/climate-and-activity-paper-harris--1-.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":59696,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/09\/climate-and-activity-paper-harris--1-.jpg?itok=jVZ4yMKf"}}},"media_ids":["681107"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/featured-news\/2026\/09\/climate-change-physical-activity-adaptation","title":"Read Full Story on IAC News Page"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"151","name":"Policy, Social Sciences, and Liberal Arts"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"692273":{"#nid":"692273","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Mahajan Receives NSF CAREER Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe National Science Foundation (NSF) named Georgia Tech \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ece.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESchool of Electrical and Computer Engineering\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E (ECE) Assistant Professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ece.gatech.edu\/directory\/divya-mahajan\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDivya Mahajan\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E a recipient of the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe CAREER Award is NSF\u2019s most prestigious honor for early-career faculty, recognizing researchers who demonstrate the potential to become leaders in both research and education.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMahajan received the award for her research on designing energy-efficient, adaptive artificial intelligence (AI) datacenters through a cyber-physical approach that jointly considers AI software, computing hardware, and the physical state of the underlying infrastructure.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs AI models continue to grow in scale and complexity, they place increasing demands on every layer of datacenter infrastructure\u2014from accelerators, memory, and networking to power delivery, cooling, and security. Yet these systems are often designed and optimized one layer at a time, limiting overall efficiency and adaptability.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMahajan\u2019s research reimagines AI datacenters as cyber-physical systems in which software, hardware, and physical operating conditions continuously inform one another.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAI infrastructure should be designed around the real-time condition of the hardware, not just its specifications,\u201d Mahajan said. \u201cBy making AI systems aware of the physical state of the infrastructure, we can build datacenters that are more efficient, adaptive, and resilient at scale.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ece.gatech.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/mahajan-receives-nsf-career-award\u0022\u003ERead Full Story on the ECE News Page\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe National Science Foundation (NSF) named Georgia Tech \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ece.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESchool of Electrical and Computer Engineering\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E (ECE) Assistant Professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ece.gatech.edu\/directory\/divya-mahajan\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDivya Mahajan\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E a recipient of the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe CAREER Award is NSF\u2019s most prestigious honor for early-career faculty, recognizing researchers who demonstrate the potential to become leaders in both research and education.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMahajan received the award for her research on designing energy-efficient, adaptive artificial intelligence (AI) datacenters through a cyber-physical approach that jointly considers AI software, computing hardware, and the physical state of the underlying infrastructure.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The National Science Foundation (NSF) named Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Assistant Professor Divya Mahajan a recipient of the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award."}],"uid":"36413","created_gmt":"2026-09-03 17:39:24","changed_gmt":"2026-09-03 17:42:37","author":"pdevarajan3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-08-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-08-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681065":{"id":"681065","type":"image","title":"Mahajan-NSF-CAREER.jpeg","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Assistant Professor Divya Mahajan\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1788457252","gmt_created":"2026-09-03 17:40:52","changed":"1788457252","gmt_changed":"2026-09-03 17:40:52","alt":" Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Assistant Professor Divya Mahajan","file":{"fid":"265416","name":"Mahajan-NSF-CAREER.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/03\/Mahajan-NSF-CAREER.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/03\/Mahajan-NSF-CAREER.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":347352,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/03\/Mahajan-NSF-CAREER.jpeg?itok=5j8pWANd"}}},"media_ids":["681065"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/ece.gatech.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/mahajan-receives-nsf-career-award","title":"Full Story on the ECE News Page"}],"groups":[{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"144","name":"Energy"}],"keywords":[{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"692255":{"#nid":"692255","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Matthew McDowell Named to National Academies Committee on Future Battery Technologies","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) professor Matthew McDowell has been appointed to a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee. The appointed committee will explore current and next-generation battery energy storage technologies for defense applications.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe committee, convened through the National Academies\u0027 project \u003Cem\u003EFuture of Battery Technology Options for Defense Applications\u003C\/em\u003E, will identify the strengths and weaknesses of future battery technologies, including an examination of performance, safety, and manufacturability across technology and manufacturing readiness levels. The committee will also identify gaps where research investments could potentially improve battery capabilities across technology and manufacturing readiness levels, creating opportunities to leverage commercially available technologies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith a joint appointment in MSE and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Ethe George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, McDowell is internationally recognized for his research on batteries and energy storage materials. His work focuses on understanding how materials change during battery operation and using that knowledge to develop safer, more efficient, and more sustainable energy storage systems. McDowell is also co-director of the Georgia Tech Advanced Battery Center. He leads research spanning solid-state batteries, lithium-ion and sodium-ion technologies, and next-generation energy storage materials. \u201cI am very thankful to be selected, and I look forward to working with colleagues on developing recommendations to advance battery technologies in support of our country,\u0022 said McDowell.