{"682501":{"#nid":"682501","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Advancing Critical Mineral Supply: GEMS-3 and GRACE Workshop Spurs Innovation","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELast month, I had the opportunity to represent Georgia Tech SCL at the joint \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gems.research.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGEMs-GRACE workshop in Macon\u003C\/a\u003E, hosted by partners from Georgia Tech, the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/georgiamining.org\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Mining Association\u003C\/a\u003E, and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.middlegeorgiarc.org\/\u0022\u003EMiddle Georgia Regional Commission\u003C\/a\u003E. The event brought together 70 participants from 36 organizations across economic development, academia, national labs, non-profits, and industry\u2014underscoring the importance and growing momentum around critical mineral development in our region.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe agenda featured a strong lineup of speakers covering use-inspired R\u0026amp;D, workforce development, translation and commercialization, and ecosystem sustainability. Highlights included insights from leaders at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/energy\u0022\u003EStrategic Energy Institute\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gacth.org\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Cleantech Innovation Hub\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.srnl.gov\/\u0022\u003ESavannah River National Lab\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.southerncompany.com\/\u0022\u003ESouthern Company\u003C\/a\u003E, and others. I contributed a perspective on the critical role of supply chain design in optimizing the development of any new critical mineral supply chain\u2014ensuring we design networks from the start that are scalable, resilient, and efficient.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPerhaps the most valuable elements of the day were the breakout sessions and informal networking, where participants explored how we can collectively advance resource development with greater speed, innovation, and shared benefit. The level of engagement and openness to collaboration was impressive.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019re now turning our attention to shaping a full proposal to support this initiative, and I\u2019m encouraged by the alignment and energy coming out of this session. Many thanks to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ce.gatech.edu\/directory\/person\/yuanzhi-tang\u0022\u003EDr. Yuanzhi Tang\u003C\/a\u003E and the organizing team for bringing this community together in such a purposeful way.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EChris Gaffney\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cem\u003EManaging Director, Georgia Tech Supply Chain and Logistics Institute\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOn April 29, nearly 70 attendees representing 36 organizations from industry, government, academia, and nonprofits gathered at the Middle Georgia Regional Commission for the third \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gems.research.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Partnerships for Essential Minerals (GEMs) Workshop\u003C\/a\u003E, held jointly with the Growing Resilience for America\u2019s Critical Mineral Economy (GRACE) Engine initiative. The workshop marked a pivotal step in the region\u2019s critical mineral strategy, bringing together leaders across sectors to align priorities and accelerate ecosystem development.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders, including industry partners from multiple sectors, non-profit organizations, regional economic development agencies, national labs, universities, and technical colleges."}],"uid":"27233","created_gmt":"2025-05-22 12:48:51","changed_gmt":"2025-08-22 21:03:49","author":"Andy Haleblian","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Macon, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-05-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-05-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677112":{"id":"677112","type":"image","title":"Chris Gaffney speaking to GEMS-3 and GRACE Workshop participants in Macon, GA","body":null,"created":"1747919250","gmt_created":"2025-05-22 13:07:30","changed":"1747919526","gmt_changed":"2025-05-22 13:12:06","alt":"Chris Gaffney speaking to GEMS-3 and GRACE Workshop participants in Macon, GA","file":{"fid":"260980","name":"IMG_5413.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/22\/IMG_5413.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/22\/IMG_5413.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2549285,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/05\/22\/IMG_5413.jpeg?itok=7masDUIv"}},"677113":{"id":"677113","type":"video","title":"Critical Materials 101: What\u2019s so Critical about Critical Materials?","body":"\u003Cp\u003ECritical Materials 101, a video series breaking down the building blocks of our clean energy future courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1747919638","gmt_created":"2025-05-22 13:13:58","changed":"1747919707","gmt_changed":"2025-05-22 13:15:07","video":{"youtube_id":"Wooz8XfquS4","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Wooz8XfquS4"}}},"media_ids":["677112","677113"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/moving-toward-development-gems-3-and-grace-workshop-builds-momentum-critical-mineral-production","title":"Georgia Tech-Hosted Workshop Spurs Critical Mineral Production and Economic Development"},{"url":"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/how-the-us-can-mine-its-own-critical-minerals-without-digging-new-holes-252609","title":"How the US can mine its own critical minerals \u2212 without digging new holes"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Wooz8XfquS4","title":"YouTube \u0022Critical Materials 101\u0022 video | courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.scl.gatech.edu\/news-events\/newsletters","title":"View past SCL newsletters and join our mailing list"}],"groups":[{"id":"1242","name":"School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE)"},{"id":"1243","name":"The Supply Chain and Logistics Institute (SCL)"}],"categories":[{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"}],"keywords":[{"id":"194526","name":"critical minerals"},{"id":"143871","name":"Physical Internet Center"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"},{"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\u003Einfo@scl.gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}