{"683022":{"#nid":"683022","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Two Former Marines Secure Funding for Research \u0027That Improves Lives\u0027","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGilberto Moreno and Eric Santacruz once supported military units on the frontlines of combat. Now they assist Georgia Tech faculty who work at the forefront of research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs Marines, Moreno and Santacruz cultivated expertise in precision and mission-critical support for on-the-ground forces. That experience helps them streamline the administrative process of the School of Interactive Computing as they secure research grants that improve people\u2019s lives.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe two work as faculty support coordinators in the School of IC. They first met in the Marines in 2019 while assigned to the Personnel Retrieval and Processing Company of the 4th Marine Logistics Group in Smyrna, Ga.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMoreno is still in the Navy reserves and holds the rank of petty officer. Santacruz held the rank of sergeant and was the administration chief when Moreno joined the company. He was discharged in 2022.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Personnel Retrieval and Processing Company is responsible for the recovery, processing, and preparation of the bodies of fallen service members. The unit, which has detachments domestically and overseas, handles the mortuary affairs, documentation, transportation, and the processing of remains and personal effects.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMoreno and Santacruz were responsible for coordinating travel and deployments, as well as processing legal and medical documents.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBefore Smyrna, they gained administrative experience working in foreign nations and conflict zones.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMoreno joined the Marines out of high school in 2010. After a stint at Marine Corps Air Station in Jacksonville, N.C., he was assigned to the administrative staff of the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He then transferred to Camp Pendleton in California before being assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESantacruz enlisted in 2014 and was also assigned to the Combat and Logistics Regiment 27. In 2016, he deployed on a six-month tour in Djibouti, where he supported combat operations and civilian evacuation efforts in nearby conflict zones.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2021, Moreno decided to join the reserves and pursue a professional career in administration. He immediately received a call back after submitting his application to Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince they still lived in Atlanta, Moreno and Santacruz kept in touch with each other. When Moreno heard Santacruz had left the Marines, he called him and encouraged him to apply to Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe still keep up with other friends who were stationed with us,\u201d Moreno said. \u201cThe brotherhood doesn\u2019t end in the service.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs faculty support coordinators, they process all the necessary paperwork for grant applications to government organizations that fund research, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF). They also coordinate travel for faculty and students to various conferences and events.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMoreno and Santacruz said they enjoyed working behind the scenes in the Marines knowing everything they did was critical to the success of the units they supported.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThey brought that mission-first mindset with them to Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe most rewarding thing is being able to see the fruits of our work,\u201d Santacruz said. \u201cWhen Dean (Vivek) Sikar sends emails congratulating students and faculty, we see those names, and we\u2019re the ones who got that spend authorization for them. You see the stuff you\u2019re working for and you know it\u2019s changing something either at Tech or even globally.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMoreno said Georgia Tech encourages work-life balance, and the School of Interactive Computing staff supports him when he\u2019s required to fulfill his duties in the reserves. He left the School for seven months on active-duty orders over 2023 and 2024 at the Navy Reserve Center in Marietta.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe said he never had to worry about his job at Tech while he was gone.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI love that Georgia Tech gives me the ability to balance both,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe also said he enjoys taking on challenges that arise during the day.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe always joke that every day is different here in Interactive Computing,\u201d Moreno said. \u201cThere\u2019s always a different challenge, a different scenario.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere\u2019s more flexibility here. There are a lot of ways to get something done. You can have conversations about different ideas.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGilberto Moreno and Eric Santacruz apply their expertise in streamlining complex processes for military units into securing research grants for School of Interactive Computing faculty. They both enjoy working behind the scenes and value the work-life balance that Georgia Tech offers.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Former U.S. Marines Gilberto\u202fMoreno and Eric\u202fSantacruz secure funding for School of Interactive Computing research that enhances people\u2019s lives."}],"uid":"36530","created_gmt":"2025-07-07 14:09:38","changed_gmt":"2025-07-07 14:26:51","author":"Nathan Deen","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-07-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-07-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677343":{"id":"677343","type":"image","title":"Eric-Santacruz---Gilberto-Moreno_86A9226-Enhanced-NR.jpg","body":null,"created":"1751897449","gmt_created":"2025-07-07 14:10:49","changed":"1751897449","gmt_changed":"2025-07-07 14:10:49","alt":"IC Staff","file":{"fid":"261235","name":"Eric-Santacruz---Gilberto-Moreno_86A9226-Enhanced-NR.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/07\/Eric-Santacruz---Gilberto-Moreno_86A9226-Enhanced-NR.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/07\/Eric-Santacruz---Gilberto-Moreno_86A9226-Enhanced-NR.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":143991,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/07\/07\/Eric-Santacruz---Gilberto-Moreno_86A9226-Enhanced-NR.jpg?itok=wR2TB66x"}}},"media_ids":["677343"],"groups":[{"id":"47223","name":"College of Computing"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"50876","name":"School of Interactive Computing"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"194612","name":"Workforce Development"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"9153","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"191071","name":"Employee Experience"}],"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":""}}}