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/mse.gatech.edu\/news\/matthew-mcdowell-named-national-academies-committee-future-battery-technologies\u0022\u003ERead Full Story on the MSE Newspage\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) professor Matthew McDowell has been appointed to a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee. The appointed committee will explore current and next-generation battery energy storage technologies for defense applications.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe committee, convened through the National Academies\u0027 project \u003Cem\u003EFuture of Battery Technology Options for Defense Applications\u003C\/em\u003E, will identify the strengths and weaknesses of future battery technologies, including an examination of performance, safety, and manufacturability across technology and manufacturing readiness levels. The committee will also identify gaps where research investments could potentially improve battery capabilities across technology and manufacturing readiness levels, creating opportunities to leverage commercially available technologies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith a joint appointment in MSE and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Ethe George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, McDowell is internationally recognized for his research on batteries and energy storage materials. His work focuses on understanding how materials change during battery operation and using that knowledge to develop safer, more efficient, and more sustainable energy storage systems. McDowell is also co-director of the Georgia Tech Advanced Battery Center.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"School of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) professor Matthew McDowell has been appointed to a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee."}],"uid":"36413","created_gmt":"2026-09-03 14:23:39","changed_gmt":"2026-09-03 14:27:25","author":"pdevarajan3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-08-25T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-08-25T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681061":{"id":"681061","type":"image","title":"McDowell_Crop2.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMatthew McDowell, Professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering and George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and Co-director of Georgia Tech Advanced Battery Center\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1788445424","gmt_created":"2026-09-03 14:23:44","changed":"1788445424","gmt_changed":"2026-09-03 14:23:44","alt":"Matthew McDowell","file":{"fid":"265412","name":"McDowell_Crop2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/03\/McDowell_Crop2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/03\/McDowell_Crop2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":178659,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/03\/McDowell_Crop2.jpg?itok=Ewb0JKyI"}}},"media_ids":["681061"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/mse.gatech.edu\/news\/matthew-mcdowell-named-national-academies-committee-future-battery-technologies","title":"Read Full Story on MSE News Page"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"194607","name":"Batteries"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"692254":{"#nid":"692254","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Ellen Mazumdar Earns NASA Early Career Faculty Award for Spacecraft Heat Shield Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/mazumdar-0\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEllen Yi Chen Mazumdar,\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E assistant professor and Woodruff Faculty Fellow in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, has received a NASA Early Career Faculty (ECF) Award to develop new methods for studying the extreme conditions spacecraft experience during atmospheric entry.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis award is part of NASA\u2019s Space Technology Research Grants Program, which supports groundbreaking projects with the potential to transform space science and technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThrough the three-year, $750,000 award, Mazumdar and her research team will develop laser-based methods to simultaneously measure temperature, chemical species, gas velocity, and other properties in the gases surrounding heat shield materials.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe aim to implement our measurement techniques in arc jet or plasma jet facilities, like the ones at NASA, to assist with the evaluation of thermal protection systems for next-generation spacecraft,\u201d Mazumdar said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project uses ultrafast lasers, which produce extremely short, high-intensity pulses. These pulses allow researchers to study the behavior of molecules on extremely short timescales and measure properties that can improve understanding of the gases surrounding a spacecraft during atmospheric entry.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMazumdar said she and her students are excited about this project and hope it will help NASA develop new heat shields for spacecraft traveling to destinations such as Mars, Venus, and Titan.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/news\/ellen-mazumdar-earns-nasa-early-career-faculty-award-spacecraft-heat-shield-research\u0022\u003ERead Full Story on the ME Webpage\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/mazumdar-0\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEllen Yi Chen Mazumdar,\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E assistant professor and Woodruff Faculty Fellow in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, has received a NASA Early Career Faculty (ECF) Award to develop new methods for studying the extreme conditions spacecraft experience during atmospheric entry.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis award is part of NASA\u2019s Space Technology Research Grants Program, which supports groundbreaking projects with the potential to transform space science and technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThrough the three-year, $750,000 award, Mazumdar and her research team will develop laser-based methods to simultaneously measure temperature, chemical species, gas velocity, and other properties in the gases surrounding heat shield materials.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe aim to implement our measurement techniques in arc jet or plasma jet facilities, like the ones at NASA, to assist with the evaluation of thermal protection systems for next-generation spacecraft,\u201d Mazumdar said.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Ellen Yi Chen Mazumdar, assistant professor in the Woodruff School has received a NASA Early Career Faculty (ECF) Award to develop new methods for studying the extreme conditions spacecraft experience during atmospheric entry."}],"uid":"36413","created_gmt":"2026-09-03 14:18:57","changed_gmt":"2026-09-03 14:21:47","author":"pdevarajan3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-08-25T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-08-25T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681060":{"id":"681060","type":"image","title":"Mazumdar_web.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EEllen Yi Chen Mazumdar, assistant professor and Woodruff Faculty Fellow in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1788445171","gmt_created":"2026-09-03 14:19:31","changed":"1788445171","gmt_changed":"2026-09-03 14:19:31","alt":"Ellen Yi Chen Mazumdar, assistant professor and Woodruff Faculty Fellow in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering","file":{"fid":"265411","name":"Mazumdar_web.