{"464681":{"#nid":"464681","#data":{"type":"event","title":"RBI Annual Executive Conference","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u0027s Renewable Bioproducts Institute has announced the keynote speakers for its three concurrent tracks during its annual executive conference, April 5-6.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cReimagining Bioproducts Industries: New Ideas \u2014 New Opportunities,\u201d will be held at the Paper Tricentennial Building, 500 10th St. NW, on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe conference will focus on three strategic areas and will be led by RBI associate directors: Operational Excellence in Advanced Pulping, Paper \u0026amp; Packaging led by Chris Luettgen; The Future of Biocomposites and Nanocellulose led by Meisha Shofner; and New Opportunities in Biochemicals led by Matthew Realff. A full agenda can be seen \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.rbi.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/documents\/2016%20Executive%20Conference%20-%20Agenda.pdf\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKeynote speakers will complement faculty and student presentations for each of these tracks\u2014Soydan Ozcan, Oak Ridge National Lab, for biocomposites and nanocellulose; Gregg Beckham, National Renewable Energy Lab, for biochemicals; and John Rager, RISI, for pulp, paper and packaging. Beckham will also deliver the keynote address to open the conference.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech Executive Vice President for Research will discuss the Institute\u2019s Innovation Ecosystem and the benefits of collaborations between GT and companies. Those benefits will further be explored Wednesday during the closing plenary session, with presentations by Norman Marsolan, executive director, RBI; Don McConnell, vice president, Office of Industry Collaboration, GT; Naresh Thadhani, chair of the School of Materials Science Engineering; and Sankar Nair, associate chair for Industry Outreach, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at GT.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe conference brings together thought leaders from a variety of companies and industries and connects them with faculty and students conducting research relevant to their businesses. Attendees hear the latest advancements in processing and application of renewable materials during these presentations and join extensive plenary discussions with their peers and colleagues.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe student poster competition allows for one-on-one interaction between company representative and some of the brightest young minds in cutting-edge research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThree concurrent tracks, moderated by leading experts in their fields of research, will feature faculty presentations on current directions and opportunities. Afternoon workshops will follow, along with discussion regarding the practical application of these advances into a reimagined bioproducts arena.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019ve had a tremendous response this year, near record registration,\u201d said Norman Marsolan, RBI executive director. \u201cWe believe the executives appreciate the format where they are free to choose the track most relevant to their business, hear in-depth reports on research in that area and then participate in a full afternoon of brainstorming and discussion on how it might positively impact their bottom line.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere are very few opportunities to experience this type of up-close interaction with those directing research. The ability to take advantage of and influence our endowment-sponsored student research is another distinction.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERBI\u2019s endowment sponsors about 42 Ph.D. students this academic year, and more than 40 are expected to participate in the annual poster competition. Students will also be featured speakers during the conference.\u0026nbsp;Attendees will have an opportunity to meet these students, and discuss how their research could be valuable or made more relevant to their companies.\u0026nbsp;Finally, the conference allows companies to influence the future research at RBI.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cDuring the discussion sessions, we listen to the input, and input has a direct impact on how we tailor our programs and future research projects to create opportunity for their business,\u201d Marsolan said. \u201cThis is truly an open discussion between researchers and company leadership.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor more information, visit\u0026nbsp;the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/rbi1.gatech.edu\/rbi-conferences-and-events\u0022\u003ERBI conference site\u003C\/a\u003E. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/2016-rbi-annual-executive-conference-registration-20893571234\u0022\u003EClick here\u003C\/a\u003Eto register today.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.regencysuites.com\/\u0022\u003ERegency Suites-Midtown\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;rooms available at a preferred rate for conference guests. To reserve your room, please call the hotel at 404.876.5003 and ask for the RBI conference rate.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gtalumni.org\/s\/1481\/alumni\/index.aspx?sid=1481\u0026amp;gid=21\u0026amp;pgid=2930\u0022\u003EMany hotels in the Midtown area\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;have Georgia Tech preferred rates. Please be sure to specify \u201cGeorgia Tech\u201d when you call to make your reservation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAll events associated with the conference will be held at the Paper Tricentennial Building, 500 10th St. NW, on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe Renewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI) at Georgia Tech builds on nearly a century of lignocellulosics research at Georgia Tech\u2014one of the nation\u0027s leading public research universities and engineering schools. RBI is transforming products and processes with forest- and agriculture-based biochemicals and bioproducts to solve the challenges and create competitive advantages and opportunities for industry as it evolves in the bioeconomy.\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Reimagining Byproducts Industries"}],"uid":"28159","created_gmt":"2015-10-30 12:00:08","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 02:14:35","author":"Kelly Smith","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2016-04-05T12:45:00-04:00","event_time_end":"2016-04-06T18:00:00-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2016-04-06T18:00:00-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2016-04-05 16:45:00","gmt_time_end":"2016-04-06 22:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2016-04-06 22:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"408571":{"id":"408571","type":"image","title":"RBI Facility","body":null,"created":"1449254188","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 18:36:28","changed":"1475895134","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:52:14","alt":"RBI Facility","file":{"fid":"202192","name":"140923_facilities.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/140923_facilities_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/140923_facilities_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":84474,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/140923_facilities_0.jpg?itok=pTjG5cMy"}},"388471":{"id":"388471","type":"image","title":"RBI exec conference, poster session","body":null,"created":"1449246288","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:24:48","changed":"1475894349","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:39:09","alt":"RBI exec conference, poster session","file":{"fid":"75479","name":"dsc_0184.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dsc_0184.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/dsc_0184.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":5030999,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/dsc_0184.jpg?itok=_qQv5bxB"}}},"media_ids":["408571","388471"],"groups":[{"id":"217141","name":"Georgia Tech Materials Institute"},{"id":"372221","name":"Renewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"3056","name":"biochemical"},{"id":"1270","name":"conference"},{"id":"113891","name":"nanocellulose"},{"id":"2106","name":"Paper"},{"id":"93811","name":"RBI"},{"id":"124931","name":"Renewables"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1789","name":"Conference\/Symposium"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78771","name":"Public"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}