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/03\/Mazumdar_web.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/03\/Mazumdar_web.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":137639,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/03\/Mazumdar_web.jpg?itok=HbzEsBLK"}}},"media_ids":["681060"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/news\/ellen-mazumdar-earns-nasa-early-career-faculty-award-spacecraft-heat-shield-research","title":"Full Story on the ME Newspage"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ETracie Troha, ME Communications\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"692182":{"#nid":"692182","#data":{"type":"news","title":"DOE Assistant Secretary Catherine Jereza Visits NEETRAC","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/oe\/person\/catherine-jereza\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer\u0022 title=\u0022(opens in a new window)\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAssistant Secretary Catherine Jereza\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E of the U.S. Department of Energy\u0027s (DoE) Office of Electricity visited the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/neetrac.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENational Electric Energy Testing, Research and Applications Center\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E (NEETRAC) on August 20, it provided an opportunity for researchers to showcase their latest work and discuss the challenges facing America\u0027s electric grid.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ece.gatech.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/doe-assistant-secretary-catherine-jereza-visits-neetrac\u0022\u003ERead more.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe nationally recognized Georgia Tech consortium brings together industry, government, and academia to advance power grid reliability and innovation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The nationally recognized Georgia Tech consortium brings together industry, government, and academia to advance power grid reliability and innovation. "}],"uid":"36172","created_gmt":"2026-09-01 18:56:26","changed_gmt":"2026-09-03 14:15:22","author":"dwatson71","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-09-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-09-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681030":{"id":"681030","type":"image","title":"DoE-NEETRAC-Visit-8.png","body":null,"created":"1788288999","gmt_created":"2026-09-01 18:56:39","changed":"1788288999","gmt_changed":"2026-09-01 18:56:39","alt":"Department of Energy Office of Electricity Assistant Secretary Catherine Jereza (center) tours NEETRAC\u0027s research and testing facilities at GeorgiaTech. The visit highlighted the center\u0027s work with utilities, manufacturers, and government partners to address emerging challenges facingthe nation\u0027s electric grid.","file":{"fid":"265378","name":"DoE-NEETRAC-Visit-8.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/01\/DoE-NEETRAC-Visit-8.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/01\/DoE-NEETRAC-Visit-8.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1969060,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/01\/DoE-NEETRAC-Visit-8.png?itok=cauoi5LR"}}},"media_ids":["681030"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"367481","name":"SEI Energy"},{"id":"1280","name":"Strategic Energy Institute"}],"categories":[{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"}],"keywords":[{"id":"186858","name":"go-sei"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"692242":{"#nid":"692242","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Nine BBISS Faculty Fellows Appointed","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems (BBISS) is pleased to announce the appointment of nine new faculty fellows for 2026. Selected for their outstanding leadership in sustainability-related research, these faculty members will join a growing community of scholars working to advance innovative solutions to some of the world\u0027s most pressing environmental, social, and economic challenges.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEstablished in 2014, the BBISS Faculty Fellows program brings together distinguished faculty from across Georgia Tech to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, strengthen the sustainability research community, and advance the Institute\u0027s mission of generating real-world impact through research, education, and engagement. Serving three-year terms, fellows act as strategic advisors, community ambassadors, and thought leaders within the broader sustainability ecosystem. Building on this foundational vision, the BBISS Faculty Fellows program has evolved to meet the dynamic needs of modern sustainability leaders. The newly revamped program emphasizes active leadership development, offering tailored networking opportunities, connections with broader sustainability networks, and focused training to help fellows grow as influential voices in their respective fields. Through these enhancements, the BBISS Faculty Fellows program aims to empower early-career researchers to maximize their reach, elevate their research, and innovate transformative sustainability solutions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe 2026 cohort represents a wide range of expertise spanning AI and sustainability, sustainable finance, computational materials discovery, infrastructure systems, environmental chemistry, urban resilience, and community-engaged research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe 2026 BBISS Faculty Fellows are:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022ebdd6fbeb1f5c84612d7d8b8ec428501d\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/lmc.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/624a4663-6439-585b-8bb0-3633dbbf089f\u0022\u003EHeidi Biggs\u003C\/a\u003E, Assistant Professor, School of Literature, Media, and Communication, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022eccad3040096319a501aee63554cbcea4\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/people\/bowen-jennifer\u0022\u003EJennifer Bowen\u003C\/a\u003E, Assistant Professor, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, College of Sciences.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022ecfc8499e98dcbc37448e99cb5e031457\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/econ.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/aa477a68-e824-5441-84f8-f9c968a402d7\u0022\u003EGaurav Doshi\u003C\/a\u003E, Assistant Professor, School of Economics, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e352d0010b0267e54c3729870e34e18a9\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.scheller.gatech.edu\/directory\/faculty\/he\/index.html\u0022\u003EXindi He\u003C\/a\u003E, Assistant Professor, Scheller College of Business.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e511b1bb49a5411509b3a05c9f8d430d9\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.mse.gatech.edu\/people\/guoxiang-emma-hu\u0022\u003EGuoxiang (Emma) Hu\u003C\/a\u003E, Assistant Professor, School of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022eff1911cdc56eb3366df5283d34c60f51\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/user\/1086\u0022\u003ESuhas Jain\u003C\/a\u003E, Assistant Professor, George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e3f1be2753a61bfecda57015bdc34aafe\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/arch.gatech.edu\/people\/patrick-kastner\u0022\u003EPatrick Kastner\u003C\/a\u003E, Assistant Professor, School of Architecture, College of Design.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e1682e55bd4bbe9706aa51550522f9131\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ic.gatech.edu\/people\/cindy-kaiying-lin\u0022\u003ECindy Kaiying Lin\u003C\/a\u003E, Assistant Professor, School of Interactive Computing, College of Computing.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e229f30d28bf1947b353468d749f1ef4c\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.chbe.gatech.edu\/directory\/person\/julia-yang\u0022\u003EJulia Yang\u003C\/a\u003E, Assistant Professor, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, College of Engineering.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECollectively, their research addresses the sustainability of interconnected human, natural, and engineered systems, encompassing topics such as watershed resilience, resource stewardship, carbon cycling, circular materials management, and evidence-based environmental decision-making. Their diverse expertise fosters new interdisciplinary collaborations that accelerate the development of practical, scalable solutions for communities, industries, and ecosystems.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe are delighted to welcome this exceptional group of faculty leaders to the BBISS community,\u201d said BBISS Executive Director Beril Toktay. \u201cTheir expertise, creativity, and commitment to sustainability will help expand opportunities for collaboration and accelerate the impact of sustainability research across Georgia Tech and beyond.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems (BBISS) has appointed nine new faculty fellows for 2026, selected for their leadership in sustainability research. These fellows will join an interdisciplinary community aiming to develop innovative solutions to environmental, social, and economic challenges. The BBISS Faculty Fellows program supports early-career researchers with leadership development and collaboration opportunities to enhance their impact in sustainability fields.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems (BBISS) has appointed nine new faculty fellows for 2026, selected for their leadership in sustainability research."}],"uid":"27338","created_gmt":"2026-09-03 13:13:43","changed_gmt":"2026-09-03 13:19:00","author":"Brent Verrill","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-09-03T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-09-03T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681058":{"id":"681058","type":"image","title":"2026_BBISS_Fellows_Collage.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003E(L to R, Top to Bottom) Heidi Biggs, Jennifer Bowen, Gaurav Doshi, Xindi He, Guoxiang (Emma) Hu, Suhas Jain, Patrick Kastner, Cindy Kaiying Lin, and Julia Yang.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1788441245","gmt_created":"2026-09-03 13:14:05","changed":"1788441245","gmt_changed":"2026-09-03 13:14:05","alt":"Collage of nine headshot portraits arranged in a three-by-three grid. The portraits show individuals photographed from the shoulders up in a variety of indoor and outdoor settings, including office spaces, landscaped outdoor areas, and neutral backgrounds, with professional or business-casual attire. The images are evenly spaced and presented in a consistent square format with varied background colors and lighting conditions.","file":{"fid":"265408","name":"2026_BBISS_Fellows_Collage.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/03\/2026_BBISS_Fellows_Collage.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/09\/03\/2026_BBISS_Fellows_Collage.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":734909,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/09\/03\/2026_BBISS_Fellows_Collage.jpg?itok=00FtNGVb"}}},"media_ids":["681058"],"groups":[{"id":"244191","name":"Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems"},{"id":"660398","name":"Sustainability Hub"}],"categories":[{"id":"132","name":"Institute Leadership"},{"id":"194836","name":"Sustainability"}],"keywords":[{"id":"188360","name":"go-bbiss"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"194566","name":"Sustainable Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:brent.verrill@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBrent Verrill\u003C\/a\u003E, Research Communications Manager, BBISS\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["brent.verrill@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"692107":{"#nid":"692107","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Researchers Discover New Layer of the Human Genome ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA new study led by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/people.research.gatech.edu\/francesca-storici\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EFrancesca Storici\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E and faculty member of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bioresearch.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/a\u003E, has uncovered an unexpected feature of human DNA linked to gene activity and the physical organization of DNA. The findings, \u003Ca rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cell.com\/cell\/fulltext\/S0092-8674(26)00922-0\u0022\u003Epublished in \u003Cem\u003ECell\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, could change how scientists think about DNA organization, transcription, and genome function.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDNA and RNA are usually separate molecules inside cells, each with a different job. But small RNA building blocks, called ribonucleotides, sometimes become embedded in DNA during normal cellular activities. Scientists knew these RNA building blocks existed, but until now they did not know where they were located across the human genome or whether they served a purpose.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStorici\u0027s team, working with collaborators at multiple institutions, created their detailed map of these RNA building blocks throughout human DNA. The researchers found that they are not randomly scattered. Instead, they are distributed in distinct patterns across the genome. The researchers call this genome-wide landscape of DNA-embedded ribonucleotides the human nuclear \u201cribome.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cRibonucleotides embedded in DNA have traditionally been viewed mainly as mistakes that need to be removed,\u201d Storici said. \u201cOur findings suggest a different perspective: they can influence the physical properties of DNA and may have biological functions that we are only beginning to understand.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team discovered that these embedded RNA building blocks are especially common near the starting points of active genes, where cells begin reading genetic instructions to make RNA. Their abundance also increases with gene activity. These regions experience physical stress as DNA is repeatedly accessed and used. The researchers found evidence that the embedded RNA building blocks influence how tightly the DNA twists and coils in these areas. This DNA twisting, known as supercoiling, is closely associated with transcription.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe findings suggest that these RNA building blocks are more than accidental leftovers from normal cellular processes. Instead, they can modulate DNA supercoiling, revealing a previously unrecognized connection between embedded ribonucleotides, DNA topology, and transcription.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOne of the most exciting findings is that processing ribonucleotides embedded in DNA can change DNA supercoiling,\u201d Storici said. \u201cThis provides a new connection between the chemical composition of DNA, its physical organization, and transcription.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe work also may help scientists better understand diseases linked to problems removing embedded RNA from DNA, including rare autoimmune disorders. More broadly, the discovery could open a new area of investigation into the roles of embedded ribonucleotides in human genome biology.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy providing the first comprehensive map of these RNA marks in human nuclear DNA, the study shows that what once appeared to be simple molecular mistakes may actually contribute to how the genome is organized and functions. The discovery opens new opportunities to explore how embedded ribonucleotides influence DNA topology, transcription, and genome maintenance.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E______\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EStorici\u0027s team included: Deepali Kundnani (alumnus), Yeunsoo Lee (Ph.D. student), Tyler Warner (Ph.D. student), and Ryan Eckerty (undergraduate student). Nata\u0161a Jonoska, a mathematician at the University of South Florida, also contributed. Additional collaborators across multiple institutions contributed expertise, resources, and scientific insights that greatly expanded the scope and comprehensiveness of the study.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003EResearchers led by Francesca Storici, a professor in the School of Biological Sciences and faculty member of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, created the first comprehensive map of ribonucleotides embedded in human nuclear DNA. Published in \u003Cem\u003ECell\u003C\/em\u003E, the study found that these RNA building blocks cluster near active genes and are associated with DNA supercoiling, a physical property linked to transcription. The findings suggest that embedded ribonucleotides are not simply molecular errors but may help shape genome organization and function, opening new avenues for research into gene regulation and diseases associated with defects in ribonucleotide removal.\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A new study led by Francesca Storici reveals that RNA building blocks embedded in human DNA are organized in distinct patterns and may play an important role in regulating DNA structure and gene activity."}],"uid":"36479","created_gmt":"2026-08-28 17:05:02","changed_gmt":"2026-09-03 12:34:50","author":"abowman41","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-08-28T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-08-28T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681002":{"id":"681002","type":"image","title":"_0000_storici-ribonucleotides.jpg","body":"\u003Cdiv\u003EScientific rendering of multiple DNA double helices with several embedded ribonucleotides highlighted in red along the strands.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E","created":"1787936801","gmt_created":"2026-08-28 17:06:41","changed":"1787936801","gmt_changed":"2026-08-28 17:06:41","alt":"Scientific rendering of multiple DNA double helices with several embedded ribonucleotides highlighted in red along the strands. The red RNA building blocks appear at distinct locations within the gray DNA structure, illustrating how ribonucleotides can become incorporated into human DNA.","file":{"fid":"265349","name":"_0000_storici-ribonucleotides.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/08\/28\/_0000_storici-ribonucleotides.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/08\/28\/_0000_storici-ribonucleotides.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":133621,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/08\/28\/_0000_storici-ribonucleotides.jpg?itok=GND4O2ZW"}}},"media_ids":["681002"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"188776","name":"go-research"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAshlie Bowman | Communications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EParker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"690440":{"#nid":"690440","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Scaling Innovation: Georgia Tech Manufacturing 4.0 Consortium Builds for the Future ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMoving a new idea from a research lab to production remains one of industry\u2019s toughest challenges. But at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/manufacturing.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Manufacturing Institute\u003C\/a\u003E (GTMI), which leads the nation in translating research into technologies that shape the future of U.S. manufacturing, that gap is being closed by design. This effort was on full display during AMPF Week, a two-day celebration marking the official opening of the newly renovated Georgia Tech \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/manufacturing.gatech.edu\/ampf-week\u0022\u003EAdvanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility\u003C\/a\u003E (AMPF).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.research.gatech.edu\/feature\/scaling-innovation-georgia-tech-manufacturing-40-consortium-builds-future\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERead more \u00bb\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u2019s Manufacturing 4.0 Consortium is bridging the gap between research and real-world production by using AI, automation, and industry partnerships to accelerate advanced manufacturing. Showcased during AMPF Week, the newly upgraded facility highlights intelligent, connected systems and a \u201cself-driving\u201d lab that enables real-time testing, innovation, and workforce development.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech\u2019s Manufacturing 4.0 Consortium uses AI and industry partnerships to turn research into real-world manufacturing."}],"uid":"27255","created_gmt":"2026-05-22 13:37:39","changed_gmt":"2026-09-02 17:42:21","author":"Josie Giles","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-05-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-05-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680332":{"id":"680332","type":"image","title":"ampf-week-thumb.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EA student demonstrates human-robot interaction using virtual reality controls and collaborative robotics technology at the AMPF.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1779457183","gmt_created":"2026-05-22 13:39:43","changed":"1779457183","gmt_changed":"2026-05-22 13:39:43","alt":"Person wearing a virtual reality headset controlling a humanoid robot equipped with tools in a laboratory setting.","file":{"fid":"264580","name":"ampf-week-thumb.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/22\/ampf-week-thumb.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/05\/22\/ampf-week-thumb.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":160283,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/05\/22\/ampf-week-thumb.jpg?itok=aFnZ_JD1"}}},"media_ids":["680332"],"groups":[{"id":"155831","name":"Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI)"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"195203","name":"go-noshow"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39461","name":"Manufacturing, Trade, and Logistics"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"691898":{"#nid":"691898","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Launches Statewide Hub to Build Aerospace Technical Talent","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech is leading a new NASA-supported workforce development initiative designed to expand aerospace education and strengthen Georgia\u0027s pipeline of skilled technical talent needed for future space missions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThrough a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-establishes-state-hubs-to-grow-technical-aerospace-workforce\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENext Gen STEM (NGS) NASA Aerospace Skilled Technical Workforce Hubs (NAS_Hub) grant award\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, Georgia Tech will play a central role in addressing a critical labor shortage in the booming aerospace industry and enhance the state\u2019s role as an aerospace industry leader in the global space economy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeginning this fall, the three-year, $1.5 million award will establish the Southeast Space Technology \u0026amp; Aerospace Readiness Skills (SE-STARS) Hub. The hub will expand opportunities for training and workforce readiness in high-demand technical careers in aerospace.\u003Cbr\u003EThe SE-STARS Hub includes the Georgia Space Grant Consortium (GSGC), Georgia Tech\u2019s Space Research Institute (SRI), the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI), the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), Georgia Southern University, Georgia College and Career Academies, Georgia Aerospace \u0026amp; Defense Alliance (GADA), and select Georgia aerospace employers to support the growing aerospace industry and NASA missions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAerospace products are Georgia\u2019s No. 1 export and the state has more than 800 companies supporting aviation, manufacturing, research, maintenance, repair, and operations.\u0026nbsp; Many aerospace and engineering positions rely on skilled technical workers whose training pathways do not require a four-year, or advanced degree. There are significant gaps in technical roles such as machinists, electronics technicians, test operators, and systems integrators. These shortages are driven by an aging workforce and a projected national shortfall of at least one million skilled technical workers by 2030. (National Academics of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, 2025). The gap also stems from the rapid pace of technological advancement, where even current skills can quickly become obsolete if not constantly renewed.\u0026nbsp; All this combines to create an urgent need for training to support new and sustainable aerospace career pathways.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStephen Ruffin\u003C\/strong\u003E, interim chair of the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering and GSGC director will serve as the principal investigator (PI).\u0026nbsp; \u003Cstrong\u003EJud Ready\u003C\/strong\u003E, executive director of SRI; \u003Cstrong\u003ELori Skillings\u003C\/strong\u003E, GSGC; \u003Cstrong\u003EHossein Taheri\u003C\/strong\u003E, Georgia Southern University; and \u003Cstrong\u003ESteven Ferguson\u003C\/strong\u003E, GTMI, will serve as co-PIs.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003EJeffrey McNabb\u003C\/strong\u003E, a research engineer in Georgia Tech\u2019s Aerospace Systems Design Lab (ASDL), will serve as the program manager, leading day-to-day operations and coordinating the project team.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022This initiative strengthens Georgia\u0027s position as a leader in aerospace innovation and manufacturing while providing new opportunities for students and industries across the state,\u0022 said\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003ERuffin.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECoordination between public education systems, industry, and workforce agencies can sometimes be limited. SE-STARS will act as a \u0022hub\u0022 to bridge these gaps, connecting Georgia Tech and its specialized research institutes with TCSG\u2019s 22 colleges and 88 campuses to provide statewide access to training.\u003Cbr\u003E\u201cAnother advantage of the program is the stronger network it creates,\u201d said Ruffin. \u201cEach organization in the SE-STARS team has unique capabilities but together we will strengthen the technical workforce pipeline across Georgia and the broader Southeast.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe SE-STARS team will collaborate with industry partners to develop curriculum aligned with workforce needs. \u201cThe easily ported curricula we develop will be tailored for other institutions to adopt directly, creating a consistent foundation of skills and competencies that employers can universally expect from program graduates across Georgia,\u201d Ready said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStudents will access training through a statewide network of technical colleges serving as regional instructional nodes, which offer flexible online options and hands-on paid apprenticeships to ensure broad geographic reach.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe program also reaches K-12 and adult learners through career academies and specialized STEM labs, creating a structured, sustainable transition from early education to high-demand aerospace credentials.\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EGTMI will support this work through its Advanced Manufacturing Pathways Program, which connects industry-informed training with pathways into high-demand advanced manufacturing careers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGeorgia\u0027s expanding aerospace and space sectors are creating high-paying jobs and driving economic growth,\u201d said Ruffin. \u201cThis program will help develop the skilled workforce needed to support that growth and Georgia\u2019s competitiveness in the space economy.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EFollowing NASA\u0027s announcement, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/atlanta\/news\/nasa-taps-georgia-tech-for-10-5-million-push-to-build-the-space-workforce\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECBS News Atlanta featured Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cem\u003EVideo courtesy of CBS News Atlanta.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"A $1.5 million NASA award will support aerospace education, workforce development, and entrepreneurship programs across Georgia."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EGeorgia Tech is leading a new statewide workforce development initiative funded by a three-year, $1.5 million NASA award to strengthen aerospace education and address critical shortages of skilled technical workers across Georgia. The Southeast Space Technology \u0026amp; Aerospace Readiness Skills (SE-STARS) Hub will bring together Georgia Tech, the Technical College System of Georgia, universities, industry partners, and workforce organizations to create training programs, apprenticeships, and career pathways in high-demand aerospace fields. By connecting K-12 students, adult learners, technical colleges, and employers, the initiative aims to build a sustainable talent pipeline that supports Georgia\u2019s growing aerospace sector and future NASA mission\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech is leading a new NASA-supported workforce development initiative designed to expand aerospace education and strengthen Georgia\u0027s pipeline of skilled technical talent needed for future space missions. "}],"uid":"36345","created_gmt":"2026-08-24 15:43:56","changed_gmt":"2026-08-26 13:55:29","author":"gwaddell3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-08-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-08-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680962":{"id":"680962","type":"image","title":"machine-shop-for-article.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAE Machine Shop with students.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1787586344","gmt_created":"2026-08-24 15:45:44","changed":"1787586344","gmt_changed":"2026-08-24 15:45:44","alt":"Machine shop with students","file":{"fid":"265302","name":"machine-shop-for-article.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/08\/24\/machine-shop-for-article.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/08\/24\/machine-shop-for-article.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1749821,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/08\/24\/machine-shop-for-article.jpg?itok=YAPuk9Hn"}}},"media_ids":["680962"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/how-georgia-techs-step-camp-expanding-engineering-opportunities-across-georgia","title":"How Georgia Tech\u0027s STEP Camp Is Expanding Engineering Opportunities Across Georgia"}],"groups":[{"id":"155831","name":"Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI)"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"136","name":"Aerospace"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1325","name":"aerospace"},{"id":"59541","name":"workforce development"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39461","name":"Manufacturing, Trade, and Logistics"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMonique Waddell\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["monique.waddell@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"678781":{"#nid":"678781","#data":{"type":"news","title":"In a Very Close Galaxy: How Georgia Tech Researchers Use Earth Analogs to Understand Space","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe surface is covered with fine ash. The lava fields stretch for miles, punctuated only by basalt mountains. But life could be found here if you look hard enough.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis barren land isn\u0027t Mars or Pluto, but volcanic deserts in Iceland. The environment is so comparable to Mars\u0027 arid landscape that researchers can use it as an analog. From Earth, they can extrapolate how planets in our galaxy and beyond could sustain life and what tools humans might need to make homes on these planets.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech researchers explore everywhere from Oregon\u0027s mountaintops to Arizona\u0027s deserts to better understand space \u2014 and life on this planet.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/feature\/very-close-galaxy\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERead more \u00bb\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"From deserts in Arizona to salty lakes in Canada, these environments give scientists an idea of what Mars and Jupiter\u2019s moons might be like."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe volcanic deserts in Iceland, covered in fine ash and basalt mountains, resemble Mars\u0027 landscape. Researchers use this environment to study how planets might sustain life and what tools humans would need for habitation. Georgia Tech researchers also explore various terrains in the U.S. to better understand space and life on Earth.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researchers explore U.S. terrains to understand space and life on Earth."}],"uid":"27255","created_gmt":"2024-12-06 17:51:30","changed_gmt":"2026-08-25 14:45:28","author":"Josie Giles","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2024-12-10T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2024-12-10T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"675788":{"id":"675788","type":"image","title":"Frances2.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EStudents using handheld portable chemical analysis instrumentation analogous to those used on Mars.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1733507498","gmt_created":"2024-12-06 17:51:38","changed":"1733507498","gmt_changed":"2024-12-06 17:51:38","alt":"Students using handheld portable chemical analysis instrumentation analogous to those used on Mars.","file":{"fid":"259454","name":"Frances2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/12\/06\/Frances2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/12\/06\/Frances2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":156652,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/12\/06\/Frances2.jpg?itok=nfFpDNYq"}}},"media_ids":["675788"],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"193266","name":"cos-research"},{"id":"192252","name":"cos-planetary"},{"id":"195203","name":"go-noshow"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"691930":{"#nid":"691930","#data":{"type":"news","title":"A Neuroscientist Went Looking for Prediction. She Found Time Instead.","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFew neuroscientists would dispute that the brain relies on prediction. From houseflies evading swatters to humans catching baseballs, living things are constantly anticipating what comes next. Understanding how the brain generates those predictions could help explain one of neuroscience\u0027s most enduring questions: how the brain builds internal models of the world that allow us to learn, adapt, and anticipate what comes next.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWithout actively predicting the world, we cannot survive,\u201d says \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/people.research.gatech.edu\/farzaneh-najafi\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EFarzaneh Najafi\u003C\/a\u003E, an assistant professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E and a faculty affiliate of Georgia Tech\u0027s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/neuro.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EInstitute for Neuroscience, Neurotechnology, and Society\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cThere is quite some sensory-motor delay in the processing. We can\u2019t just sit there, wait for the brain to process our environment, and then react.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPart of the puzzle may lie in signals known as neural ramps. Almost like a drumroll leading up to a big reveal, neurons in some areas of the brain have shown gradual increases in activity immediately before a stimulus appears. For decades, researchers have interpreted this ramping activity as a neural signature of prediction, reflecting anticipation of an upcoming event.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecently published in \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.aed6417\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EScience Advances\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, a new study from Najafi\u2019s lab reveals these signals may not be \u201cpredictions\u201d at all, but instead a way neurons track elapsed time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cSurprisingly,\u201d says Najafi, \u201cthe very first study from my lab called the Predictive Processing Lab showed that no, these are not prediction signals.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe finding challenges a long-standing interpretation of one of neuroscience\u0027s most studied signals and reveals that the search for predictive neurons may lead to different circuits \u2014 or require different experiments to uncover.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Problem with Prediction\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere is a challenge in separating simple time tracking from active prediction. Just because numbers on a stopwatch are increasing doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s counting up to a specific event.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo tease the problem apart, the team designed a series of experiments that progressively stripped prediction out of the equation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWorking with mice, the researchers presented audio and visual cues at carefully controlled intervals. Some appeared at regular, hence predictable, times, while others arrived unpredictably. If neurons are making predictions, their activity should look different when events are predictable versus when they are not.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut that\u2019s not what they found. Even when the researchers introduced errors into those predictable patterns, activity remained largely the same.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt was in the first year of collecting data in my newly established lab that my student, Yicong Huang, started showing me the data and I was shocked: how come we are not seeing a difference between the expected case and the unexpected case?\u201d Najafi recalls. \u201cBecause the entire theory is that there is a difference.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team found even more definitive evidence by monitoring \u201cnaive\u201d mice that had never seen the stimuli before. The brain must learn a pattern before it can anticipate it, yet they found that these neural ramps were present even in the first few trials.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDrumroll, Please\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf these signals aren\u2019t predictions, then what\u2019s happening?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhat we are seeing are pure sensory signals,\u201d she says. \u201cThey are not about predicting the timing of the upcoming stimulus. They\u0027re about encoding the time that is elapsed.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENajafi thinks that what neuroscientists have long interpreted as an anticipatory \u201cbuildup\u201d to a future event is actually a \u201crelaxation\u201d from the past. Rather than a drummer rolling up to a specific event, imagine one who is always rolling. Each stimulus briefly interrupts the performance before the rhythm gradually returns.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut they found that not every neuron behaves like a drummer. While \u201cdrummers\u201d recover their interrupted rhythm after a stimulus, other neurons operate more like a reverberating gong, firing strongly after a stimulus before gradually quieting down.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe beautiful part of this story is that neurons don\u0027t all do the same thing,\u201d Najafi says. \u201cOne neuron ramps up quickly, another more slowly, another with a completely different time course. When you put that heterogeneous population together, you get a very robust readout of time.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe finding may also have implications for how neuroscientists think the brain represents time itself.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur findings support the theory that time representation in the brain is an intrinsic property of neurons,\u201d says Najafi. Because the signals appeared even in na\u00efve mice and in sensory brain regions, the results suggest that timing may emerge from the properties of neurons themselves, rather than from a specialized timing system elsewhere in the brain.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor Najafi, the study doesn\u0027t close the case on predictive processing. Time, after all, is an important variable to track if you want to make predictions. Instead, it opens more questions about when and where those signals emerge.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMaybe we didn\u0027t find them because this was a passive perception task, meaning mice just passively received stimuli without being instructed to attend to them. Maybe we need active perception or an active movement task, and that\u0027s when we can extract these predictive signals from the brain. Alternatively, we may need to search other brain areas to find neural signatures of temporal predictions.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cDo I believe now that the brain is not doing predictive processing? Absolutely not,\u201d Najafi says. \u201cBut before we say we\u0027ve found evidence for a theory, we really need to do multiple carefully designed experiments. We need to attack this from many different angles.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFunding: This research was supported by the Whitehall Foundation, the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and the Georgia Institute of Technology.\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDOI: 10.1126\/sciadv.aed6417\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA Georgia Tech study challenges a decades-old explanation for one of neuroscience\u0027s most famous signals, revealing an intrinsic neural code for tracking time.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A Georgia Tech study challenges a decades-old explanation for one of neuroscience\u0027s most famous signals, revealing an intrinsic neural code for tracking time."}],"uid":"35575","created_gmt":"2026-08-24 19:39:14","changed_gmt":"2026-08-24 19:50:13","author":"adavidson38","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-08-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-08-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680972":{"id":"680972","type":"image","title":"Najafi-SciAdv.jpeg","body":"\u003Cdiv\u003EGeorgia Tech neuroscientist Farzaneh Najafi studies how the brain predicts future events. A new study from her lab challenges a long-standing interpretation of one of neuroscience\u0027s most famous \u0022prediction signals,\u0022 suggesting it may instead help the brain track elapsed time. Photo via Georgia Tech College of Sciences.\u003C\/div\u003E","created":"1787600538","gmt_created":"2026-08-24 19:42:18","changed":"1787600957","gmt_changed":"2026-08-24 19:49:17","alt":"Farzaneh Najafi standing outside smiling with her arms crossed. Green foliage is visible in the background.","file":{"fid":"265314","name":"Najafi-SciAdv.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/08\/24\/Najafi-SciAdv.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/08\/24\/Najafi-SciAdv.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":7788922,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/08\/24\/Najafi-SciAdv.jpeg?itok=DPVq2zuE"}}},"media_ids":["680972"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/neuro.gatech.edu\/molecules-mind-farzaneh-najafi-receives-multiple-awards-cognitive-research","title":"From Molecules to Mind: Farzaneh Najafi Receives Multiple Awards for Cognitive Research"},{"url":"https:\/\/neuro.gatech.edu\/nathan-mcdonald-and-farzaneh-najafi-awarded-curci-foundation-grants","title":"Nathan McDonald and Farzaneh Najafi Awarded Curci Foundation Grants"},{"url":"https:\/\/neuro.gatech.edu\/georgia-tech-researchers-make-waves-worlds-largest-neuroscience-conference","title":"Georgia Tech Researchers Make Waves at the World\u2019s Largest Neuroscience Conference"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"66220","name":"Neuro"},{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"172970","name":"go-neuro"},{"id":"192253","name":"cos-neuro"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"193656","name":"Neuro Next Initiative"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWriter and Media Contact:\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:audra.davidson@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAudra Davidson\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ECommunications Manager\u003Cbr\u003EInstitute for Neuroscience, Neurotechnology, and Society (INNS)\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["audra.davidson@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}